tUnE-YaRdS
Biography
tUnE-yArDs is a project formed and fronted by New England native Merrill Garbus, with their visionary second record W H O K I L L released this week (18/4/11). As of this sophomore effort, Garbus works with bassist and writing partner Nate Brennar on the music, which primarily uses ukulele, samples and drum loops to create their African infused semi-psychedelic pop.
The band started in 2006 as s solo project for Garbus, who was also in noise-pop band Sister Suvi at the time. Songs were recorded on a handheld vocal recorder and some mixing software (called Audacity, if you’re interested) downloaded for free. As a result, debut album BiRd-BrAiNs is understandably rough around the edges. Originally released in June 2009, the album was re-mixed at Abbey Road Studios and given a worldwide release via 4AD in November the same year, and saw one of the tracks, ‘Fiya‘ featured on a mobile phone advert. Perhaps understandably seen as a somewhat challenging album to get involved with at first, the debut provided a very sketchy introduction to the work of Merrill Garbus, but also displayed her undeniable potential.
That potential has been realised on her new album, W H O K I L L, where she has ditched some of the experimentation, and settled for songs that are easy to love on an immediate level, as well as having the necessary depth to reward repeated listens. The cleaning-up of the production has no doubt helped the surface-level appeal, but the introduction of a sax section, often with hypnotic and disorientating effects is the real winner. The album has been described variously as “reggae-esque”, “afro-centric” and “lo-fi folk blues”, with influences (according to reviewers) ranging from Animal Collective to Run DMC, indicating possibly that one of its real strengths is being nearly impossible to nail-down. Unique, in other words.
tUnE-yArDs’ success has gone against everything that usually happens in the satanic hit-factories of the music industry. Garbus certainly isn’t an air-brushed pop starlet, her style is reassuringly unconventional, and her voice is probably best categorised as ‘androgynous’, ranging from deep rumblings to wailing highs, often within seconds of each other, and has been understandably compared to that of Anthony Hegarty on more than one occasion (though the music is far from it). Her success is more down to a pure talent for subverting what people consider song, but doing so in such a way as not to alienate people by being too obtuse.
Videos
Rockfeedback TV: tUnE-yArDs – On Stage @ Oya 2010
Hatari / Gangta (live)
Bizness
Real Live Flesh (Live)
Tour Dates
8th June - London, Scala
13th June - Manchester, Deaf Institute
14th June - Aberdeen, The Tunnels
15th June - Glasgow, The Captain’s Rest
16th June - Liverpool - Mojo
Links