The Sway Machinery: The House of Friendly Ghosts, Volume 1 (JDub Records, 3/8/11)

The Sway Machinery: "Gawad Teriamou"

Led by guitarist and lead singer Jeremiah Lockwood, Brooklyn-based band The Sway Machinery includes Yeah Yeah Yeahs drummer Brian Chase, brass players Stuart Bogie and Jordan Mclean (Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra), and baritone-sax player Colin Stetson (Tom Waits, Arcade Fire). Though something of a name-dropper’s perfect dream, The Sway Machinery actually resembles very little of its individual parts.

Instead, under the vision of Lockwood, the collective explores Jewish cantorial music within the broader sphere of world music, injecting the ancient tradition with Afro-rhythms and blues-tinged soul.  The distinct sound stems from two figures in Lockwood’s life: his grandfather, renowned cantor Jacob Konigsberg, who instilled in his lifeblood the ancient heritage of synagogue music; and Piedmont blues virtuoso Carolina Slim, who mentored Lockwood early in his career, as he played the streets and subways of New York City.  It’s a far-out mix that is sacredly funky, executed brilliantly by a collective with a dense amalgamation of contemporary sensibilities.

And to slice it up even more, The Sway Machinery has enlisted one of Mali’s most respected singers, Khaira Arby, for its second record, The House of Friendly Ghosts, Volume 1.  An invitation to be the first Jewish band to perform at the Festival in the Desert in Mali turned into a month-long stay where the band recorded and wrote with some of Mali’s great luminaries, including Super 11 and Vieux Farka Touré, son of the legendary Ali Farka Touré.  Inspired by Mali’s strong musical tradition rooted in local soil, The Sway Machinery recorded the album in the capital of Bamako, accenting its local sounds with Arby’s willful voice at the center.

In many ways, the record plays like a travel journal; tracks like “Women Singing in Timbuktu,” “Camels,” and “Turaeg Child Singing” are exactly what the titles suggest.  As a whole, the record offers many sincere moments like these, whether sound snippets from the streets or the work done in the studio. The project translates as an earnest effort to make sense of a culture through the language of music.

Though Arby is a perfect fit for the Afrobeat horns and the slew of new African instruments introduced to The Sway Machinery’s sound, she provides an interesting point of contrast to the band’s Jewish foundations and American funk and jazz flourishes.  But she respectively owns some of the record’s most standout tracks, making songs like opener “Sourgou” sound like they were played by a band less on a sojourn, more on a permanent stay.  The foot-stomping,  Afro-funk offering “Gawad Teriamou” flaunts Arby’s fiery but effortless vocal deliveries, given life by a Gypsy-desert guitar lick, infectious bass riff, and a stabbing brass section.

Lockwood provides the other half of the record’s vocals.  “Skin to Skin” is the first hint of what Lockwood has to offer, and listeners will immediately sense the intuitive connection between the musical traditions.  There are, however, stark differences. It’s a singing style that hinges on Hebrew syntax and traditional Jewish melodies, a hybrid form that isn’t fully understood until album closer “Shalom Aleichem,” where Lockwood sings completely in Hebrew.

In the end, the music is the link between the two worlds.  The Sway Machinery’s  combination of brass and rhythm is a force to be reckoned with — a true testament to some of New York’s most accomplished musicians.  Over Lockwood’s cantorial-infused vocals, and intertwined in Arby’s African cries, is a triumphant fusion that keeps a balanced variety, from the raw funk in “Youba” to the rock drumming and call-and-response blues dynamics in “All The People.”

The House of Friendly Ghosts, Volume 1 is also less overt than The Sway Machinery’s 2008 debut, Hidden Melodies Revealed, in reconfiguring the Jewish hymn. The result is a grand thesis of cross-cultural music that looks forward more than it looks back.  Bringing its Brooklyn sound to the crown of West Africa, the collective successfully shrinks cultural distance and blends the modern with the Jewish folkloric.

Sidi Touré: Sahel Folk (Thrill Jockey, 1/25/11)

Sidi Touré: "Bon Koum"

It has been 13 years since Malian folk artist Sidi Touré released a solo album. Touré’s 1998 debut, Hoga, is a bluesy, foot-stomping, electric-overdrive kind of record. At the time, Touré and many of his Malian contemporaries were on the cutting edge of the evolving Afro-pop sound, just before its revival hit the West by the turn of the century. Now at 51, Touré’s sound has definitely changed, but it’s as powerful and provocative as ever.

Sahel Folk, the West African musician's debut on Thrill Jockey, is informed by the people and places most important to him, making for a record that comes off naturally introspective. Direct from the stunning red-dirt roads of Bamako, Mali, Touré and his unmatched guitar playing have made an album that's nothing short of inspirational.

Performing a refined style called "Songhai blues," Touré plays loose driving notes — semi-picked, semi-strummed — in an ethnic style where the pentatonic scale use will remind listeners of American blues. Fashioned and mastered by the late Ali Farka Touré (no relation), who single-handedly introduced the highly distinctive style to the world, Sahel Folk is yet another strand to Mali’s musical offspring.

