Funeral for Justice

Mdou Moctar, 2024, from Funeral for Justice. Solo by Mdou Moctar.

The heaviest title track of Moctar's career, with abrasive, shredding leads carrying its political anger.

Funeral for Justice is the heaviest title track of Mdou Moctar's career, and the guitar carries its political anger. His leads are abrasive and shredding, full of fuzz, fast runs and squealing bends that sound close to punk or metal in their aggression. Yet the melodic shapes remain distinctly Tuareg, so the heaviness feels like an extension of his tradition rather than an import. It is the sound of a guitarist using volume as a form of protest. Listen for how the fuzz tone blurs the edges of his fastest runs, turning them into a single furious surge that seems to push against the rhythm section.

Funeral for Justice by Mdou Moctar is featured in our Desert Blues (#8) list. The solo is played by Mdou Moctar and the song was released in 2024.

In our lists

• The Greatest Solo of Every Year — #81
• The Greatest Desert Blues Guitar Songs — #8
• The Best Mdou Moctar Guitar Solos — #3

Sources