Amadou and Miriam : What's their deal?

anyone heard the earlier records? any recommendations on one to get that's not the 'best of'?

here, you mean? i really love the sound of this. with so much going on in a lot of the songs, everything gets to shine through. i haven't listened to his solo stuff in years, so i can't compare it, though.

Alex, these people are just the French equivalent of Berkeley granola -type people, the sort of people you usually proclaim to be "assholes".

Not that this is a valid reason for not enjoying Manu Chao's music, just a bit of anecdotal detail...

I really like what Chao brought to the new record, I'm fine with toe-tappin' drum machines setting the pulse & extra reverb, it's a strange hybrid. A lot more successful than Chao's solo records (which, like Adam, I can't listen to all the way through).

I like 'em too, but calling them 'real music' presupposes that too many other types of music are not "real" music. I doubt that Amadou & Mariam would use such a term.

28/04/2006 : SAN FRANCISCO
salle : Bimbo's

TONS of great tunes, and a surprising amount of variety (love the chanting on "La Réalité" where it sounds like they're saying, "Soul Fire" over and over again). It's light and poppy enuf for summertime dancing & drinking, but the fundamental weight and beauty of the Malian blues base really shines through. Tough tightrope to walk...

Never comes across as weak, watered down, hippified or strictly for the NPR set, either. I mean, it'll certainly appeal very strongly to them fuckers, but it doesn't seem to be a product of their sensibility, or a sop thrown in its direction. Basically, "Dimanche" just sounds natural -- relaxed and joyful in spite of the sometimes heavy-handed mod/pop production.

Truth be told, I could use a little less of Manu Chau on this record. While some of its best moments benefit hugely from his influence ("Caminons Sauvages"), I'd like the album better without borderline-Afro-kitsch tracks like "Sénégal Fast Food" and "Taxi Bamako".

Still, pretty much every tune is instantly appealing, and more than half are durable, out-of-the-park winners. One of the best pure pop albums I've heard in the last few years, no matter what the origins.

P.S. I've heard some of their earlier material, and it hasn't appealed to me nearly as much. Deeper and arguably more "authentic", but the standout tracks are fewer and farther between.

En français pour toi Michel:

http://next.liberation.fr/article/barack-obama-invite-amadou-et-mariam

ok seriously what is holding up US release of the new one

what is the problem

admittedly it's a grower, at first it just seemed too redux with only two standout tracks but those tracks were so over the top outstanding I kept going back to the whole thing and all reservations were liquidated -- it's not redux at all, if anything they worked even more in there this time

Amadou & Mariam’s new album, Welcome to Mali, will be released in the US this March Talk to their US label Nonesuch. Nonesuch just released Rokia Traore's in the US even though it came out last year overseas.

It's on iTunes. Change your settings from the US (to UK or Canada) maybe?

For me it was a slow burner... but it turns out Welcome to Mali is a great record. It's surprising ILM didn't give a damn about it.

Agreed. Initial impression was "Pfft, we've heard all this before" - but I think that was a hangover from having played Dimanche A Bamako to death and beyond. I love the last track (as listed on the sleeve, not the hidden bonus track).

Rokia Traore's album also great.

This American is still waiting for A & M's March release here. Rokia's in the US on tour now. May go see here next week and need to get the new disc now that it's finally out here

Cd finally coming out in the US Tuesday March 24. Big New York Times profile in Sunday March 22nd paper.

I really like the cd. They're on tour in the US now. Did Boston the other night and New York tonight. Plus they're on the Jimmy Fallon tv show at 12:35 am or something. Coming to the Birchmere outside DC Wednesday.

http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/06/amadou_and_mariam.php World peace via Amadou & mariam says Christopehr Porter, or something like that.

Great one and a half live show at the Birchmere, outside Washington DC last night. A very good percussionist, 2 energetic women dancers/background singers, keyboard, trap drums, and bass plus A & M. Amadou's guitar playing nicely captures Malian styles and psychedelic rock

One and a half hour. Mariam's voice is impressive too

They're also doing arena shows opening for Coldplay. I wonder what their audience thinks?

They're also doing arena shows opening for Coldplay. I wonder what their audience thinks?

Time to buy a hot dog.

holy shit I had never heard this sabali song b4! looked them up on youtube just because they were so awesome when I saw them at a festival this summer and i was feelin lonely 4 the friends i saw them with

Dimache a Bamako is the shit

Yes it is.

Beautiful.

Yep

Just put it on a few weeks ago for a friend who'd never heard it. Don't actually know what he thought of it, but I loved the hell out of it.

New album is out!

In case you forgot, here's "Dougo Badia" (feat. Nick Zinner & Santigold)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfJ-EmoQil8

Seen mixed reviews of it, but have not heard it yet myself (well, one song).

NPR is streaming it for a bit

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/01/148919868/first-listen-amadou-and-mariam-folila?ps=mh_fl

And the Pitchfork review was discussed on a Pitchfork thread

i really can't believe dimanche a bamako is 10 years old! that fact is making me feel weird this morning

this is still in my every morning playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH4K-WLpVuo

ok....9 years old. still

Back in 2005 dimanche a bamako was my winter commute to work album, played on some horrendous quarter a gig samsung mp3 player that seemed like good kit at the time. I still love this album but have given up trying work out where the fuck the last decade has gone.

I couldn't pick a fave because the album is jam-packed, but this ruled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kp9cmTNaMw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SJR81-JIwA&list=PLdqZQPNShYrBYt2KnjACUMjDdSg6gzzvV&index=2
I love this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SJR81-JIwA