Tinariwen

Tassili (Anti-)

Hailing from the southern Sahara, Tinariwen’s nomadic guitar mantras encompass the spiritual hypnotism of Tibetan chants, the bare grittiness of Malian blues, and the rebel soul of reggae without sounding like any of those genres. The musical tribe’s debut for Anti-, Tassili, serves as a proper stateside introduction, partially recorded at the Loft in Chicago with TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe, who takes the lead on “Tenere Taqhim Tossam,” as well as Wilco guitarist Nels Cline (opener “Imidiwan Ma Tenam”) and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (“Ya Messinagh”). Tassili‘s more acoustic than previous efforts but entirely transfixing, filled with haunted pleas about solitude (“Asuf D Alwa”), faith (“Ya Messinagh”), and drought (“Takest Tamidaret”). (Sat. 2:30pm, Orange stage)

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This article appears in November 4 • 2011.

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