Now Streaming: Delicate Steve - Positive Force

It's a strange wonder that I haven't listened to New Jersey rock quintet Delicate Steve before today, the band has played shows with some of my absolute favorite artists/bands like Maps & Atlases, Buke & Gase, & tUnE-yArDs to name but a few that I'm undoubtedly missing. If you've paid any attention to the amount of praise I've given Collections of Colonies of Bees or Phil Cook & His Feat then you probably know instrumental albums are a definite favorite of mine - a favorite where few brilliant, shining works lie. Well Delicate Steve is about to change all that.

Featuring bright, exuberant melodies and fanciful instrumental songcraft, Delicate Steve's Positive Force is poised to become the soundtrack to my summer and might very well be yours if you let it. Each track is a veritable pop gem which puts a decidedly interesting and unique spin on world-influenced music. There's no playing make believe like you sometimes get but the influence funnels into their music alongside a sort of middle-end rock aesthetic and the result is an album you'll pretty much have to pry out of my hands. It's everything I didn't know I was looking for and then some.

You can stream Delicate Steve's Positive Force on NPR now until it's July 10th release date.

Pitstop: Basia Bulat

I'm a little ashamed that it took me about 2 years to even mention Canadian singer/songwriter Basia Bulat. I was reintroduced to her Saturday night as she was one of the two splendid openers at Bowerbirds Music Hall of Williamburg show. Before having watched her play a Tiny Desk concert on NPR and before that randomly stumbling upon her at Central Park Summerstage as she opened up for St. Vincent along with tUnE-yArDs. And while I more or less missed her whole set at Summerstage due to getting lost and being unable to find the stage for an embarrassingly length of time, the sounds of her autoharp are ultimately what led me and a friend safely to the show.

While Basia has two albums out at present, Oh, My Darling and Heart of My Own, Basia is probably best experienced live. There you'll witness her skill with a variety of folk instruments; the aforementioned autoharp, hammered dulcimer, guitar, and even a small lute/ukulele-like instrument called the charango. All of these Basia plays with nimble fingers you have to see to believe all the while belting out an utterly captivating array of tunes with an absolutely demolishing amount of vocal power. While Bulat normally plays with a band, this time she went solo and the result were far more impressive I'm sure. More than holding her own as she accompanied herself flawlessly. 

Basia Bulat's live set is transportive, magical, and awe-inspiring as she proves herself a more than competent storyteller, spinning tales which whether real or not carry a deeply emotional resonance. While this feat is also achieved quite masterfully on her albums, it's the unbridled energy unleashed at just the right moments that hit you sorely in the heart and make you weak in the knees.   

Basia Bulat is currently putting the finish touches on her latest full-length record and I for one couldn't be more excited. Whether or not it incorporates more of her live energy, throws in an even more eclectic mix of instruments, or is even just more of the same, it's bound to be a good. And will be more of a reason for her to bring her enchanting live show to a city near you so do yourself a favor an start acquainting yourself now so you don't regret missing out. 

Until then you can listen to her two previous albums Oh, My Darling and Heart of My Own on Spotify.

?uestlove, tUnE-yArDs, Angelique Kidjo Akua Naru - Lady (Fela Kuti cover)

Turns out one of the greatest ways to get a great musical collaboration involves an act of charity. The Red Hot Organization has pretty much been uniting acts this way for years now in order to raise money for the fight against AIDS/HIV and this year is certainly no different.

While past collaborations have included the likes of Feist, Beirut, Justin Vernon, Of Montreal, and Sade (to name but a few), a most recent endeavor has brought together ?uestlove of The Roots fame with Angelique Kidjo and Akua Naru, and just to make sure it's an extra good time they throw tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus into the mix to cover Fela Kuti's "Lady".

The result is a bustling, brassy update on Fela Kuti's criticisms of westernized African women into something a little less harsh but at no point less enjoyable. From the swaggering saxophones, to the three women's bold delivery, even to the added rap, the song is a flawless musical contribution. Hear it below and support a great cause:



If you like what you hear, buy the single. Do it.