In its repetitious nature, Sahel Folk is meditative. From the first note in “Bon Koum,” there’s an immediate sense of belonging, as if the gently plucked notes are the only things that would make sense in the moment. Met by Touré’s vocals in the Songhai language, the song has a mysterious simplicity, a kind of minimalist brilliance that only a few musicians can pull off. Touré does it well, crafting simple songs with moments of innate poignancy that are delivered with implicit confidence.

Recorded in a live “field recording” style at Touré’s sister’s house, the songs on the album simply let the players and instruments speak for themselves. In other words, Sahel Folk is basically a home-recorded album with every track featuring a different friend. Though the musicians only allowed themselves two takes to retain the spontaneity of the recording (after one day of arranging), the casual sessions are reflected in the final product.

From the soulful vocals of Jiba Touré in “Adema,” to the 10-minute track “Taray Kongo” that features Jambala Maiga on vocals and kuntigui (the mono-chord guitar known as the cosma in Niger), Sahel Folk is filled with perfect guest performances that keep things interesting. Though the fret-less kuntigui makes switching notes seamless, Maiga creates rapid melodic reverberations that give great weight to Touré’s sharp guitar flourishes.

As much as Sahel Folk is rooted in Touré’s friends, it is very much informed by the Sahel, the stretch of land that lies between the Sahara desert and the Sudanian savannas. A strip of land that covers Senegal to the West and Ethiopia to the East, the climate is dry in some areas, lush green in other areas, but always vast and encompassing.  It is also the site of the the Songhai empire, or present-day Gao, Mali, the ancient city in which Touré was born.

Lyrically, Touré sings simple proverbs, ancient Songhai folklore tweaked for modern audiences. Though some audiences won’t be able to understand the words, they will feel the emotional resonance from not only the beautiful intonations of the language but also the tones of the instruments.  Earnest in delivery and uplifting in approach and ascent, Sahel Folk masterfully reintroduces Sidi Touré to the global music scene.

As usual, ALARM leaves no genre unexplored in our list of this year's overlooked gems.

Sigh: Scenes from Hell (The End, 1/19/10)

Sigh: "The Summer Funeral"

With a history of fusing other revered genres to a doomy combination of black metal and thrash, Japan's Sigh used its eighth studio album to deliver symphonic, epic metal that calls upon classical instrumentation to top its rock foundation.

Brass, woodwind, and string instruments — as well as organ and piano — accent as well as lead sinister melodies that take surprising turns through fanciful themes. Raspy, menacing vocals coat each track, resulting in a dramatic presentation that isn't much at odds with its complex backdrop.

RJD2: The Colossus (RJ’s Electrical Connections, 1/19/10)

RJD2: "Games You Can Win"

Following a divisive album that saw the introduction of poppy, soulful vocals, producer RJD2 returned with something of a split release — an album that leaves no shortage of accessible, vocal-driven tunes but that emphasizes some inventive instrumentals.  Whether or not you dig the soulful RJ, there's no doubt that the music on The Colossus is some of his best to date.

Chicago Underground Duo: Boca Negra (Thrill Jockey, 1/26/10)

Chicago Underground Duo: "Spy on the Floor"

For 15 years, the Chicago Underground Duo (and Trio, Quartet, and Orchestra) has been an avant-garde jazz outlet for prolific Chicago musicians Rob Mazurek (Exploding Star Orchestra, Isotope 217) and Chad Taylor.  Boca Negra is an interesting dichotomy, as spiraling vociferation leads to upbeat grooves, shifting piano chords, harmonic electronics, and ambient samples.

Algernon: Ghost Surveillance (Cuneiform, 1/26/10)

Algernon: "Broken Lady"

The brainchild of guitarist Dave Miller, Algernon walks a thin line between melodically driven post-rock and instrumental unconventionality.  Ghost Surveillance places greater emphasis on synthesizers and sprawling song structures, but at its core is the combination of accessibility and technicality that has defined Miller's style. Noisy, circular rock riffs transform to tranquil, wandering passages. "Timekiller," the album's fourth track, is a beautiful, buoyant number — and one of the band's best creations to date.

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: Into the Wind (Ubiquity, 1/26/10)

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: "East"

In the hands of a marvel, the guzheng — a gorgeous Chinese zither — resonates with tactile beauty as its many strings are plucked with precision.

Bei Bei, a native of Chengdu, China, is one such musical technician. And this collaboration with Shawn Lee, a prolific producer who can man as many genres as he sees fit, is undoubtedly one of the year's finest albums.  Together, the two use Into the Wind to navigate through funky down-tempo jams, Kung-Fu flavor, hip hop, soul, and driving grooves.

