Tinariwen

Mali's favorite ex-revolutionary nomad rock band takes up its weapons again -- five guitars, give or take -- and thrash out yet another masterpiece of desert blues. Do these guys even have to work at it anymore? If you want to hear the sound of water flooding the Sahara, of women keening their laments, of the real land where the blues began (sorry, Mississippi), take a listen. Alternatively, if you've ever wondered what Bob Marley and John Lennon might have sounded like if they'd been born Tuareg, here's your answer.