New Tinariwen Album Emmaar In Stores Now
The new album by acclaimed “Tuareg” band Tinariwen is now in stores. The record, entitled Emmaar, is the much anticipated follow up to the group's acclaimed 2011 album Tassili which was awarded a Grammy for Best World Music Album. Emmaar is already generating substantial critical praise, with Time Out London calling it "hypnotic and entrancing” and The Wall Street Journal proclaiming the band “Rock stars of the Saraha” in a recent profile.
Concurrent with the record's release, the AV Club is premiering a new music video for Tinariwen's song “Islegh Taghram Tifhamam” which features the group performing amidst the dramatic landscape of the California desert of Joshua Tree. Watch Tinariwen's new video here: http://www.avclub.com/article/get-educated-with-the-new-video-from-north-african-107665
Due to instability in their Northern Mali homeland, Tinariwen recorded Emmaar in the California desert of Joshua Tree. Created in the region known for spaced-out rock ‘n’ roll and psychedelic cowboy folk,the album showcases a distinctly organic soulful feel. The group was joined in Joshua Tree by a group of esteemed American musicians including Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Matt Sweeney of Chavez, Nashville fiddler Fats Kaplin, and poet Saul Williams. The album, mixed by Vance Powell (Jack White, The Dead Weather), is a richly layered listen solidified by atmospheric textures and gritty hypnotic guitar-work.
Tinariwen will be touring North America in support of Emmaar, beginning this March 13th with an appearance at the SXSW Festival in Austin,Texas.
Early Critical Praise For Emmaar:
“The group trades off lead vocals and sings in unison, and the four guitarists seem more capable and versatile than ever. There are phrases and rhythms here that wouldn’t have been heard in their music previously. On Emmaar, Tinariwen are up to the task. 8.1” – Pitchfork
“It's a pleasure to hear how Tinariwen keeps finding new ways to translate the soul of the Sahara for fans around the world." - NPR
"The band’s most consistently satisfying album yet." - The Line of Best Fit
"It’s a truly absorbing listen, almost effortless. For a band that have been through so much turmoil, they convey so much beauty." - Musicomh.com
“There's very little quite like it, and it's much wilder than it first seems.” - Uncut
“Tinariwen's music seems to touch on even stronger themes of persistence and achievement on Emmaar.” - Exclaim
“The songs have that magical union of the poetic and the rhythmic that proves endlessly irresistible, from the skirling guitar of “Chaghaybou” to the elegant, swaying nobility of “Arhegh Danagh”, and the mysterious, insistent “Imidiwan Ahi Sigdim,” a crawling king-snake slow blues driven by propulsive handclaps. - Independent UK
Tour Dates:
March 13, 2014 Austin, TX SXSW
March 18, 2014 Nashville, TN The Hight Watt
March 19, 2014 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
March 20, 2014 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
March21, 2014 Philadelphia, PA Prince Music Theater
March 22, 2014 Washington, DC Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
March 23, 2014 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bowl
March 24, 2014 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bowl
March 25,2014 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
March 26, 2014 Ridgefield, CT The Ridgefield Playhouse
March 27, 2014 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
March 28, 2014 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall
April 1, 2014 Pittsburgh, PA Warhol’s Entrance Space
April 2, 2014 Kent, OH The Kent Stage
April 4, 2014 Nelsonville, OH Stuart’s Opera House
April 5, 2014 Chicago, IL City Winery
April 6, 2014 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
April 8, 2014 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
April 9, 2014 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House
April 11, 2014 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
April 12, 2014 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
April 14, 2014 Seattle, WA Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall
April 15, 2014 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
April 17, 2014 Los Angeles, CA The Belasco Theater
April 18, 2014 Grass Valley, CA The Center For The Arts
April 19. 2014 San Francisco, CA The Nourse Theater
April 20, 2014 Pioneer Town, Ca Pappy & Harriet's
April 21, 2014 Phoenix, AZ MIM Music Theater
April 22, 2014 El Prado, NM Taos Mesa Brewing
April 24, 2014 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
April 25, 2014 Lafayette, LA Festival International de Louisiane
April 26, 2014 Lafayette, LA Festival International de Louisiane