“Ms. Garbus has a ferocious voice, somewhere between Aretha Franklin and Yoko Ono. At times it’s a roar, and at times it’s coy, but her ability to modulate it show off a rhythmic and artistic intelligence that echoes Bjork, and even to a degree M.I.A.†- New York Times
The brainchild of Merrill Garbus, tUnE-yArDs began life as dictaphone recordings which were then painstakingly mixed down on GarageBand to create the opening gambit, her debut album BiRd-BrAiNs. Initially released on a limited LP run through Marriage records with screenprinted sleeves recycled from thrift store bargain bins, it wasn't long until others took notice and she soon signed a worldwide deal with 4AD. The album was formally released in late-2009, having been remastered and with four more tracks added. The Guardian, whilst awarding it 5/5, called her "the find of the year." In 2011, that rings as true.
Alongside the record, she also started to build quite a reputation for her live performances. Using loop pedals, two mics, a snare drum, a ukelele, her distinctive voice (she's spent time teaching singing in Kenya) and crucially, a second band member, Nate Brenner on bass. Together, things started to happen when they took to the road with kindred spirits, the Dirty Projectors, on both their US and European tours. As word of mouth spread, the venues they were playing in were filling up earlier than usual as people heard of their genius. Anyone who has seen them live will attest to them being nothing short of incredible live. It comes as no surprise then that at this year's SXSW, they were one of the biggest draws.
The new album, w h o k i l l, was released on April 18th on 4AD and marks a time when everything came together in to one cohesive whole. Recorded in a studio and influenced heavily by her moving to Oakland, California, she and Nate have made an album that delivers on her early promise. Lyrically Garbus explores constructs of femininity and sexuality with the threat of violence that lurks on the streets where she now lives, while the energy of their show has been translated perfectly to record.
In 2010, Yoko Ono performed several shows with the Plastic Ono Band and special guests at the Orpheum in Los Angeles. Among the guests of Iggy Pop, Mike Watt, Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Perry Farrell, RZA, Lady Gaga, Carrie Fisher and Joseph Gordon-Levitt performing songs from throughout Yoko’s career were tUnE-yArDs, an act she had recently fallen in love with.
Their update of the 1972 lyrics of Yoko's ’We're All Water’ was to prove a highlight and shortly afterwards, Yoko...
Tomorrow marks the seventh instalment of Sounds From A Room, the monthly live music event taking place in the Roi des Belges, a boat placed atop Queen Elizabeth Hall in London throughout the city's Olympic year as part of Room For London (a creative joint venture between ArtAngel and Living Architecture). Overlooking the River Thames and London's heart, tUnE-yArDs have kindly been invited to perform one of the twelve unique live shows to take place in the boat. Following on from the likes of...
Tune-Yards is the singular musical project of New England native Merrill Garbus. Possessing an expansive sound that marries a coarse folk ingenuity with the bold pop sensibility of an R&B siren, her debut record Bird-Brains, released on November 16, was assembled with a staunch DIY aesthetic, all dramatically on show in this inauguratory showcase for the 4AD Sessions alongside fellow...
