Music in Exile

This certainly has a bluesy, southern rock twang to it that I enjoy. I also enjoy that it's not in English, because I barely pay attention to the lyrics anyway. Pretty middle of the road album though. Nick was a standout. Reading the story of this band is pretty enlightening, but it's not influencing my rating on the album too much. Apparently they were influenced by Ali Farka Toure who we just listened to recently.

Africa music with good desert blues sound

3.5 I appreciate the context of the album. I wanted it to be a bit more groovy.

Got off to a slow start, but really enjoyed it by the end of the album.

Groovy, wish I knew what they were saying.

Music from Timbuktu - wow! This was catchy and hypnotic. I love the seemingly simple, but engaging rhythms. I had to listen to it in dribs and drabs because I was always being pulled off in a different directions. But a couple of tunes were so flat out good. Others meandered a bit for me. But they are definitely worth a revisit. It’s a 3.5 really.

Overall good stuff. Not sure I'd return to this, though a couple of these songs were flat-out bangers. It's more like a 3.5, but not feeling like going up to a 4.

Very enjoyable post Christmas during puzzling time. I mean that literally…I worked on my Christmas puzzle and jammed to this foreign vibe.

reminds me of etra de lair/mdou moctar. Basically cool electric guitar fused blues with african music. WITCH I think too is similar to that style. Tinariwin too? I appreciate a world music album on here since I haven't seen any since I've tried this site. It is well produced, the songs are catchy and it is a straightforward sound. Not my favorite/not all of the songs hit but it's a solid record.

I enjoyed this. Got repetitive for me in the way that Afro beat can. But I still enjoy it

Interesting and different, but not anything amazing.

There is a lot to like here but is still limited by being an uncomfortable fusion

It's a jam.

Not my favorite.

Given that I couldn't understand any of the lyrics, that was still a fairly enjoyable listen. Some tracks didn't work for me, but overall it was solid. 3.5.

My life is fuller knowing that this record exists. Unfortunately my inherent desire to sing along will prevent me from listening to this with any frequency.

Interesting album, I enjoyed it.

C'est bien

not my normal genre but it was interesting!! the instrumentation was really fun but i couldn’t find lyric translations so i was a bit lost the whole time. did a wikipedia dive and the random links to julian casablancas and nick zinner came out of nowhere but that’s also sick lmao

Music from Timbuktu. For African Rock it is pretty decent. Soubour has a great groove, beat and rhythm. Others like Irganda keep it going. It is a mix of African-chants with a rock and rhythm beat. This is one you have to keep listening to. I'll keep it around for sure. 3.5

I enjoyed it! Rating 3.4.

I enjoyed the album, but probably won't revisit it

It is somewhat challenging to get into something that isn't in English, but I was still vibing with a good chunk of this. I enjoyed myself!

Quite a good listen, melodic but didn't quite hold my attention throughout

Not in English, so I couldn't understand the vocals, but I really enjoyed the music the beat. The whole vibe was good

The blues instrumentation was top notch. The vocals seemed dissonant with the style of music to me but this is typical sound for desert blues.

solid, quick album. i’ll probably never revisit but it’s albums like this that i’m so glad i’m doing this project. i NEVER would have heard this

the guitar riffs are pretty cool

Bluesy. Not something I'll likely revisit though.

3-3.5 I wish there was a bit more variety between the songs, in particular with the singing and I think the guitar style as well. I love the concept of the album and I liked that I didn’t know the words, and the songs were pleasant to listen to. I just don’t quite see myself craving this album or any particular song.

Not heard of the band before, but was a fine listen. Wasn’t blown away but an easy background album to listen to.

Wel aardig

Good stuff good story

- Heard of this band before but never listened to them - Pretty good, not sure if I'd revisit it but I enjoyed listening to it

3.5

I like the jams :)

Quite interesting. Very nice instrumentation and flow.

This record was full of vibrant blues rock, and was a great blend of cultural styles. Although I did find some tracks sounded too similar as the album wore on.

I like this band a lot. It does get a bit monotonous, for my taste, but you can say that about lots of things, I suppose.

I was initially really surprised and excited - this album was really cool! It didn't ultimately have enough... variety? It did sort of feel in a couple of places like I was listening to the same song over and over. Definitely and interesting and exciting record and I would happily listen again, but it doesn't quite climb up to 4 stars for me.

Not a bad sound. Instruments sounded nice, melodies were very soothing

this is interesting to say the least

Byrjaði af krafti en breyttist svo hægt og rólega. Ég fílaði byrjunina og finnst þetta bara fínasta plata en auðgleymanleg

Lala, samt skárra en ég bjóst við.

