Tune-Yards - Signs to 4AD; download 'Sunlight'
14 July 09
4AD will release the debut record from tUnE-yArDs, 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, 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.
Having played across the U.S. and taken SXSW and ATP by storm, tUnE-yArDs will be touring Europe throughout September with Brooklyn’s celebrated avant-pop outfit Dirty Projectors. 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.
The record (CAD2927CD) receives a screen-printed release, limited to 1000 copies worldwide, on August 17 2009 and August 18 in the US, prior to a full release later in the year.
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".
The tracklisting for BiRd-BrAiNs runs as follows:
'For You'
'Sunlight'
'Lions'
'Hatari'
'News'
'Jamaican'
'Jumping Jack'
'Little Tiger'
'Safety'
'Fiya'
'Synonynonym'
As an introduction to the world of Tune-Yards we have 'Sunlight' available to download from the 4AD player.
Tune-Yards will also be performing at the following forthcoming dates:
July
15: Holoscene, Portland (w/ Explode Into Colors and Drakkar Sauna)
16: Northern, Washington (w/ Kimya Dawson)
18: The Vera Project, Seattle (w/ Alaskas and DASH!)
21: The Echo, Los Angeles (w/ Micachu and the Shapes)
22: The Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco (w/ Micachu and the Shapes)
September
5: Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
9: La Maroquinerie, Paris
10: Phono Festivalen, Bergen
12: Old Blue Last, London
13: Scala, London (w/ Dirty Projectors)
14: MacBeth, London (w/ Max Tundra)
16: Whelans, Dublin 2 (w/ Dirty Projectors)
17: King Georg, Cologne
18: Incubate Festival, 5038 CV Tilburg
19: Botanique, Brussels (w/ Dirty Projectors and Sunset Rubdown)
20: Melkweg, Amsterdam (w/ Dirty Projectors)
21: Festaal, Berlin (w/ Dirty Projectors)