Daníel Bjarnason: Processions (Bedroom Community, 2/1/10)

Daníel Bjarnason: "Bow to String I: Sorrow Conquers Happiness"

Best known as a conductor and arranger for indie groups such as Sigur Rós, composer Daníel Bjarnason also holds a lofty classical résumé. Processions, his proper debut, is, at many points, a challenging classical work.  Powerful cellos scale and race with crackling percussions before settling into gently bowed and pizzicato string accompaniments; easily half a dozen strings battle for dominance in a sorrowful, harmonic piece that resonates long after hearing it.  Undoubtedly, Processions is a daring and original debut.

Shining: Blackjazz (Indie Recordings / Distribution, 2/2/10)

Shining: "Fisheye"

Beginning as an experimental acoustic jazz ensemble, Norway's Shining — the brainchild of saxophonist Jørgen Munkeby — transformed to a progressive jazz-fusion outfit before delving into its darker side for a collaboration with black-metallists Enslaved.

Blackjazz pushes deeper into the band's dark recesses, forging a progressive industrial sound for the young century.  Big, complex rock riffs, twisted through gnarly distortion, form the foundation and support a mass of frantic, whirring synth lines and gut-wrenching black-metal screams.  In all, Blackjazz is a new epic — and perhaps the best metal album of 2010.

Pillars and Tongues: Lay of Pilgrim Park, LP + download (Endless Nest, 2/9/10)

Pillars and Tongues: "The Center of"

With just three members, Pillars and Tongues manages to craft powerful folk abstractions and interwoven, trance-inducing vocal dynamics. Both composed and improvisational, these shifting forms evoke spiritual vibes in their soulful essence, heavenly harmonies, and repeated patterns.

Dessa: A Badly Broken Code (Doomtree, 2/9/10)

Dessa: "Dixon's Girl"

The only female member of Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree, Dessa is a spoken-word vocalist, singer, and MC whose awaited full-length was finally released earlier this year.

On A Badly Broken Code, her true solo debut, Dessa's vocal diversity is matched by its underlying music, ranging from hard-hitting beats and rhymes to lilting harmonic overdubs.

The Bastard Noise / The Endless Blockade: The Red List (20 Buck Spin, 2/16/10)

The Bastard Noise: "Mutant World of Shame / Underworld"

A spinoff of treasured "power-violence" hardcore group Man is the Bastard, The Bastard Noise is approaching its 20th anniversary of creating noisy electro-doom brutality.  For this split release with hardcore/punk experimentalists The Endless Blockade, the group utilizes the trademark drum-and-bass style of Man is the Bastard in combination with its far-out sounds.  The Endless Blockade contributes three tracks to the release — one 14-minute epic and two avant-garde remixes.

Freeway & Jake One: The Stimulus Package (Rhymesayers, 2/16/10)

Freeway & Jake One: "Know What I Mean"

Continuing his life after Roc-A-Fella Records, former freestyle star Freeway now makes his debut on Rhymesayers, a fitting new home — if only temporary before a move to Cash Money.  Fellow Rhymesayers standout Jake One provides a funky, malleable backdrop for Freeway's fiery delivery and lyrics that are alternately personal and light in content. And though Freeway deserves his accolades, Jake One's production is the MVP of this collaboration.

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch, 2/16/10)

Carolina Chocolate Drops: "Hit 'Em Up Style" (Blu Cantrell)

Beholden to the traditions of Americana and early African-American folk, the string trio Carolina Chocolate Drops continues blurring the lines of old and new. On Genuine Negro Jig, the group's fifth album, a few original numbers and a trove of traditionals take root in banjo, fiddle, and percussion. Three-part harmonies shimmer on the famous folk tune "Trouble in Your Mind," and simplicity shines on gripping renditions of "Why Don't You Do Right?" by Kansas Joe McCoy and "Trampled Rose" by Tom Waits.  Most surprisingly, Genuine Negro Jig includes an enjoyable rendition of "Hit 'Em Up Style," an unintentionally farcical pop hit by Blu Cantrell.

Mako Sica: Dual Horizon LP (La Société Expéditionnaire, 2/16/10)

Mako Sica: "I'Itoi"

A translation of the phrase "land bad," Mako Sica has more than a nominal Native American influence; the trio's distant vocal reverberations and dirge-inspired tunes recall the spirituality of America's original inhabitants.

Between the vocalizations of Brent Fuscaldo, the melodies of guitarist Przemyslaw Krys Drazek, and the rhythms of drummer Michael J. Kendrick, Mako Sica maintains a strong balance of abilities — with a brooding combination of jangly guitars, reverberated vociferation, and instrumental dynamics.

High on Fire: Snakes for the Divine (E1 Music, 2/23/10)

High on Fire: "Snakes for the Divine"

Stoner-metal trio High on Fire has built a devoted following over the past dozen years as fans fell in love with Matt Pike's gruff vocals and thunderous guitar riffs. On Snakes for the Divine, Pike uses his throat to channel Lemmy Kilmister; meanwhile, the band has picked up its pace and crafted an album that isn’t as outstretched. Hard-hitting riffery leads an effort that, though diverse at times, may be the band’s most driving release.