Pretty good, a more upbeat Amadou & Mariam.

Truck spilled “a huge amount” of gas at Eugene 6th ave (1 gallon)

Tunes for sure.

Good music, but not in english

Was okay. Heard before. There was this one song that had a real groovy rock 'n' roll riff. + Soubour + Irganda + Nick + Al Tchere Bele

Cool

Akoze nerozumiem tomuto albumu… Najskor 7 nezmyslov a potom 3-4 uplne bomby 🤯

I didn't hate it, but it's not for me. 3/5

I can appreciate the story behind these musicians and this album, but overall I think the music is kind of forgettable and didn't really engage me.

Decent. Interesting mix of African rhythms and American blues. Some of it works. Some of it doesn't. I would be interested if there is more from this project.

Brani Preferiti: - "Soubour" - "Wayei" Note: Prima volta che ascolto del rock africano, interessante la varietà che questo disco offre. Onestamente un qualcosa di inaspettato ma benvenuto, permettendo di prendere una breve pausa dall'ennesima band britannica. La barriera linguistica presente è come una moneta, fa apprezzare la musica... ma ovviamente si perde ciò che la band stia dicendo.

the rhythmic music and longsome vocals remind me of other african music I've heard. there are some real jams on here though I have a hard time really resonating with it.

Solid sounds. Lyrics are important to me though

Listened a bit. Kinda fun

Yeah wouldnt want to listen to it all the time but it was an uplifting sound

Sogenannter Desert Blues aus Mali. Sehr beschwingte Blues-Rock-Variante mit Gesang in Landessprache. Kann man gut nebenher hören, aber da fehlt mir das gewisse etwas.

Ok. All starts to sound a bit samey.

I enjoyed this album more than I was expecting. No idea what the songs are about but the beats, rhythms and melody were good. Particularly liked 'Al Hassidi Terei'. Getting a bit repetitive towards the end but not unpleasant.

itsaight

Interesting album, with a great story behind it. Perhaps just not my favorite genre

Bra album, riktigt mysigt

Kul med lite variation i stil och ursprung. Annars trevligt album.

Jag gillade detta albumet Vibeade sönder till Irganda

This was good, different from most other albums on this list.

Intricate guitar work. World music classic

It was a neat album.

These black dudes really got me feeling some type of way... I mean, with their music. It's kinda crazy this was released in 2015, it feels much older No idea what the lyrics are about, but surely it's a good thing this time, it would pain me to hear about their struggles with cops and drug abuse

Interesting music.. not bad at all

Really enjoyed Desert Melodie. Gives me Midwest Emo vibes

Interesting

Nice

The story behind this album is far more interesting than the album itself, but I really love hearing what other countries can do with the blues.

Although originally an American export, “the blues” is revealed, through the stylings of Mali-based Songhoy Blues, to be a uniquely global, decidedly human form of expression.

I'm quite the fan of the Mali music scene and have listened to quite a few albums over the last decades. And even though I like this album and listen to it with much pleasure, I don't think this one rises high above that of its peers. It's really quite good, but never reaches greatness

Pretty good album. It has a lot of very nice guitar riffs, but as a whole, it's far too repetitive for me. - Mason 3/5

Sound like amazing musicians and a great sound. Not for me, but a real talent here.

The songs were repetitive to an extent, but the music was great.

A welcome shift but the albun got pretty reptitive. That might be a language barrier thing.

3/5 I enjoyed it but didn’t love it. Probs cuz I can’t understand the words 💀.

Meh did not care for this, however they have a talent

Cool blues guitar styles. Lyrics not in English but enjoyable.

it's mid

it wasnt bad just not the kind of music id listen to

It was really chill. Not too sure if it will be smth I relisten to but it was pretty nice. I liked the vocals 7,5/10

Why would exile music you should bring it back

Clean sounding blues. Lots to like.

interesting international album. I enjoyed it.

Really liked it to start with but by the end the ideas had gone a bit stale.

Estuvo bien

Interesting

More contemporary take on the desert blues.

Really cool album with a very real and different back story than what you normally read about from bands on this list. It really puts an immediate context into my thoughts when listening to this album, as these guys were exiled from their home due to an invading group imposing Sharia Law (which forbids music among other things). I love how upbeat the album is despite this background. The first two songs are so damn groovy and the third one has such a fun swinging beat that starts around a half minute in that is as infectious as anything. Some songs are so good that it could be The Black Keys with a different singer (I'm thinking here of the song "Nick" that has that typical Black Keys boom-bap-boom-bap driving drumbeat). Great little record. More listens and this could creep up into a 4 for me I think.

