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May 08, 2024 Web Exclusive By Kyle Kersey

Mdou Moctar (aka Mahamadou Souleymane) has come a long way since building his first guitar out of wood and bicycle brake cables as a teenager. Armed with a white Stratocaster, the Tureag guitarist (and namesake for the band Mdou Moctar) was propelled into the international consciousness when his 2021 record, Afrique Victime, garnered praise from both the indie and mainstream press. And rightfully so: that record showcased both Moctar’s virtuosic playing and his distinctive blend of psychedelic rock and desert blues.

Funeral for Justice is even better. Let’s keep it simple: this thing fucking rips. Moctar—along with his bandmates Ahmoudou Madassane, Mikey Coltun, and Souleymane Ibrahim—has built upon the foundations of Afrique Victime and made a tighter record that’s infused with garage rock energy. This isn’t a solemn funeral march: it’s a rallying cry.

Unlike other so-called guitar gods of the modern age, Moctar doesn’t seem interested in flaunting technicality (though he absolutely shreds). His music is as emotionally charged as it is politically focused, criticizing the structural violence years of French colonialism has inflicted (and continues to inflict) upon West Africans. He opens the record with a question for African leaders: “Why does your ear only heed France and America?” Single “Imouhar” transforms from reserved bluesy licks into a galloping grove over which Moctar pleas for the preservation of the Tamasheq language in which he sings.

Then there’s the righteous fury of “Oh France,” the call for pan-African unity on “Imajighen,” the call and response vocals of “Takoba” that mimic a common form found in real-life protests. A chorus of distant voices are layered underneath Moctar’s vocals. The result is a record that begs you to sing along, to participate, to get involved. Only on the final track, “Modern Slaves,” does Moctar finally relent, lamenting the global apathy toward the suffering of others. In a near-whisper, he repeats, “All you do is watch. All you do is watch.” (www.mdoumoctar.com)

Author rating: 9/10