Jaga Jazzist: One-Armed Bandit (Ninja Tune, 2/23/10)

Jaga Jazzist: "One-Armed Bandit"

Five years have passed since we've heard the powerhouse melodies of Norway's Jaga Jazzist, the post-rock/"nü-jazz" conception of brothers Lars and Martin Horntveth.

One-Armed Bandit, immediately the group's best album, resembles symphonic prog rock, arguably a few steps removed from parts of Frank Zappa's expansive catalog and closer to countryman Jono El Grande's diverse and theatrical style.  This album, however, is much more cohesive than either of those comparisons suggest, and at times it is nearly overwhelming with grooves and harmonious refrains.

Rob Swift: The Architect (Ipecac, 2/23/10)

Rob Swift: "The Architect"

Turntablist/DJ Robert Aguilar, formerly of the X-ecutioners, has long utilized his love of jazz, R&B, and other musical movements to create compelling hip-hop instrumentals while displaying his tight beat-juggling skills.

The Architect is Swift’s foray into the classical world. In addition to a multitude of sampled styles and sounds, classical cuts comprise a substantial chunk of this Ipecac debut. Rearranged strings, organ, and horns often make the foundation of a given track, occasionally evoking high-tension Italian Westerns, as Swift’s scratches dance atop banging beats.

Rotting Christ: Aealo (Season of Mist, 2/23/10)

Rotting Christ: "Aealo"

For more than 20 years, Athens' Rotting Christ has traversed different directions on the metal path.  With its previous release, Theogonia, the group released a striking, original album that fused its dark sound to the ethnic sounds of its ancestors.

Like its predecessor, Aealo features female Benedictine chants, lingual pipes, and a medieval feel. Combined with dueling high-pitched harmonies and powerful guitar work, these new elements highlight an album that should be among the most original metal releases of the year.

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: Ali and Toumani (Nonesuch, 2/23/10)

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: "Ruby"

As two of Africa's most internationally renowned musicians, guitar legend Ali Farka Touré and kora phenom Toumani Diabaté have displayed impeccable abilities while integrating the styles of other cultures into their ethnic sounds.

Each Malian, the two collaborated for the acclaimed In the Heart of the Moon in 2005, shortly before Farka Touré's passing in 2006. Fortunately, the two set aside time to record new material before touring for In the Heart of the Moon, and the result is another beautiful set of duets that sees a posthumous release.

Throughout Ali and Toumani, Farka Touré roots each creation in melodious African-blues pieces. Diabaté's virtuosity accents each track in the form of fanciful scales, which at times evoke classical harpsichord passages, perhaps most notably on "Sabu Yerkoy."

Fang Island: s/t (Sargent House, 2/23/10)

Fang Island: "Sideswiper"

Mostly comprised of ex-Daughters, the good-time rock quintet Fang Island was one of the most quickly ascending bands of 2010, jumping onto tours with The Flaming Lips and Stone Temple Pilots following the release of its first full-length album.

The self-titled release is chock full of palm-muted and speed-infused indie-prog anthems, with über-layered vocal harmonies to go with a triple-thick guitar assault and distorted-bass bludgeoning.  It's one of those rare releases that feels absolutely radiant and thrashing at the same time.

B. Dolan: Fallen House, Sunken City (Strange Famous, 3/2/10)

B. Dolan: "The Reptilian Agenda"

Going way back with Sage Francis, rapper B. Dolan is a like-minded MC and slam poet whose style isn't terribly dissimilar to that of his long-time friend. Fallen House, Sunken City is Dolan's second full-length for Strange Famous, and it's full of the sociopolitical themes (if often in quick blasts or asides) and contentious delivery for which he's known.

In addition to some seemingly personal lyrics, Dolan takes passing shots at big business, taxation, the pharmaceutical industry, the concept of ownership of natural resources, the Israeli razing of Palestinian developments, and, among many other things, the so-called New World Order — dropping clips of Dick Cheney and George H.W. Bush in "The Reptilian Agenda."  On top of Dolan's socially conscious rhymes, A-list production by Alias makes this one of the year's top hip-hop releases.

Archie Bronson Outfit: Coconut (Domino, 3/2/10)

Archie Bronson Outfit: "Shark's Tooth"
Archie Bronson Outfit: "Shark's Tooth"

With its warbled vocals and driving percussion, British psych-rock trio Archie Bronson Outfit is like a more adventurous Wolf Parade — as comfortable burning up the dance floor with clean, bouncy riffs as it is turning up the reverb and rocking in a garage.

Coconut is the band's first LP in nearly four years, and it kicks off with a crunchy, swirling guitar line and a hypnotic bongo-laden beat. Produced by DFA's Tim Goldsworthy, Coconut gets spaced-out and drone-like at times, but it always offers a hint of pop accessibility amidst the static and haze.

Mr. Gnome: Tastes Like Magic EP (El Marko)

Following a well-received sophomore LP late in 2009 — recorded at Josh Homme's studio — dynamic Cleveland duo Mr. Gnome are issuing an addendum of sorts, a pair of B-sides from the same recording session.

The band's main instrumentation is just guitar and drums, but it attains a much fuller sound with keyboards, electronics, and the ghostly vocal presence of Nicole Barille that has elicited comparisons to Karen O.

The result is both hazy and powerful, and the band's success owes much to that dynamic. "Three Red Birds," the EP's "single," is a creepy example of Mr. Gnome at the heavier end of its spectrum, as the tune takes a simple but potent riff and plays with its surroundings.

Mr. Gnome: "Three Red Birds"
Mr. Gnome: \"Three Red Birds\"

Etran Finatawa: Tarkat Tajje / Let's Go! (Riverboat)

A group of Wodaabe and Tuareg people from Niger, Etran Finatawa is an exploration of tribal music as channeled through electric guitar and a blues sensibility.

The group draws distinct comparisons to Tinariwen, a band of Tuareg musicians whose origin is from northern Mali. And though the two have a kindred bond as well as origins from bordering nations, Etran Finatawa displays the colorful vocalizations and dress of its Wodaabe members, whose collaboration with the Tuareg members is something unique.

The band's instrumentation features a clean-channel guitar, the crux of the Ichumar style, and guitarist Alhousseini Mohamed Anivolla cites regional influences such as Ali Farka Touré and international influences such as Jimi Hendrix. The latter proves to be more of an inspiration than a direct sonic model, but nevertheless, Tarkat Tajje is a mesmerizing album that is helping to further the modernization of tribal African music.

Etran Finatawa: "Aitimani" (excerpt)
Etran Finatawa: \"Aitimani\" (excerpt)

Ralph Towner & Paolo Fresu: Chiaroscuro (ECM)

Acoustic guitar is a staple of classical and folk music and an assortment of Latin and South American styles, but it's something of a rarity in jazz. Ralph Towner has experience in many of these genres, utilizing both nylon- and steel-string guitars (6 and 12 strings) to create a catalog of rich diversity.

However, his instrument of choice is most interesting in his jazz forays, and that holds true on this disc of duets with Italian/Sardinian trumpeter Paolo Fresu. The interplay between the two is careful and effective, and the album's one cover — a piece by Bill Evans and Miles Davis — is representive of the duo's influences and ability.

Honorable Mentions

Dan Weiss Trio: Timshel (Sunnyside)

Flobots: Survival Story (Republic)

Sayyadina: The Great Northern Revisited (Relapse)

V/A: The Rough Guide to Arabic Lounge (World Music Network)

Five years have passed since we've heard the powerhouse melodies of Norway's Jaga Jazzist, the conception of brothers Lars and Martin Horntveth. Though the band is much closer to elaborate post-rock or "nü-jazz," a few of the group's winding passages and pieces of its instrumental setup reflect the genre for which it is named.

One-Armed Bandit, immediately the group's best album, resembles symphonic prog rock, arguably a few steps removed from parts of Frank Zappa's expansive catalog and closer to countryman Jono El Grande's diverse and theatrical style.

This album, however, is much more cohesive than either of those comparisons suggest, and at times it is nearly overwhelming with grooves and harmonious refrains. Though there is no shortage of talent, there also is no shortage of accessibility.

After an instantly hummable call-and-answer melody, the album's title track shifts to a trio of passages that sound as though they were designed for the slot-machine artwork that accompanies the album. Marimba, harpsichord, fuzzy bass, and slide guitar steal much of the show on this first standout on a disc of standouts, and the group's noted assortment expands from there.

If you're already a fan or have never heard Jaga Jazzist, One-Armed Bandit is not to be missed.

Jaga Jazzist: "One-Armed Bandit" (edit)
Jaga Jazzist: \"One-Armed Bandit\" (edit)

Rob Swift: The Architect (Ipecac)

Turntablist/DJ Robert Aguilar, formerly of the X-ecutioners, has long utilized his love of jazz, R&B, and other musical movements to create compelling hip-hop instrumentals while displaying his tight beat-juggling skills.

The Architect is Swift’s foray into the classical world. In addition to a multitude of sampled styles and sounds, classical cuts comprise a substantial chunk of this Ipecac debut. Rearranged strings, organ, and horns often make the foundation of a given track, occasionally evoking high-tension Italian Westerns, as Swift’s scratches dance atop banging beats.

A few pieces are separated into movements as certain sounds act as themes, and guest MC Breez Evahflowin (the album’s only vocalist) continues the homage while rapping about the album’s concept on tracks “Principio” and “Ultimo.”

Though some may pigeonhole The Architect because of its direction, the truth is that it's an eclectic instrumental album — a dynamic DJ disc that certainly should be experienced live. Pick this up.

Rob Swift: "The Architect"
Rob Swift: \"The Architect\"

High on Fire: Snakes for the Divine (E1 Music)

Stoner-metal trio High on Fire has built a devoted following over the past dozen years as fans fell in love with Matt Pike's gruff vocals and thunderous guitar riffs.

On Snakes for the Divine, Pike uses his throat to channel Lemmy Kilmister; meanwhile, the band has picked up its pace and crafted an album that isn’t as outstretched. Hard-hitting riffery leads an effort that, though diverse at times, may be the band’s most driving release.

The production by Greg Fidelman (Metallica’s Death Magnetic) is getting a lot of attention, and rightfully so — the kick drum often sounds like a popping thud, and the vocals are too high in the mix. But overall, the mix is beefier and conveys a sense of urgency; High on Fire hasn't sounded quite like this before.

High on Fire: "Snakes for the Divine"
High on Fire: \"Snakes for the Divine\"

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: Ali and Toumani (Nonesuch)

As two of Africa's most internationally renowned musicians, guitar legend Ali Farka Touré and kora phenom Toumani Diabaté have displayed impeccable abilities while integrating the styles of other cultures into their ethnic sounds.

Each Malian, the two collaborated for the acclaimed In the Heart of the Moon in 2005, shortly before Farka Touré's passing in 2006. Fortunately, the two set aside time to record new material before touring for In the Heart of the Moon, and the result is another beautiful set of duets that sees a posthumous release.

Throughout Ali and Toumani, Farka Touré roots each creation in melodious African-blues pieces. Diabaté's virtuosity accents each track in the form of fanciful scales, which at times evoke classical harpsichord passages, perhaps most notably on "Sabu Yerkoy."

The album most certainly will garner major accolades in world-music circles. More importantly, it will stand as a final remembrance for Farka Touré.

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: "Ruby" (excerpt)
Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: \"Ruby\" (excerpt)

Valgeir Sigurðsson: Draumalandið (Dreamland) soundtrack (Bedroom Community)

Icelandic producer Valgeir Sigurðsson has worked with a host of high-profile artists: Björk, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Nico Muhly, Múm, and many more. But despite nearly a decade of noteworthy production work, it wasn't until 2007 that he released his first official solo album, Ekvílibríum, a dreamy electro-acoustic work.

Now Sigurðsson has released the soundtrack to Draumalandið (Dreamland), a documentary about the exploitation of Iceland's natural resources. The score, a gentle and mini-orchestral work, is a much more elaborate affair — but one that manages, despite its layers, to feel as sparse as much of the Icelandic landscape.

Swelling and crackling electro-folk turns into uneasy chamber pieces. Often, the score is circular and dramatic, as in the title track, based on a simple up-scaling piano progression that is complemented by a glockenspiel or xylophone. The tempo of "Dreamland" picks up and slows at key spots, capturing an important dynamic.

Muhly and countrymen Sam Amidon, Ben Frost, Daníel Bjarnason, and a host of others lend their talents to Dreamland, a score that proves Sigurðsson capable of much more than augmenting the work of others.

Valgeir Sigurðsson : "Dreamland"
Valgeir Sigurdsson: \"Dreamland\"

Rotting Christ: Aealo (Season of Mist)

Despite the shock-value name, Greek black-metal quartet Rotting Christ is much more than a sacrilegious aggro band.

For more than 20 years, the Athens band traversed different directions on the metal path. However, with its last release, Theogonia, the group released a striking, original album that fused its dark sound to the ethnic sounds of its ancestors.

Like its predecessor, Aealo features female Benedictine chants, lingual pipes, and a medieval feel. Combined with dueling high-pitched harmonies and powerful guitar work, these new elements highlight an album that should be among the most original metal releases of the year.

Rotting Christ: "Aealo"
Rotting Christ: \"Aealo\"

Honorable Mentions

Cindy Blackman: Another Lifetime (tribute to Tony Williams) (Four Quarters Entertainment)

Johnny Cash: American VI: Ain't No Grave (American)

Eluvium: Similes (Temporary Residence)

Quasi: American Gong (Kill Rock Stars)

Terry Riley: Autodreamographical Tales (Tzadik)

Jack Rose: Luck in the Valley (Thrill Jockey)

Perhaps the poster group for its genre, Sunn has spent the past 10 years experimenting in epic, doomy sound and noise.

Now, with Monoliths & Dimensions, the core duo of Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson teams with guests galore to create, in the words of the group, "the most musical piece we've done."  Guest musicians Eyvind Kang (John Zorn, Bill Frisell), Jessika Kenney (Eyvind Kang, Asva), Oren Ambarchi (Burial Chamber Trio), Dylan Carlson (Earth), Julian Priester (Sun Ra, John Coltrane) and others help make that so, while retaining the creeping, end-of-the-world vibe that persists thoughout Sunn's work.

Khanate: Clean Hands Go Foul (Hydra Head)

As the belated swan song for the super-group collaboration between Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O)))), James Plotkin (Phantomsmasher), Alan Dubin (OLD), and Tim Wyskida (Blind Idiot God), Clean Hands Go Foul is a fitting endgame for Khanate's aural presentation of desolation and despair.  Evil ambience crests and falls, working with ominous chords and soul-shredding screams; naturally, fans of O'Malley's other work will love this.

Khanate: "Wings from Spine" (excerpt)
Khanate: \"Wings from Spine\" (excerpt)

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest (Warp)

Unconventional indie darlings Grizzly Bear have pushed three years since their last full-length release, and the passage of time hasn't diminished the band's creative stroke.

On Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear's trademark vocal harmonies and layered orchestrations are still present, but the album features a slightly heavier touch of electronics and chamber elements.  By and large, however, this is the same Grizzly Bear, and preexisting fans won't feel alienated by this disc.

Sir Richard Bishop: The Freak of Araby (Drag City)

In his solo creations and many collaborative endeavors, ex-Sun City Girls guitarist Richard Bishop weaves through Arabic, Indian, flamenco, African, and Gypsy influences in both composed and improvised settings.

With his new album, he employs a clean, reverberated electric guitar in place of his usual acoustic sound, and he adds a bit of percussive assistance. For spring and summer tour dates, Bishop will perform with a full ensemble, which should make his ethnic creations even more compelling.

Master Musicians of Bukkake: Totem One (Conspiracy)

Milky and Don McGreevy of Earth, producer extraordinaire Randall Dunn (Secret Chiefs 3, Sunn O)))), Bill Horist of Ghidra, and other noted Northwest musicians comprise this collective that designs psychedelic, ethnically inspired folk freak-outs.

With Totem One, the group begins a musical trilogy while expanding and maturing its expansive sound.  The album's guests include Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls and Timb Harris of Estradasphere and Secret Chiefs 3.

Vieux Farka Touré: Fondo (Six Degrees)

The son of musical Malian icon Ali Farka Touré, guitarist/singer Vieux Farka Touré has garnered international distinction since the release of his self-titled debut album, issued the year after his famous father’s death.

That disc, which was remixed later in the same year, featured kora virtuoso Toumani Diabate on a pair of tracks and combined Mande and Sonrai folk styles with pop and a touch of reggae.  Diabate is back to help with Fondo, which finds Vieux taking more of a distinctive direction while improving his songwriting chops.

Five light-skinned African men shuffle gently on a stage devoid of decoration — with only amps and microphones — their physical appearance alone making a dramatic statement. Each holds an electric or acoustic guitar, electric bass, or a hand drum. Though Tinariwen’s music is hypnotic, transcendental, and groove-oriented, they appear stoic and self-controlled.

Audience members stand in sharp contrast to the band; they’re dancing like it’s last call.

Halfway through the set, Bob Martin, the Lensic’s general manager, orders the house lights on. The aisle dancers are violating the city’s fire code, he says, and the show would end early if everyone did not return to their seats.

“It doesn’t matter what the band wants,” Martin curses. “This is my space.” Some boo. Others sit down. The band appears passive and indifferent, though none of them speak English and likely don’t know why this large, red-faced man is shouting at the audience.

Concert resumed, Tinariwen plays with a renewed fervor, inciting the audience to stand up and shake its collective ass. Songs begin similarly: with an electric guitar melody, muted and distortionless. The band joins in, playing syncopated countermelodies and basslines that are commanding but unobtrusive. A guitarist calls out a line; the others respond in unison.

The songs build on a single groove or riff, recalling old blues artists who found innumerable ways to reinvent twelve-bar chord progressions and Bo Diddley beats. When Elvis borrowed liberally from bluesmen in the 1950s, he sparked a musical tradition that links the Beatles and Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. But Elvis was from the wealthiest country on Earth. Tinariwen is from an impoverished place that many of us couldn’t find on a map.

The name Tinariwen translates as “empty places.” Indeed, the band’s sound, image, history and ethnicity are all tied to one of the remotest regions of the world, northern Mali. This unforgiving chunk of the central Sahara was a French colony until the 1960s, when Mali and neighboring Niger gained independence.

Tuaregs, nomadic camel herders who have roamed the Sahara for centuries, were unwittingly caught in this power move. They’ve been suffering the consequences of it ever since. The newly formed Malian and Nigerien governments wanted the nomads to settle down and integrate into society. Some did. Others refused. Battles and destitution ensued.

Guitarist/vocalist Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, whose father was killed by Malian fighters, fought for Tuareg independence in the 1970s and ‘80s. He co-founded Tinariwen in 1982 at a Tuareg military training camp, practicing guitar between military exercises. He listened to northern African pop stars, but also to such disparate groups as Euro-dance group Boney M and American country singer Kenny Rogers. Rebel leaders used Tinariwen’s first albums, recorded on cassette tapes and passed around by fans, as anti-governmental war propaganda.

As Tinariwen’s reputation grew, the Tuaregs made progress. Rebels in Mali signed a peace accord and ceremonially set their weapons afire in Timbuktu in ‘96. Five years later, Tinariwen recorded their first CD, The Radio Tisdas Sessions (never mind that the band was by now nearly 20 years old), and toured Europe. Westerners took notice.

Last year, Tinariwen opened for the Rolling Stones; last April, Robert Plant invited them onstage to play “Whole Lotta Love.” Tinariwen played the Montreux Jazz Festival alongside Carlos Santana. Bonnie Raitt adores them. I first learned about Tinariwen while reading an article whose lofty subheadline asked, “Is Tinariwen the greatest band on Earth?”