Very interesting album

This reminds me of the sort of thing I hear people play on Desert Island Discs and wonder how they got into this sort of stuff. I enjoyed it but I must admit I find listening to music where I can't understand the lyrics a bit disconcerting. Like, how do I sing along? What if they're saying something horrible!? It's making me want to look up their other stuff though so, job done, I guess!

A bit samey but cool none the less

wish I could understand the lyrics.

A refreshing mix of African harmonies and blues.

Very different sounding to what I'm used to, definitely 1950s inspired soul and jazz in there. The bass just hits different.

A very interesting musical style that I had never heard before. Unique, and overall quite nice. I was torn between 3 and 4, but ultimately chose 3 because while the songs were fun to listen to, there was no permanent addition to any playlist.

There's a few good songs at the beginning of the record but it's too repetitive.

Good world music album.

I enjoyed the album. It had a great melodies

Not bad, but will need some more listens to appreciate.

Rather interesting sounds, combining traditional music with blues. Enjoyable listen

Un dels exemples més captivadors de la world music. No cal que t'agradin els sons d'arrels africanes per poder disfrutar d'aquest disc, que t'arrossega a un estat gairebé hipnòtic

korrek

Great hits but a bit repetitive

Good and respectable for what it is but not something that’ll stick with me for a while

Inte så tokigt alls.

Cool guitar work

I knew them already, a great sound but a bit repetitive

Ehhhhh. I tried to like this but it's just not to my taste. Great musicianship and even the singing was decent but I really struggled to get into an album where the genre isn't my thing and I can't understand the lyrics. Background music at best for me.

So I have never heard of them or this album, so this is completely new to me. I generally like African music (I know painting with a broad brush here) and this is no exception. It is a very pleasant listen, even if I doubt it will stick with me long term. I don't know if I have a whole lot to add to that other than the instrumentation and singing are both quality. One that I'll definitely make a point to revisit when I'm in the mood for some Malian music.

I had this one on my personal list that I started about a year ago. I gave it a 3 at the time, and I think I will probably keep that rating. I enjoyed this a lot and I love listening to music written in languages other than English, but I haven't been able to connect with it yet. Maybe I'll need to do some research on the band and listen a few more times.

I have no idea what to expect here. A straight-up blues album, well I never! It occasionally slips into a more African / Tribal beat with accompanying chants, but this is the blues and I like it. The guitar playing is particularly excellent. As with other albums from lands far away, I've no idea what they are singing about, but the melodies are catchy, and the harmonies are excellent. 3 / 5 stars.

Ok

Good world music. Great instrumentals.

Fijn maar ook wat te lang hetzelfde

I got strong Black Keys vibes from the music and then French/Arabic/African language-lyrics. Trippy!

afrikka bändi heh...ranska heh... anti muslimi...propsit. hyvää bluessia malin pojilta The language barrier is detrimental unfortunately. It’s not their fault. sanest anglomaanikko review...ei voi lyriikoita etsiä... internetistä petit metier

Okay blues, nothing too fancy or interesting for me though

When it goes all polyrhythmic it's dead exciting, when it's more trad, it's dry as hell. It's a mixed bag, but glad I heard it

Nice

Enjoyed

A fun take on rock music as filtered through an african sound. I especially liked the songs that featured more unusual rhythms. Will be exploring this band further

It was blues album in the sense that the music was bluesy. It was not in English so I couldn't really understand the lyrics. It wasn't bad.

was cool cant remember too much though sorry guys!

Overall, I liked this album, it was definitely a vibe. I liked the bluesy, guitar-driven direction it was going through with many of the songs.

Pleasant background music, I guess. Not really my genre of music (I feel bad for not being more passionate about this, it's a fine album).

So cool and interesting to hear blues rock sounds mixed with african music. The git Riffs could sometimes have been heavier or could have varied a bit more. But the vocal lines and Rhythms are superb. And the git solos are lit.

It's like shoegaze in that I cannot understand the words.

Pretty cool instrumentally. Wish I could understand any of the words though.

groovy baby

Indebted to John Lee Hooker, but paying dues to classic rock and punk with an African vibe. Pleasant, quite light. Good electric guitar picking.

