In contrast to most Western music, the songs of Rwandan trio
the Good Ones
are humbling in their honesty and improbably optimistic considering the group's stark realities. Made up of three farmers -- all survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide -- who live without electricity in a rural hilltop village, it's remarkable that their simple yet powerful folk music has been heard at all outside of their home, let alone across multiple international releases. Released in 2019 by the
Anti-
label,
Rwanda, You Should Be Loved
is the group's third album and third to have been recorded by
Ian Brennan
(
Zomba Prison Project
,
Tinariwen
), an American producer known for helping under-represented musicians -- often inexperienced ones from third world countries -- gain global recognition and financial aid. Formed as a sort of coping mechanism in the years after the genocide, the group's de facto leader and primary songwriter is
Adrien Kazigira
(vocals, guitar). Joining him as co-vocalist and guitarist is
Javan Mahoro
, with percussionist
Jeanvier Havugimana
adding harmonies and occasional guitar. Using largely homemade acoustic instruments with farming tools often contributing to percussion, the three musicians create a sparse, rustic sound that while occasionally mournful, is also surprisingly buoyant.
The Good Ones
' songs are a direct reaction to their immediate surroundings and situations, singing with forthright candor and aching poignancy about death, love, friendship, hardship, and family. With plaintive harmonies and a springy circular guitar riff, "The Farmer" is both a celebration and lamentation of the farmer's role in a society where the very providers of food often go hungry. Other bleakly themed songs like "Where Did You Go Wrong, My Love" and "A Long Sad Journey Watching You Die" still manage to harness unlikely moments of resplendence in spite of the anguish they portray. More often than not, though,
live up to their name, acknowledging life's pain, but choosing instead to see its beauty and hope. After forgiving a friend's betrayal on the luminous standout "Despite It All I Still Love You, Dear Friend" and urging another to recognize her own self-worth ("Marciana, You Should Love"),
Kazigira
devotes not one, but two consecutive songs to his wife's beauty. As with their two previous outings,
is essentially a field recording, captured live on
's farm. Where it differs is in its collaborative nature. Pairing Western artists with rural African musicians is a time-honored practice and generally yields mixed results.
Nels Cline
Wilco
),
Corin Tucker
Sleater-Kinney
Tunde Adebimpe
TV on the Radio
Kevin Shields
My Bloody Valentine
), and
Joe Lally
Fugazi
) may come from various rock disciplines, but fortunately, they exercise a good measure of taste and restraint in their overdubs. Of those five,
Shields
' jarringly lush synth wash and
Tucker
's experimental noise textures stick out the most, though neither inflict lasting damage to the material, which already packs plenty of emotional resonance into its minimalist architecture. ~ Timothy Monger