ListenUp

Tinariwen stateside, Phantogram's Bill Murray, a tribute to J Dilla and more in the music we tweeted this week

Tinariwen: Emmaar Malian band Tinariwen are famous in their own Saharan country as much for their rocking desert blues as for their role in the ’80s as Tuareg rebel fighters for Gadaffi. Despite their critically acclaimed musical talent, it would be hard to separate the band from politics and, as NPR points out, the new album Emmaar is a reflection of their native region’s turmoil. …

Big Boi feat. Phantogram and Sade: CPU 2.0

Mahotella Queens, Banks + Shlomo, Habibi and more in the music we tweeted this week

2014 may well be the year of OutKast. The “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”-bumping duo is set to headline over 40 music festivals throughout the year, including Coachella and Governor’s Ball, plus both Big Boi and André 3000 are slated to release solo albums (we can only hope for another Outkast record too). In anticipation of his new release, Big Boi is dropping re-imaginations of tracks from his previous …

Habibi: I Got The Moves

Mahotella Queens, Banks + Shlomo, Habibi and more in the music we tweeted this week

Brooklyn-based Habibi dropped their self-titled, full-length album this week and in the midst of a long (and very cold) winter, it’s a welcome taste of warm weather to come. The lead single “I Got The Moves” is a minute and 45 seconds of garage pop bliss. Lead singer Rahill Jamalifard was inspired by pre-1979 Irananian music and art, and the band’s name comes from the …