Ford commercial music, but good

Tego jeszcze nie grali, bo pustynnego bluesowania jeszcze nie bylo na liscie, a wlasnie taka muzyke graja songhoy blues, ktory tworzy trzech lub czterech artystow w zaleznosci od info, bo ciezko o rzetelne informacje o bandzie z Mali, czyli jednym z krajow objetych niekonczaca sie wojna, z wojujacym islamem w roli glownej, stad tez geneza tytulu owego albumu, bo czlonkowie bandy zmuszeni byli ewakuowac sie z timbuku na poludnie kraju, po tym jak zbanowali zabawe na polnocy, no i dodatkowo jest to dosc swiezy material, bo music in exile zostal wydany w 2k15, a wojna jak trwala tak trwa nadal, ciezko napisac cos sensownego na temat kontentu tego 40 minutowego krazka, bo jest to blend zachodniego szarpania gitarowego i tradycyjnego spiewania afrykanskiego, wiec wszystko w jednym z malijskich jezykow, z mocnym chorkowaniem i typowym powtarzaniem zwrotow, co daje zludzenie dosc oszczednej liryki, ale moze jest inaczej, tylko dla bialych uszu wszystko brzmi zbyt podobnie, ale jesli chodzi o instrumentale, to czuc z nich czlowieka ktory sie nimi posluguje, dobry balans pomiedzy elektrykami i akustykami jesli chodzi o gitary, gruby basior i wyjatkowo neutralne drumowanie, ktore zazwyczaj w afrykanskiej muzyce wychodzi na pierwszy plan, a ten album jest przedstawieniem w ktorym pierwsza role odgrywa gitara lub gitary w zaleznosci od traka, nie brakuje takze mniejszych instrumentali, ktore naleza raczej do tradycyjnych malijskich wynalazkow, pomimo calkowitego niezrozumienia czesci liryczej i tak dobrze sie sluchalo, bo czuc z tych kawalkow cos prawdziwego, co ciezko zdefiniowac jednoznacznie

Afro-blues-rock. Se me ha hecho un poco pesado... Ni fu ni fa.

Quite fun, sounds like something from 70s/80s

Nice grooves but seems a little bit slack. Like, I can play Jolene but the finger picking is a tricky rhythm, I reckon my dodgy version is still tighter than this? Once I noticed, everything seems a bit sloppy. Good grooves though.

Interesting story, rhythms were mostly straight up blues rock but the beat was often more interesting and the vocals kept it fresh. Well worth a listen.

Quite enjoyed that, something different. I definitely recognised one or two of the songs, no idea why or where from.

Found it to be quite an interesting album that I ultimately liked. Not understanding the lyrics didn't take away my enjoyment of the album. I think the first half of the album is the stronger side. Highlights for me were "Nick" and "Soubour".

I know the opening track but not sure where I would've heard it.... Probably radio 6. I liked the sound of some the album, the language barrier was always going to make it slightly tricky to really like it I guess. I lost interest as it went on

gesjeslsig

.... nice, I guess. Just didn't pull me in. But very nice. 3/5

Really good just wish I knew what the lyrics meant

Best Song: Irganda. Pleasant upbeat dance rhythm. Worst Song: Jolie. Don't know why. Not significantly worse than the others, but the melody didn't hold my interest much. Overall: Really nice stripped down blues. I don't understand the lyrics, but the musicality is sufficient to communicate emotion and tone. My inability to understand it also makes it good for having in the background while working. Music for driving at sunrise/sunset.

Had never heard of this album, and I enjoyed it.

Had never heard of Songhoy Blues, but I'm very familiar with the modern Taureg guitar based music coming out of Niger, and this shares a lot of the same guitar driven similarities. Ultimately, it's a little bit one noted but very enjoyable and very moving.

Not really into non English music to be honest but the guitar on this record is great

I preferred the more African beat tracks and overall it's good but not outstanding. Sort of World music with a Blues/Rock slant. Reading the Wiki I'm in support of these guys and their struggles. Well produced and professionally played.

It's fine, maybe would be more interesting to me if I could understand the lyrics. Interesting Wikipedia read though, nice guitar work.

It's alright, a little bland. Didn't really have any moments that grabbed me

Some really nice riffs in this album. I enjoyed the entire album.

Not my style

A nice surprise in this list, maybe need more listens but enjoyable.

Instrumentalisch und stimmungstechnisch sehr stark. Auch wenn ich leider die Sprache nicht verstehe...

Love their sound! Never heard of these guys, but it’s not bad. The language barrier makes it less interesting. Still it’s a good album and I enjoyed listening to it Favourite song: - Soubour

This album was interesting, it was the combination of two very different sounds and cultures but it came together quite nicely. I always love hearing the vocal melodies of other cultures and how they fit them into contemporary music.

