Tune-Yards - Bird-Brains released this week
16 November 09
4AD formally release BiRd-BrAiNs, the debut record from tUnE-yArDs (the singular musical project of New England native Merrill Garbus), this week.
Possessing an expansive sound that marries a coarse folk ingenuity with the bold pop sensibility of an R&B siren, BiRd-BrAiNs was assembled with a staunch DIY aesthetic. Recording herself using a digital voice recorder and produced using shareware mixing software, she was described by Stereogum as “a self-contained Sublime Frequencies compilation, jumping between blues, African
tunes, shiny reggae-esque sprawls, and lo-fi folk”, infusing the worldly sonic palette of M.I.A. or post-punk pioneers The Raincoats.
The album ranges from the surreal to the sublime, with ‘Lions’ described by Pitchfork as “halfway between a singsong schoolyard rhyme and a graveyard
blues” whilst ‘Jamaican’ could be the blueprint to a Timbaland-produced gem with it’s ricocheting drums pattern and intoxicating tape loops.
Speaking about BiRd-BrAiNs, Merrill comments: “It is a patchwork of sound snippets, of history in a present tense. It is a composer’s commitment to the
preservation of stories, however small and unassuming.”
Released earlier in the year on cassette and vinyl, it also recently received a CD release (screen-printed sleeve and limited to only 1000 copies). Finally, this is its official release on her new label; unifying all formats, remastered at Abbey Road and two new tracks added - ‘Want Me To’ and ‘Real Live Flesh’.
Merrill’s live show is also a real talking point and she has already played extensively across North America this year. Outside of playing The Breeders curated ATP earlier in the year, she made her European bow in September, which included a stint supporting Brooklyn’s celebrated avant-pop outfit Dirty Projectors, where she won over many new fans (see quotes right).
“She’s the find of the year.”
THE GUARDIAN
“Ms. Garbus, hiding behind that scrapheap of
sound, 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.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Garbus’ kitchen-sink folk recalls African street
music, musical theater, and the kind of long-lost
recordings found in an anthropologist’s basement.”
THE ONION
"Her one-woman sampling-assed, ukulele-
owning, Aretha-by-way-of-Sister-Gertrude-Morgan
show is amazing."
PINGLEWOOD
“Mixing West African rhythms and vocal styles, old
fashioned blues, the occasional hip hop beat and a
soulful voice worthy of Al Green doing a Nina Simone
impression, Tune-Yards' music should be a mess.
Except it isn't. The range of genres are exploited
perfectly. It takes bravery to be this different, and
talent to pull it off so proficiently.”
THE LONDONIST
You can purchase the record from the following physical and digital stores:
iTunes
Jumbo (with bonus Tune-Yards 4AD Sessions DVD)
Norman (with bonus Tune-Yards 4AD Sessions DVD)
Beggars USA
The tracklisting for the record runs as follows:
1. For You
2. Sunlight
3. Lions
4. Hatari
5. News
6. Jamaican
7. Jumping Jack
8. Little Tiger
9. Safety
10. Fiya
11. Synonynonym
12. Want Me To
13. Real Live Flash
You can watch the Tune-Yards in session over at the 4AD Sessions website HERE and watch a track from the session, 'Real Live Flesh', below:
