Bleep

Wedge records announce the return of Tinariwen, whose new album ‘Emmaar’ sees the Mali group playing with desert blues tropes in characteristically unique fashion. Opener ‘Toumast Tincha’ manages to give a sense of the huge deserts where the album was recorded without being overblown, with subtle guitar solos which connect the blues tradition with eastern modes bursting out of group chants. It is a revelation to hear folk elements rendered in high definition, with hand-played drums sounding beautifully crisp on ‘Imidiwan Ahi Sigdim’, and ‘Koud Edhaz Emin’ carrying off bluesy guitar licks and stuttered vocals as if they were a natural pair.