This is why I like this project--I would probably never have listened to this album otherwise. World music isn't usually my thing, but I loved this record. The guitar work is so interesting and filled with what sounds like super eclectic influences. "Soubour" is just awesome. This also helped me remedy some of my ignorance around what Mali has endured in the last decade, as I went down a pretty deep Wikipedia wormhole reading about Timbuktu and Ansar Dine and desert blues. Gotta love militant extremist religious groups who literally BAN MUSIC and force musicians into exile. Apparently there is a documentary film called "They Will Have To Kill Us First" that Songhoy Blues feature prominently in which I'm sure is well worth watching. This album deserves at least a 4, but since we agreed on giving ratings based on our own personal tastes I am reluctantly giving it a 3.

Dang what an interesting one. In a lot of ways it's pretty standard blues music but these guys fuse it with their native sounds and tones to create something super duper unique.

It was aight.

I was intrigued by the Western guitar + previously unheard to me Mali vocals

I liked the rhythms and guitar tones. Favorite: Irganda

Nie n clue wat hulle oor sing nie maar die tunes is aan die brand

Pretty good stuff, prolly come back to this one

muito bom, pena que não entendo essa lingua

Oh man the guitar playing all over this album is super tasty. Really interesting polyrhythms between guitar and the rhythm section. I particularly enjoyed (actual LOLs) the song where the vocalist pleads "me want a bunny" (Wayei).

Infectious - even better live.

Está bastante bien este disco. Sorprenden sus guitarras. Toda la música tuareg es más de lo que esperas. Soubour, Wayei o Mali de lo mejor que tiene en mi opinión para un disco que merece la pena oír.

I'm not going to be able to approach these without strong bias from my days in West Africa. Even if it is not something that would go into my regular rotation, this is an album that showcases a strong West African sound that fuses enough US/UK elements to be more widely appreciated.

its nice listening to an african album but with modern instrumentals, the melodies are nice and warm and eventhough i can't understand the lyrics, they fit well together to form a harmonious package

Alright

3.6 - African blues rock with some fluttery guitar riffs and lullaby melodies sung soulfully.

I really enjoyed this. It sounded happy. I wished I’d had the opportunity to listen throughout the weekend. High 3*

I wasn't sure what to expect from this album but I was pleasantly surprised. The Songhoy Blues' story is truly inspiring, from having to flee their country where the new regime, among other things, banned music. Although they don't look like your traditional blues band, they certainly play like one. It is the perfect blend of that blues sound we are all familiar with, combined perfectly with Malian groove. Best: Nick Worst: Al Tchere Bele

Wasn’t sure what to expect, but this rocked. Sort of like an African version of Black Keys. 3 stars.

Songhoy Blues has a fascinating story about cultural roots and geopolitical issues. Make no mistake, this is not just "world music" or even "African music". It's in the name; Songhoy Blues makes music that is a blend of Songhai music and blues rock. Hailing from Timbuktu, the group takes inspiration from Ali Farka Touré (also from Mali) and his style of Songhai music mixed with blues. Honoring the Songhai traditions while exploring other sounds makes for a wholly unique listen. These guys know what they're doing and they're making damn good music. I'll mention now that this album got some exposure thanks to production from Nick Zinner, best known from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I don't know how much he adds in terms of production but I can safely say that this album is not about him. Songhoy Boys are a great band, with or without a fancy American producer.

Afro-blues-rock. Se me ha hecho un poco pesado... Ni fu ni fa.

By far the best Malian recording I have in my collection. It is a universe of one. This was highly touted when it was released and is a solid, but not great debut. The range of styles is impressive, but ultimately it is just good.

Overall a pretty interesting record mixing mainstream blues sounds with “world music”. Too bad I couldn’t understand the lyrics. Would like to know what they’re singing about

Musicianship solid, great guitar riffs. Lost in translation though. From Mali - French?

Eh, it was all right. The style didn't do a LOT for me but a couple of the tracks were pretty good. Can't say this album felt like it had a lot of interesting texture though, in terms of production. Fave track: "Mali", the closer, is lovely.

Another difficult rating. I didn't hate it, but lyrics were lost on me since I don't speak the language.

Decent album, great combination of African Influences and vocals with some western guitar play

Może trochę mało bluesa, ale wciąż bardzo przyjemny album. Afrykańskie nuty mają jednak w sobie ten rytm i człowiek, nawet jak nie rozumie o co chodzi w piosence, to się buja do nich.

