Independiente
Tinariwen : Imidiwan/Companions -CD+DVD- (ML,rec.2008,pub.2009)***'
“Companions” continues where “Water is Life” was involved with, finding a village and companions to start with sharing the music and songs and performance. Besides, Touareg’s music is not about a specific remote village, a guitarist, songwriter or not even a band, these elements are only tools for communal sharing, through music, for Tinarwen it often was unclear who all belonged to the band or not. Deeper into that focus, with the warmth of sharing, this new album hangs together more than like a collection of comparable improvised ideas around some song ideas. The music shows warmth in the playing, at times a much groovier moment, the moments of enjoyment, and in this particular case also something of a form of blues, this time not just as an association, but as a real comparison in nature, and this not only in the way the guitar parts are treated (-which are done in a Touareg way, of course-), but also in the vocal parts, just take out the 6th track specifically. Also, it is as if there has been a story told with it, united in voice, lead guitar and band and in the songs and the energy being expressed and coming forward from and being produced with it. The general group sound remains attractive, with all the different guitars, some of them at times only playing a rhythm, note or chord endlessly. A few new ideas occurred too. Like the sort of deep vocal only arrangement in the 10th track, and the last, totally experimental track digging the silent echoing sounds from an electric guitar. The last before track, “Chabiba”, is also surprising : that it suddenly speeds up to great wild heights and energy. A rewarding album, which as a bonus also contains a DVD documenting the recording session.
This DVD is a small documentary which works perfectly as a background setting and illustration, recalling the setting up of the studio, stage and environment in the village, so that it becomes easy to imagine for someone being there as a witness, preparing the moment of the recording with it..
