ARTIST:
TUNE-YARDS


ALBUM:
W H O K I L L 


KEY TRACKS:
BIZNESS
ES-SO
DOORSTEP


"I'll bleed if you ask me"


I'll own it, I'm a pretty judgmental person sometimes and this album was a serious victim of it.          Even though W H O K I L L was one of the most critically acclaimed releases of 2011, I refused to listen to an artist who's moniker was one of the most ridiculous things I'd ever seen: "tUnE-yArDs".  Automatically I'm taken back to those senseless years in middle school when people used instant messenger and refused to use proper punctuation or capitalization.  my argument was that an artist with an obnoxious stage name would produce equally obnoxious music.   This statement is probably true for some but for me...well, for me that's not the case anymore.  

tUnE-yArds's Merrill Garbus has a distinct sound that has separated her from most contemporary music genres.  Her music is a combination of well-synchronized loops, blasting horns, and the most unique feature of all: her voice.  I'll admit when I heard Bizness for the first time I assumed without a second thought it was a man.  So you could imagine my surprise when I read more about the band and found that Merrill Garbus, a woman, was the artist behind all the madness.  This attribute has been under a lot of focus for promoting music that is "asexual".  Seriously, when did music become something that is gendered? That being said, I think I began to like Garbus's music project a little more because it's pushing boundaries.       


However, much like Merrill's voice, her music too can be an acquired taste.  There are points in W H O K I L L that are serious high points while there are other moments that can seem a little overbearing.  But in her defense, I also feel that Garbus's outlandish stage name and album title do somewhat prepare you for an experience that's not quite that conventional...there's a lot of noise in there and you need to be prepared for it.  


Overall W H O K I L L is a joyous album.  There are times where it does get a bit weird but certainly no less interested.  Bizness is the diamond in the rough here and really showcases Merrill's vocal range.  The chorus is something I commonly find myself shouting along to.  It's quite good therapy actually.  Another interesting track is Es-so.  There's some kind of magic here in the composition because it's the one song that you really cannot predict where it's going.  Just when you think the drums are going to build, a jangling guitar cuts in.  Or where you think the guitar will come back in, you're given blaring horns.  Merrill's vocals are as equally perplexing because there doesn't seem to be any sort of planned composition here.  She just sings at the tone she likes, when she likes.  It's unpredictable, but it really works here.  

Doorstep one of the more conventional tracks on the album and has a rather infectious melody which is why I've included it in the key tracks section.  I also particularly love the tambourine here.


On a personal level I really got a great deal of inspiration from this album.  Theres a kind of magic at work here.  Anyone who knows me knows that I've been stuck with a bit of writers block lately and this album was the little kick I needed to get my head back in the game.  tUnE yArDs is a testament to the true spirit of the artist because it's music that doesn't really care what you think.  It's there to get your attention and make you think.  It certainly got me thinking about many things but most of all it  sent one message plainly:  true creativity is at work here and it's extraordinary.      

LISTEN:  BIZNESS  |  ES-SO  |  DOORSTEP

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