Nadal nie lubię klimatów bluesowych. Z jednej strony jest to bardzo sympatycznie brzmiące, z drugiej dość nudne muzycznie i powtarzalne. Przeleciało i puścił się jakiś kawałek, który był tak podobny, że nawet nie zauważyłem różnicy. Takie 3.5, ale bliżej 3, bo nigdy nie wrócę.

Decent blues album. The African influences are quite cool to hear combined with the classic rock/blues. I just wish I knew what the lyrics were about, but I can’t knock the band for that. Overall pretty cool. 6/10

This was fun!

Refugees from a war-torn country, the words Music in Exile has never felt more apt here as the talents of Songhoy Blues are on full display, showcasing what they are capable of. Favorites: Soubour, Irganda, Nick, Wayei, Jolie, Mali.

I did enjoy this album. It was different for me.

Couldn’t get into it, but not bad.

It's energetic and engaging. Hadn't heard of them before, but it sounds good!

It's really hard to know how to rate a foreign language album when it is so lyrically prominent... it's not just about rhythm and mood but the lyrics too that you don't understand. I liked Nick, Petit Metier and Jolie a lot. Good, but hard to appreciate more than a 3.

Obviously only listened through once, but some great tunes, even if I didn’t understand the lyrics.

Those boys can groove and jam, really nailed the style. 3.75 if I could.

I'm always down for some North African guitar music, but my knowledge of the tradition is shallow. There's nothing formal to write home about here, but it's clearly a music informed by different histories than the material I already love. The production makes Music In Exile sound very normal, which is hardly a bad thing but removes some of the distinctive heft.

I'm starting to see the appeal of desert blues. I've no idea what the lyrics are about. They're probably singing about egg mayo sandwiches. But this does sound like an uprising, even if I don't know what I'm uprising against.

Rated 3

Malinese blues. Lots of guitars. Lots. Best Tracks: Soubour; Sekou Oumarou; Nick

Music in Exile by Songhoy Blues is a great dessert-World Music album. It follows in the footsteps of the genre and while I enjoyed listening to it, I don't believe it would be on the updated list without the backstory of the members. 3.5/5

Not my style

This started with very good energy. However, soon it became more of the same and ultimately as an album it somewhat bored me.

Yes, I like It's great with all the special beats and drums, it's really what makes it stand out so much, and still make me groove my head off. 3.4

Aardig plaatje, maar ga 't ook weer gauw vergeten. Wel fijn om de teksten niet te kunnen volgen!

Aardig plaatje hoor.

vibed to it

It’s cool

3.5

new to me, and obviously no idea on the lyrics but the music is very enjoyable

Really enjoyable this; went in completely blind but a very nice listen.

3/5 for me, pushing a 4. This is a really cool sound, on my second listen of it now whilst I'm working. I'm not a fan of what's traditionally referred to as 'world music', but this is a really fun fusion of bits of that and rock and roll guitar. Would thoroughly recommend the deluxe edition, which has three extra songs, all covers. The fact they did Should I Stay Or Should I Go? and Kashmir says something about their inspirations (they also do Soul Makossa, which a quick Google tells me is originally by a Cameroonian sax player). I listened to it cold first, and enjoyed it, then had a quick read up on the story behind it (they are Malian, from a region that got taken over by fundamentalist Islam, so they had to flee to the capital). If I could speak the language, I think this would push up to a 4 or maybe even a 5, would be interested to understand what they're actually saying.

All the songs were a bit samey and I don't speak their language. It sounded nice, but I didn't know what it was about. Were they pro Mali or dissing it?

"We can't stay in the traditional aesthetic of our grandparents; that was another time. Besides, we love electric guitars too much." sagt Bandmitglied Gaba Touré, der mit Ali Farka Touré zwar nicht verwandt ist, dessen Vater allerdings Perkussionist bei Ali Farka war. Man hört Songhoy Blues unverkennbar an, dass sie mit dem covern von Ali Farka angefangen haben, Musik zu machen. Da ist kein wirklicher Hit auf der Platte, hat mir aber gefallen.

Though it was largely unexpected, this one took some time and dedication. It was not an easy listen but the sound was mildly intriguing, enough to get through the album. When I was finished tho, I felt like I had spent the majority of my Saturday in school working on a project that constituted only 5% of my final grade.

ce fut une écoute agréable

My favourite African album so far - good guitar hooks and solid playing.

2015. Sekou Oumarou, Soubour

The Songhoy Bhoys there doing bits. Good.

