day 20, Tinariwen - Aman Iman

Stars: 3.25
Favorite Track: Cler Achel
Show: $35

Tinariwen is a band of gypsies (literally) from the deserts of Algeria. I’ll save the biography for the professionals and keep it plain and simple: Aman Iman is Algerian rhythm and blues that features guitar, repeating one or two chord structures, and a vocalist that trades off with a chorus and/or guitar solos.

Aman Iman was actually one of the four albums which was suggested more than once. (Beach House Teen Dream, Jonathan Richmond's Rockin' and Romance and Flying Lotus Cosmogramma were the other three.) By the brief description given to me by one of the suggesters, I was immediately intrigued. I went online and checked out a few tracks and read a few articles. I suggest you do the same. Their story is very unique—maybe not for Algerians growing up in wartime, but at least for popular musicians.

Most of the tracks groove in one or two chords, but Aman Iman stays interesting. The guitar playing can get heavy at times in tracks like “Soixante Trios” which is a deep and dark, funky, blues groove where the electric guitar and vocals trade verses, as is done in traditional American blues. The guitar cries along with the singer in the same rough and ready tone, also just like the blues.

My favorite track, “Cler Achel,” is an outstanding display of confidence and energy. Of course I have no idea what they are talking about, but the attack of the guitar and blunt volume of the chorus and vocalist proves a self-assured attitude. Tinariwen are not trying to be anything; the music is simply an extension of who they are. Later tracks on Aman Iman are not quite as strong, but they still leave a lasting impression.