Tune-Yards - Whokill

I knew the moment would come when Merrill Garbus, the oddball creative force behind Tune-Yards, would have to abandon the literal D.I.Y. of her debut Bird-Brains and take her muse into the sterile confines of a real studio. There have been countless lo-fi artists that have had to make similar decisions, and I’ll be damned if I can remember one that completely flopped thanks to the additional recording tracks or professional mics that a studio provides them.

After all, most of these artists had plenty of noticeable talents within the hiss and noticeable lack of perfections and in Tune-Yards debut, there was an undeniable creativity behind all of the clutter.

It’s just that the story of Merrill’s D.I.Y.’s journey made for some infectious reading while trying to get a handle on her out-of-control delivery.

Thankfully, all of the studio “sheen” and “professionalism” don’t damper her zaniness and on her journey towards accessibility, there’s still a wide gap between what the public is willing to accept from her and what’s she’s willing to relent to them.

The result brings Whokill between the Raincoats’ Moving album and some Tom Tom Club album, if both were fronted by a woman with enormous vocal talents.

Garbus is not afraid to come across like some savant with no noticeable inner control mechanism to let her be concerned with such trivial things like embarrassment. And when you take a look at some of the subject matter within Whokill, it’s obvious that she also isn’t afraid of things like body image (“Es So”), her neighborhood (“Gangsta”), and the fact that she doesn’t mind having her lover bang her from behind (“Powa”).

Her self-empowerment and confidence is so infectious that it transcends how it was recorded. And the fact that the main storyline behind Whokill is that it was legitimately documented makes it even more stunning as you clearly hear how there’s a method to Merrill’s madness, and that method is borderline genius.

Tune Yards - Bird Brains

DIY don’t mean shit if you ain’t got the chops to back it up. I’ve got boxes full of “DIY” cassettes in my storage room of captured crap, but thanks to limited ability, you won’t be hearing any of my collected “works” anytime soon.
You should, on the other hand, spend a few moments checking out the project of Merrill Garbus’ Tune Yards, a collection that deserves more than finding a resting place in the storage room or on the oxide of the tapes she sells at shows.
4AD has come to the rescue with issuing Tune Yards’ Bird-Brains on a larger scale, but not before treating those familiar with Garbus’ quirky persona with a limited edition screen-printed release.
To be fair, Garbus can be an acquired taste; I saw a video of Tune Yards’ “Hatari” on You Tube once-seemingly recorded in a small apartment-an immediate felt sympathy for the neighbors enduring her yells and howls while remaining transfixed at the beauty that her near-tribal delivery offered. Sealing it for me was how oblivious Garbus was in this performance-for-one; she was in another realm, channeling something fortunate enough to be captured.
For all of the DIY ethos running throughout Bird-Brains, there’s a sense that once a particular sound, rhythm, or chord is struck, Garbus has the good sense of capturing the moment and revisiting it. What’s even more exciting is the possibility of hearing how these songs have progressed in a year or two. There’s nothing to suggest that what we’re hearing in Bird-Brains is indeed the final word, note, or sound.
Her ukulele-evidently a family hand-me-down that spurred this foray into music-is ever present alongside homemade rhythms of breath, hands, and found objects. The back story suggests that the entire project was funded on the cheap with handouts and freeware, and it sounds as such accordingly. But the entire record is rich with passion and artistic vision, and it’s a rewarding headspin as Bird-Brains leaps from continent to continent, genre to genre, while managing to patch everything together in a sonic quilt that’s as precious as a family heirloom.
Of course, family heirlooms mean more to those it speaks to and Bird-Brains is designed to speak more to those who find value in the places and things that may be right in front of them.

This review originall appeared in Glorious Noise.