Makes me wish I could understand the language. It seems really neat, and the instrumentation is so fun.

Kind of sounded rockabilly...

Great rhythm with a lot of energy. Would love to know what they are singing about as I feel there is a story here that’s quite interesting

The rhythms on this thing are awesome. So different and unique, really enjoyed hearing how not only the drums but also a lot of the melodies would shift and feel off kilter before you really find them as they develop. A bit repetitive within the songs for me but still very cool listen.

Bluesy, I liked it.

Album cover and first song sounding like a truck commerical had me scared - everything else was mostly fine. Would give a 2.5 if able

Maybe the most badass story behind a debut album in history. Being pushed out of your homeland by a jihadist group and releasing music reminiscent of that homeland in protest... wow. You can feel the quiet rage emanating throughout the music, even in the more upbeat tracks. But the positives mostly end there. For a list of the 1000-odd most important albums to listen to, every spot is valuable, and the two most important criteria – sounding good, and being culturally important – aren't really fulfilled. The latter is hard to judge, especially for a recently released album, so I tend to judge by number of streams. Normally an obscure album being included is understandable if it has at least existed for a long time, and had several decades (at least) to develop a sort of underground influence. But 2015? Just 6 years before the most recently released album to make the list (the decidedly terrible Heaux Tales) and 11 years before, well, now? I'm not convinced. I suspect many of the reviews here are influenced by the music's backstory, rather than the music itself. Mostly minor or blues(-adjacent) keys. Which can feel a little repetitive. Fortunately the album is on the shorter side, so you don't feel the repetitiveness as much. To its credit, the sophomore track, Irganda, is great. Super crazy, with a fast, meandering guitar solo that brings images of early-career Steely Dan. Seriously. If Donald Fagen were the vocalist instead of the Songhoys, Irganda would sound like it had fallen right off Countdown to Ecstasy's track listing. I enjoy Sekou Oumarou, too; the swing and clicking brings a surprisingly fun reggae feel to the table. Petit Metier stands out for its oddly psychedelic instrumental, helped out by the miscellaneous people talking in the background. But many of the others – including the opener, Soubour – are either too repetitive or too rhythmically and melodically strange/inaccessible (Al Tchere Bele and Desert Melodie, I'm looking at you). 3/5 Key tracks: Irganda, Sekou Oumarou, Petit Metier

Perdón no lo escuché, fue muy por encima pero meh

Right off the bat the album hits you with some great guitar. The vocals don't sound like your typical blues though. The guitars are amazing though. Overall I liked the guitars and blues sounding parts, but didn't like the vocals that much and wasn't my type of music.

Yeah, nah. The music wasn't unpleasant, chill blues, but I have a real hard time connecting with music in foreign language so I don't get any of the lyrics. It's a 'me' thing, but even without that, the blues wasn't all that memorable from the riffs or the licks and the vocals weren't so good that I could still connect overall.

Would have been better if the vocals weren’t just repeated lines for four minutes. Would have been better if the guitar lick was more than a 4 second loop repeated for four minutes. I don’t speak the language but could tell that it was really like 10 seconds of music stretched to four minutes for every song. 3/10

🤨

2/5

It's fine. I was fearing it would be more blues rock revival influenced after the first song but it thankfully wasn't

it's not bad, but it's just not for me

Qué carajo acabo de escuchar jajajaj. Yo que estaba enojado porque eran todos discos en inglés.

Bluesy desert groove with a steady, warm vibe that works great as background even without understanding the lyrics.

I don’t know when I would ever listen to this again. Unique experience. I like the chanting.

Ahhh. Music is so just situation dependent. I got this on a rainy miserable Sunday when I felt rubbish. On a different day I’m sure this could be something I love but right now I have a headache and want to go back to bed. This was far too chipper and annoyed me. When it ended I listened to The Microphones and Songs:Ohia. I’ll be back to re-score when the sun is shining.

These dudes can play, unfortunately just not my kind of jam.

Didn't care much for this one

Would’ve never come across this without this list. Interested to give this a listen. No idea what it will be. Blues rock that’s pretty solid. Even without understanding the lyrics, it’s some good music. Some great guitars. Liked the more straightforward opening track more than some of the stuff after. But it’s all pretty good. I guess the African influence is what’s heard in a lot of the songs. It’s an interesting sound because you recognize those guitars and yet it all sounds different. Unique sound. Not sure it’s something I would ever choose to listen to on my own, but don’t dislike it, somewhere between a 2 and 3. The guitars rock. The blues rock sound is present throughout. Just doesn’t fully connect or grow beyond those first few songs. Even the less rock heavy sounds are interesting. Not sure which way to go on this.