National Geographic is filming Tinariwen’s performance in Santa Fe tonight. The show ends with nearly everyone on the bottom floor of this performance hall off their chairs and dancing, to Hell with the fire marshal and venue management.

The group blasts into a chugging anthem that sounds remarkably like an Africanized version of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The audience resembles a fevered Pentecostal congregation, whose members lose themselves and surrender helplessly to the rhythm. Tinariwen rocks beneath their robes and turbans.

Moving through the crowd after the show, I overhear a woman in the front row say to a sweaty aisle dancer, young enough to be her son, “You know, you assholes really ruined that concert.”

“That’s rock ‘n’ roll, baby,” the kid snaps, barely missing a beat.

Audience members push toward the merchandise table in the lobby, making passage almost impossible. The band’s tour manager, Bastien Gsell, is selling T-shirts and CDs as fast as his hands will move. If Tinariwen’s three albums (The Radio Tisdas Sessions, Amassakoul, and Aman Iman) had each cost $50 tonight, they’d still sell out. The fans here border on fanatical.

Past the maze of backstage hallways, downstairs, in an overlit dressing room fit for a troupe of ballerinas, quietly sits acoustic guitarist / singer Abdallah Alhousseyni. Round-faced and moustached, he is exhausted but accommodating.

Next to him sits Valerie-Milenka Repnau, a sturdy, blonde Los Angeles resident who drove fourteen hours to be here tonight. Behind them, other band members change from their robes into slacks and buttondown shirts — Western clothes. They carry backpacks. This does not seem incongruous to Alhousseyni, though it’s odd to see his bandmates morph into something different. Offstage, they look like Americans.

Is Tinariwen’s whole desert-warrior aesthetic just an act?

Alhousseyni thinks and pauses. “From the beginning, we weren’t a traditional group,” he finally says in French, with Repnau translating. That much is certain.

Their press materials boast that Tinariwen is the first Tuareg band to ever employ electric guitars. Tinariwen is a small army of six-string players; traditional Tuareg music doesn’t even involve guitars. There’s no name for the genre the band fits in. They call it, simply, “guitar music.” It’s become more popular recently, with other groups like Toumast riding a surge of attention devoted to west African blues that was arguably sparked by Ali Farka Toure in the mid-’90s.

“They’re celebrities,” says Dr. Susan Rasmussen, an anthropologist who’s studied the Tuareg for 25 years and has met Tinariwen in their hometown of Kidal, Mali. “They’ve served an interesting role, as unofficial ambassadors between the government and the rebels,” she adds. “[But] they also serve as an inspiration to the local youth. Because of all the problems in Mali, a lot of the youth are unemployed. Tinariwen serves as a role model.”

The band’s themes reflect the shift in emphasis. Early on, frontman Alhabib’s songs directly spoke of war and famine, pointing fingers at the government. The songs on Aman Iman (World Village) are more positive, speaking to general themes of peace and education.

Lyrics aside, the guitars behind them have grown more aggressive and hard-edged. On a dressing room counter next to Alhousseyni, Repnau rummages through her purse looking for a business card. She pulls out a CD: Nirvana, Nevermind. She let the band hear it for the first time yesterday.

No doubt, the shifts in Tinariwen’s music reflect their ever-expanding tour schedule and exposure to different styles. Since their first international tour eight years ago, Tinariwen has perhaps traveled more than most Americans. Yet their songs still tell the stories of their home — bleak tales of survival and cautious hope, desperation and escapism.

On “Tenere Dafeo Nikchan” (“I’m in a Desert with a Wood Fire”), frontman Ag Alhabib intones, “My heart oppressed and tight / And I feel the thirst of my soul / Then I hear some music / Sounds, the wind / Some music which takes me far, far away”. On “Arawan,” another song from their 2004 release Amassakoul, Alhousseyni sings, “Nobody cares about / The people of the desert who are suffering from thirst.”

And the struggle continues. The day after Tinariwen’s Santa Fe gig, two journalists, Moussa Kaka and Ibrahim Manzo Diallo, were jailed for reporting about the Tuareg resistance in Niger. The Nigerien government had been tapping Kaka’s phone conversations for months, and is now seeking life imprisonment.

This will likely increase hostilities between the two sides, which renewed military campaigns against each other in mid-2007. Niger claims the rebels are trafficking drugs and arms. The rebels say the government is trying to squeeze them out of profits made from uranium, which is found throughout the Tuaregs’ homeland.

The Bush Administration has supported the Malian and Nigerian governments, claiming they’re vital in assisting with the war on terror. Mali’s army spokesman has branded the Tuareg rebels as terrorists. US Special Forces have been in the region. This leaves Tinariwen in the awkward position of traveling through a country that has sided with their enemy.

So I ask Alhousseyni: what’s Tinariwen doing to support the rebellion?

He looks directly at my notebook while answering, and responds after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. “We play a lot of free shows back home.”

That’s rock ‘n’ roll, baby.