Tuesday, April 16, 2013

#845 Bombino - Nomad

Dan Auerbach has a sound, that's for sure. I mean, its not like the Black Keys guys are super-exceptional songwriters, nor especially virtuosic players: its that sound that earned them the adoration of ad execs across the country. And by the sound of it, when Auerbach geared up to produce Taureg rocker Bombino's latest he didn't shy away from goosing the guitar tone in that general surefire Black Keys direction. It's not a bad thing; the guitars on this album turned out great, full of hearty buzz and flickering nuance.

But Bombino, the man himself, is still decidedly, emphatically the star of the show: his rhythmic, harmonic, and structural approaches are decidedly non-Western, providing a delightful combination for the vaguely adventurous rock and roll fan: this is something decidedly new, but couched in familiar trappings: expertly-played electric guitar riffage. Did I mention expertly-played? Dude is an awesome guitar player, sounding effortless and human and engaged and transcendent in turn, if not at once. The songs flow and flow, seduce and inspire unseen, bobbing heads to bob with armies of unseen hands. If you like riffs, can tolerate some non-English singing, and want to hear something really exciting, grab this one quick 4.5/5

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