Which means that Moctar’s sixth album Afrique Victime, his second with a full band, won’t sound nearly as alien to Western ears as one might presume Van Halen sounded to his. In fact, it’s best to ignore the fact that Matador records is billing Afrique Victime as a cross between Van Halen, Black Flag and Black Uhuru. As Afrique Victime makes abundantly clear, the real selling point here is how delightfully inviting and accessible he tends to be. (Matador is also releasing Afrique Victime in cell-phone format.) These days, Moctar’s music bears virtually no trace of his early lo-fi aesthetic—and that’s as it should be.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 22, 2021 15:11 UTC