Competent. Other than the history lesson, though, it just wasn't able to grab my interest. The music's not my genre, and the language is obviously a barrier to appreciating the lyrics.

Abumbalakaka ama çok sıkıldım ya benlik değil o kadar

like last album, it’s not what i usually listen to, and probably i won’t listen to it again. it reminded me of the songs i listened to when i was in morocco, which i enjoyed the first times i listened to them, but after a while they got exhausting. so for this one steaming i did i was vibing, but i don’t think i will ever make it past the second.

Buenos músicos pero no es demasiado mi rollo

Grandes interpretaciones musicales, tal vez por el choque de culturas no pude entender realmente el impacto que tiene, pero en cuanto musica es fantástico

Decent vibe icl

solide cleaner sound ersten fünf tracks könnte man auch unter eine ford werbung packen nicht komplett meins

Inte illa, men world music kräver för mycket

It's not bad musically, but I'm a lyrics man.

3/10 музыка племенных нигеров

Pretty cool, I’ll probably never listen to it again.

Eh. It mostly feels like African-tinged commercial music. Which like sure. Some of the songs are pretty good. It just doesn’t really reach me. None of the songs really stick out, even the pretty great second song is just a little too bland to love. Like, believe me, I don’t speak this language, but that is NOT the problem. If this was good the language barrier wouldn’t matter. Eve when they kinda lock in toward the end, it’s just too bland and unimpressive to give a passing score. 5.3/10

It was fine, but very samey

Good blues. Can’t understand the lyrics

I might use it as study music - I like the rhythmic style, different vibes for me for sure though

The performance is high level, but musically there's nothing much going on. Same ideas repeated ad naeseum. I appreciate that the project is trying to diversify the entries but beside the origin of the album, musically, it's not a must listen.

Nope. Didn’t need this.

1.6/5 I'm a lyrics guy so when listening to a band from Mali who don't sing in English I find it hard to enjoy it as much. The music was solid although it did get a bit repetitive towards the end but it's a solid effort for this band to be included in the top 1001 albums of all time when not to be insensitive, but the majority of people would never had even heard the band let alone the music.

мм сразу представляю себя маленьким бедным индейским мальчиком

Defo not my vibe

Great singing, but the guitar playing gets a bit wearing and the drumming is very basic.

Not really my music style

Loved the instrumental and desert blues but felt like the lyrics didn’t match well with the rhythm and beat

Interesting, but not for me.

I can't understand a word they are saying ...

2/5 for sawyer 2/5 for Colton (absolute boring buns)

Good, but not my thing.

I want to like to but I can’t get around it

catchy

Loved the instrumentals--only, I wish they were separate from the vocals.

Erikoista, ihan jees. 2,25/5.

Mwhua not my cup of tea

4/10 - Fav song: Irganda

i really liked the composition of the music. different language threw me off a little but pretty good

Good while washing plates

Cool to explore a new genre and music from a country I haven't explored. Enjoyed the sound but it felt repetitive after a while.

Svängde inte.

World, 2015 -> 2

This was kind of cool. Honestly pretty solid blues. It stinks not knowing what they’re saying, but the emotion is conveyed!

not the usual type of music id listen to but the instrumentals are so good top 3; 🥇ai tchere bele 🥈nick 🥉wayei

Nice record

Meh. Not for me

Not really my vibe, apprecite it tho

Not for me

Car commercial music, but african. Very repetetive. 3.5/10 Favourite track: N/A

Not my thing but not too bad. Probably didn’t give it the attention it deserves. More importantly, “worldwide” isn’t a genre and Apple Music is just lazy and racist

Fine stuff. World music

Starts off really nice, but it just kind of immediately loses steam. It doesn't really go in any interesting direction, it just stays where it is. As an album it's pretty weak.

Dessert Blues... Mali Musicians in exile. But the music is a drum machine, a kind of guitar, and vocals.

Not my music…

No mikäs ettei. Oli länsimaista saundia ja afrikkalaista tekstiä. Mitäänhän tästä ei ymmärrä mutta mukavaa ja duurivoittoista meininkiä!

Neat to hear blues in other languages, but it got repetitive not understanding lyrics

3.9/10 2 listens, decent vibe but ain't it for me, nothing that makes me want to come back to it

Cool funky vibe. Feel like the message or emotion is lost with the language barrier. I give it 3 Mali out of 10 lizard wizards

4 - BAD