Elwan is the seventh album by the Tuareg band Tinariwen, released in 2017. 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. The album was partially recorded in Joshua Tree National Park with additional recording in Paris, France and M'hamed El Ghizlane, Morocco. The album includes guest appearances by Matt Sweeney, Kurt Vile, Mark Lanegan, and Alain Johannes. One reviewer called the album "devastatingly beautiful," 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." AllMusic named Elwan as one of the best albums of 2017.
Elwan
Tinariwen is a collective of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara region of northern Mali. Considered pioneers of desert blues, the group's guitar-driven style combines traditional Tuareg and African music with Western rock music. They have released nine albums since their formation and have toured internationally.
Tinariwen performing in Nuremberg, 2010
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib performing with Tinariwen in Vienna during 2011
Tinariwen performing in 2011.
Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni performing with Tinariwen in Vienna during 2011