Afrique Victime | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 21 May 2021 | |||
Studio | Niamey, Niger[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:23 | |||
Label | Matador | |||
Producer | Michael Coltun | |||
Mdou Moctar chronology | ||||
|
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 86/100[2] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Exclaim! | 9/10[4] |
The Guardian | [5] |
The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[6] |
MusicOMH | [7] |
Paste | 9.0/10[8] |
Pitchfork | 8.4/10[1] |
Rolling Stone | [9] |
Uncut | [10] |
Under the Radar | [11] |
Afrique Victime is the sixth album by Tuareg musician Mdou Moctar. It was released on 21 May 2021 as the artist's first album with Matador Records[12] and received positive reviews from international publications including Rolling Stone,[9] Paste,[8] Pitchfork,[1] and The Guardian.[5] The album is sung almost entirely in Tamasheq, though parts (including the name of the album and its title song) are in French.[13] The band released a companion documentary about the making of the album, including the difficulties faced with their bandmembers living on two continents, Africa and the United States.[14]
Several critics added the album to their end-of-year best album lists for 2021, including the New York Times,[15] Pitchfork,[16] The Guardian,[17] Rolling Stone,[18] and Consequence.[19]
Mdou Moctar released his debut album in 2008, titled Anar,[20] He later partnered with American record label Sahel Sounds to release his music globally,[21] he also released other albums like Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, Sousoume Tamachek and Ilana: The Creator. He later switched his label to Matador Records, releasing Afrique Victime.[22] The album features Rock music and some Blues and Assouf genres.[1]
The album was recorded on different places, including Niamey, Niger,[1] Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Three Oaks, Michigan, Los Angeles, and New York City.[23]
The record was made in a number of different studios; since Mdou Moctar, as he said in an interview with Reverb, is reluctant to spend too much time cooped up in a studio, they recorded the album in intervals, over a few weeks.[24]
The album released on May 21, 2021, under Matador Records, an American independent label.[25] The album length was 41 minutes and 23 seconds, consisting of 9 songs.[26]
The album is about violence regarding Africa. In an interview with Reverb, he mentioned a massacre near his town which killed 202 people.[24]
Chismiten was released on October 7, 2020, the music video contains cellphone footage containing weddings and parts of Niger.[27] The song Chismiten indicates how people in a relationship "lose their sense of self". Mdou Moctar also says: "It is not about one specific person, but about all [the] people in the world. I turn to Allah for guidance not to be that person."[28]
On January 28, 2019, "Taliat" was released; the music video features a one-shot of bandmembers Mdou Moctar, Mike Coltun, and Ahmoudou Madassane listening to the song in the car. Coltun mentioned: "If you look closely, you can see Mdou singing along".[29]
Moctar stated: "'Taliat' means woman, in our community, women are queens, they have a lot of power, that why I use the term 'taliat' to talk about them. A woman in the Tuareg community has to be protected, but she also has to be treated as equal."[30]
On May 21, 2021, "Ya Habibti" was released, the track is dedicated to Moctars' partner, Layla.[31] The term Ya Habibti roughly translates to “my love” or “my beloved.”[32]
On May 21, 2021, Tala Tannam was released,[33] the term Tala Tannam translates to "Your Tears", the track features a guitar and some percussion, with gang vocals surrounding it.[34] The music video contains friends and family in the Tuareg community in Niamey. The video also features the Hausa people.[35]
On May 21, 2021, Untitled was released.[36] The song has a remix by Kenyan guitar band Duma.[37]
On May 21, 2021, Asdikte Akal was released, the song has a remix by South African rapper Yugen Blakrok.[38] The song talks about Moctars' homeland, and his love for it.[39]
On May 21, 2021, Layla was released, yet another song for Moctars' partner,[31] the song talks about his love for his partner, Layla, hence its name, Layla.[40] In a review by Pitchfork, the song was described as acoustic blues.[25]
The song Afrique Victime is about the "violence" of the colonial past and present, hence its name Afrique Victime. The song also mentions the Voulet–Chanoine Mission, a mission which French troops killed Nigerian people and hanged the bodies into trees.[22]
The album was "highly respected" in the country of Niger, with their outdoor performance "creating dancing crowds", the crowds were also reportedly "chanting and singing" during the performance.[25] The album was also respected for their "rebelling lyrics" about War crimes, sexism, and other important matters.[25]
The album got 31st Best Album of 2021 on Metacritic, a popular review aggregator.[41] The album also got four out of five from AllMusic,[23] a music database, 9 out of 10 from the entertainment publisher Exclaim!,[1] four out of five from The Guardian, a newspaper,[5] 8 out of 10 from the music magazine, The Line of Best Fit,[15] and 4.5 out of 5 from the magazine MusicOMH,[14] 9 out of 10 from the music magazine Paste,[8] 8.4 out of 10 from Pitchfork, a music publication,[22] 4 out of 5 from the Rolling Stone magazine,[9] 4.5 out of 5 from the magazine Uncut,[17] and 8 out of 10 from the magazine Under the Radar.[18]
All tracks are written by Mdou Moctar.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Chismiten" | 4:58 |
2. | "Taliat" | 3:48 |
3. | "Ya Habibti" | 3:31 |
4. | "Tala Tannam" | 5:38 |
5. | "Untitled" | 1:25 |
6. | "Asdikte Akal" | 4:31 |
7. | "Layla" | 4:26 |
8. | "Afrique Victime" | 7:25 |
9. | "Bismilahi Atagah" | 5:36 |
Total length: | 41:23 |
Mdou Moctar
Additional personnel
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[43] | 180 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[44] | 92 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[45] | 31 |
UK Album Sales (OCC)[46] | 36 |
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[47] | 57 |
UK Physical Albums (OCC)[48] | 36 |
UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)[49] | 22 |
UK Record Store (OCC)[50] | 14 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[51] | 16 |
UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC)[52] | 2 |
The album peaked on number 2 in the UK Independent Singles and Album Breakers Charts, the album also entered the top 30 in the UK Vinyl Albums Chart, UK Physical Albums chart, the UK Record Store Chart, and the UK Independent Singles and Albums Charts. The album entered the top 100 in the Dutch Album chart, the Scottish Album chart, the UK Album Sales chart, and the UK Physical Album chart. The album also entered the top 200 in the Belgian Album chart.[46][48][49][50][52]