Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime (Vinyl)
Mdou Moctar has previously claimed, “I don’t know what rock is exactly,” and that’s a good thing listening to the Niger-based Tuareg singer-songwriter’s latest album, 'Afrique Victime'. There’s a unique sense of freedom in the record’s eight songs that most household-name rockers will never understand, since North American and European musicians have been inundated with the rigid strictures of verse-chorus-bridge songwriters since birth.
And that’s not to say that Moctar grew up on Mars — he has declared himself a fan of Eddie Van Halen and ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres, and his band’s guitar/bass/drums configuration reflects those tastes — but the influence of African artists like Abdallah Oumbadougou (the guitarist who first inspired him to pick up the instrument) and the long-running collective Tinarwen seems greater than anything FM radio has championed in the last 50 years.
None of the songs on 'Afrique Victime' progress like typical rock songs. Oom-pah rhythms support “Taliat,” which becomes a showcase for Moctar’s effortless six-string prowess, and his playing echoes the fluidity of Malian artist Ali Farka Touré as much as someone like Jimi Hendrix. The biggest feat here, though, is how 'Afrique Victime' feels upbeat and hopeful from start to finish. This is how free rock & roll should sound. (Rolling Stone)
Tracklist:
A1 Chismiten
A2 Taliat
A3 Ya Habibti
A4 Tala Tannam
A5 Untitled
B6 Asdikte Akal
B7 Layla
B8 Afrique Victime
B9 Bismilahi Atagah
Mdou Moctar has previously claimed, “I don’t know what rock is exactly,” and that’s a good thing listening to the Niger-based Tuareg singer-songwriter’s latest album, 'Afrique Victime'. There’s a unique sense of freedom in the record’s eight songs that most household-name rockers will never understand, since North American and European musicians have been inundated with the rigid strictures of verse-chorus-bridge songwriters since birth.
And that’s not to say that Moctar grew up on Mars — he has declared himself a fan of Eddie Van Halen and ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres, and his band’s guitar/bass/drums configuration reflects those tastes — but the influence of African artists like Abdallah Oumbadougou (the guitarist who first inspired him to pick up the instrument) and the long-running collective Tinarwen seems greater than anything FM radio has championed in the last 50 years.
None of the songs on 'Afrique Victime' progress like typical rock songs. Oom-pah rhythms support “Taliat,” which becomes a showcase for Moctar’s effortless six-string prowess, and his playing echoes the fluidity of Malian artist Ali Farka Touré as much as someone like Jimi Hendrix. The biggest feat here, though, is how 'Afrique Victime' feels upbeat and hopeful from start to finish. This is how free rock & roll should sound. (Rolling Stone)
Tracklist:
A1 Chismiten
A2 Taliat
A3 Ya Habibti
A4 Tala Tannam
A5 Untitled
B6 Asdikte Akal
B7 Layla
B8 Afrique Victime
B9 Bismilahi Atagah
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