Elwan

Elwan
Studio album by
Tinariwen
Released10 February 2017 (2017-02-10)
RecordedUnited States, France, Morocco
GenreAfrican blues, desert blues, world
Length46:10
LabelAnti/Epitaph
Tinariwen chronology
Emmaar
(2014) 		Elwan
(2017) 		Amadjar
(2019)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic86/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [2]
Exclaim!8/10[3]
The Guardian [4]
Pitchfork8.2/10[5]

Elwan is the seventh album by the Tuareg band Tinariwen, released in 2017.[6] The title means "elephants" in Tamashek and the term is used as a metaphor for militias and corporations that have trampled the fragile natural and human ecosystems of the desert.[7] The album was partially recorded in Joshua Tree National Park (as was its predecessor Emmaar) with additional recording in Paris, France and M'hamed El Ghizlane, Morocco.[8] The album includes guest appearances by Matt Sweeney, Kurt Vile, Mark Lanegan, and Alain Johannes.[7] One reviewer called the album "devastatingly beautiful,"[7] and another described the album as "musing on the values of ancestry, unity and fellowship, driven by the infectiously hypnotic cyclical guitar grooves that wind like creepers around their poetic imagery."[9] AllMusic named Elwan as one of the best albums of 2017.[10]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Tiwàyyen"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib / Eyadou Ag Leche3:45
2."Sastanàqqàm"Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni3:24
3."Nizzagh Ijbal"Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni3:39
4."Hayati"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib / Moulay El Wafi3:23
5."Ittus"Hassan Ag Touhami3:45
6."Ténéré Tàqqàl"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib4:25
7."Imidiwàn n-àkall-in"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib3:33
8."Talyat"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib4:14
9."Assàwt"Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni3:39
10."Arhegh ad annàgh"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib2:47
11."Nànnuflày"Eyadou Ag Leche / Mark Lanegan5:03
12."Fog Edaghàn (Intro Flute)"Tinariwen1:26
13."Fog Edaghàn"Tinariwen3:07

Note: Tracks 12–13 are bonus tracks in some editions of the album.

Personnel

All information from album liner notes.[11]

  • Ibrahim Ag Alhabib – lead vocals and lead guitar (tracks 1, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11)
  • Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni – lead vocals and lead guitar (tracks 2, 3, 8, 9), backing vocals (all tracks)
  • Alhassane Ag Touhami – lead vocals and lead guitar (track 5), backing vocals (all tracks)
  • Eyadou Ag Leche – bass (all tracks), guembri (track 7), guitar (tracks 1, 6), backing vocals (all tracks)
  • Elaga Ag Hamid – guitar (all tracks), backing vocals (all tracks)
  • Said Ag Ayad – percussion (all tracks), backing vocals (all tracks)
  • Amar Chaoui – percussion (all tracks)
  • Iyad Moussa Ben Abderahmane – guitar (tracks 1, 4, 8, 11), backing vocals (track 4)
  • Mina Walet Oumar – you-yous (tracks 1, 7)
  • Abdul Wahab Cheich, M'Bark Bellal, Melghaynine Sifori – children’s backing vocals (track 2)
  • Abdelkader Ourzig, Tahar Khaldi, Hicham Bouhasse, Haiballah Akhamouk – backing vocals (track 4)
  • The Gangas de Tagounite – percussion (tracks 3, 6, 7, 10)
  • Kurt Vile – guitar (tracks 1, 11)
  • Matt Sweeney – guitar (tracks 1, 8)
  • Alain Johannes – guitar (track 8)
  • Mark Lanegan – vocals (track 11)

Charts

Chart Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] 68
French Albums (SNEP)[14] 87
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 104
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[16] 10
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[17] 36

References

  1. ^ "Elwan". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ Mullin, Kyle. "Tinariwen Elwan". Exclaim!. Exclaim!. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Tinariwen: Elwan review – different deserts, same hypnotic groove". The Guardian. 2017-02-05. Archived from the original on 2022-10-05.
  5. ^ Pitchfork review
  6. ^ "Tinariwen's New Album 'Elwan' Out Now". Anti- Records. Anti- Records. February 10, 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Fraden, Angel E. (March 7, 2017). "Tinariwen Deliver a Devastatingly Beautiful Album With 'Elwan'". okayafrica. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  8. ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia (February 2, 2017). "Review: Tinariwen, 'Elwan'". NPR.com. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  9. ^ Gill, Andy (February 8, 2017). "Album reviews: Tinariwen – 'Elwan', Sampha – 'Process', Rag'n'Bone Man – 'Human', and more". The Independent. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  10. ^ "AllMusic Best of 2017". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  11. ^ Tinariwen (2017). Liner notes: Elwan.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tinariwen – Elwan" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tinariwen – Elwan" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  14. ^ "Lescharts.com – Tinariwen – Elwan". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tinariwen – Elwan" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  16. ^ "Tinariwen Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  17. ^ "Tinariwen Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2018.