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Elwan Image
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 30 Ratings

  • Summary: The seventh full-length release for the Tuareg blues-rock band features guest appearances from Alain Johannes, Mark Lanegan, Matt Sweeney, and Kurt Vile.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. 100
    Elwan (Elephants), perhaps their most powerful album since Amassakoul, confronts their situation head-on, in songs 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.
  2. Feb 3, 2017
    100
    If ever a record sounded like a herd of elephants, this is it.
  3. 90
    Elwan is pure rock n’ roll. There is an undeniable swagger and an unfettered attitude of resistance here; no pretension or theater.
  4. 80
    Tinariwen’s call-and-response vocals roll inexorably, entrancingly along. They are still the champions of the genre they created.
  5. Feb 10, 2017
    80
    Tinariwen once again deliver a vital and engaging album.
  6. Feb 8, 2017
    80
    By making the geographically distant feel welcomingly familiar, Tinariwen have made Elwan a can't-miss release for curious audiences from all corners of the globe.
  7. Feb 23, 2017
    60
    Their last studio record saw them in upbeat, energetic form, and whilst that playfulness is still present at times on Elwan, there is a conscious grounding too this time around.

See all 13 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Feb 14, 2017
    9
    I discovered Tinariwen back in 2014 with their great album Emmaar, that combine original tichumaren music with western blues mood.
    The best
    I discovered Tinariwen back in 2014 with their great album Emmaar, that combine original tichumaren music with western blues mood.
    The best word to describe the sound of Elwan album is "deepness". Drums, guitars, voices - everything in such low tones, but at the same time everything is very clear. Elwan is not that different from Emmaar in terms of sound, but is slightly better in every small aspect, the arrangement, the deepness, even the guitar sound sounds slightly better.
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  2. Apr 9, 2017
    8
    While this album almost makes the finishing line as one of their best albums, the contribution from non-african musicians really breaks theWhile this album almost makes the finishing line as one of their best albums, the contribution from non-african musicians really breaks the style and does nothing but confuse the sound and feeling of the record. Expand
  3. May 16, 2017
    7
    This album displays a truly successful percussive sound with spare but effective polyrhythmic techniques, which is not a surprise given theThis album displays a truly successful percussive sound with spare but effective polyrhythmic techniques, which is not a surprise given the group’s African heritage, and it rounds out a nice meditative experience with a few surprisingly catchy lines. My Score: 134/180 (Solid) = 7.4/10 Expand