Some people have commented that Tinariwen have always been a country band, albeit a North African take on that most North American of genres. That idea is magnified on new album Amatssou, which finds the Tuareg band’s trademark snaking guitar lines and hypnotic rhythms blending seamlessly with pedal steel, piano and strings from guest musicians including Daniel Lanois, the embellished arrangements lending the songs an epic, universal application. Full of poetic allegory, the lyrics call for unity and freedom. There are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists. “Dear brothers all rest, all leisure will always be far from reach unless your homeland is liberated and all the elders can live there in dignity,” Ibrahim Ag Alhabib sings on ‘Arajghiyine.’ The album’s title Amatssou is Tamashek for ‘Beyond The Fear’ and it fits - Tinariwen have always been characterised by their fearlessness - and as Bob Dylan once said, the power of rock’n’roll is that it makes us “oblivious to the fear” as the music gives us the strength and resilience to confront adversity. In the two decades since Tinariwen emerged from their base in the African desert to tour the globe, they have got to know many renowned country, folk, and rock musicians from the USA including Kurt Vile, Stephen O'Malley, Jack White, and Wilco. Tuareg nomads and cowboy drifters. Camel trains and mustang horses. The timeless horizon of the endless Sahara and the wild frontier of the Old West - several thousand miles of ocean may divide the desert blues of Tinariwen and the authentic country music of rural America but the links are as palpable as they are romantic.
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Recommended equipment and accessories
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Denon DP-400
Featuring a high-precision, belt-driven mechanism and an adjustable tonearm that ensures optimal tracking and minimal resonance
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Audioengine A2 Plus
Precision-engineered 2.75-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter, featuring built-in DAC and Bluetooth connectivity for seamless integration.
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Pro-Ject Phono Box DC Pre-Amp
Compact, high-performance phono preamplifier for both MM and MC cartridges, delivering a clean, detailed signal with minimal noise.
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Nagaoka MP-110H Cartridge
Features a high-quality elliptical stylus that provides excellent tracking and minimizes distortion, delivering a detailed sound reproduction with an output voltage of 5.0 mV
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Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO
Featuring a one-piece carbon fiber tonearm, precision-tuned motor, and a heavy steel platter with TPE damping, it ensures superior stability and sound quality.
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
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Disiniblud (Rachika Nayar & Nina Keith) Disiniblud CARNELIAN
Smugglers Way
July 18, 2025 -
Grizzly Bear Yellow House (Cream White) [2xLP]
Warp Records
October 17, 2025 -
Olafur Arnalds/Talos A Dawning
Mercury Kx
July 18, 2025 -
Madonna Veronica Electronica
Wea Int'l
August 1, 2025 -
Maruja Pain To Power
Sony International Network
September 12, 2025 -
Belinda Carlisle Once Upon A Time In California (Sunset)
Demon / Edsel
August 29, 2025 -
Tallah Primeval: Obsession // Detachment
Earache Records
September 5, 2025 -
Lorna Shore I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me [2xLP]
Century Media
September 12, 2025 -
Wishbone Ash Argus [2xLP]
Analogue Prod.
August 1, 2025 -
Whiskey Myers Whomp Whack Thunder [2xLP]
Wiggy Thump Records
September 26, 2025 -
Orbit Culture Death Above Life [2xLP]
Century Media
October 3, 2025 -
Cyndi Lauper KInky Boots--Original Broadway Cast Recording (Fuchsia) [2xLP]
Real Gone Music
July 11, 2025 -
Prince Royce Eterno
Sony U.s. Latin
September 5, 2025 -
Bailey Zimmerman Different Night Same Rodeo [2xLP]
Warner Nashville, Atlantic Records
August 8, 2025