(via Okay Africa)

Pitstop: Micachu and the Shapes

One of the greatest and most simplest ways to find something new that you're bound to love is to follow tips from bands/artists you love. It just makes sense. And that's how I was introduced to UK experimental trio Micachu and the Shapes. Through tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus in tweet form after their most recent show together at Terminal 5. The brainchild of London composer Mica Levi, Micachu and the Shapes (Micachu being Levi's adopted stage name) play stitched up pop with an avant-garde twist. That's about the simplest way to explain what this band does but in no way is it the most definitive. And that definition of sound may not define the group for very much longer as the threesome prep to release their sophomore record Never, the follow up to their rather poppy debut Jewellry.

 Micachu - Golden Phone by The Green Bird Heard


Preview tracks "Never" and "OK" mark a far less accessible and linear style for the band which while not completely out of the ordinary for the three-piece promises to be a fairly enjoyable departure from their debut.

Considering how catchy their debut is, I'm a little surprised that the track that most hooked me was from a live album they recorded with the London Sinfonetta (which is fitting as Levi's work is not wholly out of the conventions of modern classical music). "Everything", from the aforementioned live album entitled Chopped & Screwed, is the first track I ever heard from the group and currently my absolute favorite. It's an expansive yet simple glitch-pop gem. Or at least it sounds like Micachu's cut-copy style of glitch but couldn't possibly be when you realize it's live which is a mindboggling effect really. Combined are minimalistic percussive rhythms with lightning quick flutters from winds and dissonance that gives the track's perpetual motion a sort of discomforting unease. Levi employs a rapid-fire assortment of techniques that gives the track an added layer of depth besides it's large number of players. It's the kind of track that upon each listen you heard something entirely new: a pizzicato here, rumbling bass riff, a tunefully hit woodblock, each instrument arises and fades in a flash requiring your absolute attention and even then it might not be enough. 

 03 Everything/Micachu & the Shapes and the London Sinfonietta/Chopped & Screwed by ohtaffeta


Micachu and the Shapes' Never is due out July 24th on Rough Trade Records.

You can hear Micachu's Jewellry and Chopped & Screwed on Spotify.

All Around Sound's Favorite Tracks of 2011

Strangely enough, I remember when a year ago when I swore I would never do a Best Of list. At least not in the way that some blogs do there. Rehashing old reviews and offering nothing new - that might work for some but it's not my style. And yet, Best Of lists are a great way to discover some great music you might've missed throughout the year or might've forgotten about. So my hope is that by throwing my own hat into the Best Of ring I can help do one of those things for you. Enjoy my first Best Of list or more aptly put, my favorite 15 tracks of 2011.

15) The Deloreans - "Buffalo", "American Craze"
Before Sam at MiddleClassWhiteNoise introduced me to The Deloreans, I wasn't aware there was anything of note in Kentucky. Let alone the three stellar bands I was later introduced to from Louisville. An ode to old-fashioned American decadence and a hodge-podge of different styles, practically any song on the album is worthy of a slot and definitely necessary listening but what set "Buffalo" apart is its multi-faceted nature. Fun and frenetic for the choruses but subtle and restrained for the verses, the track utilizes the intense energy of "American Craze" without sacrificing any of the thematic content.



14) North Highlands - "Roundhouse", Wild One
For an album named Wild One, there's actually a shortage of songs that are actually all that unchained and yet that works for North Highlands. Brenda Malvini's soft, delicate vocals are inviting and the band, broad and sweeping around her, pull you in like ocean waves. Malvini quiet coo in "Roundhouse" "If I was wild, if I was brave..." explains a bit, and ends up far more effective than a roar. The track pulses with an infectious energy while maintaining an almost stoic control before there's an unexpected rush, the opening of the floodgates and you're smacked with feeling. The track tells a story but is also intensely danceable. The best of both worlds.



13) The Dodos - "Good", No Color
When I first read that Neko Case would be contributing vocals to the new Dodos album I regarded it with a great deal of surprise and confusion. Meric Long's voice somehow fits the percussion-heavy folk realm the two inhabit but how would Neko Case's translate? Incredibly well. And yet, the tracks where she was barely there- a mostly quiet spectre in the background were the tracks I enjoyed most. When she shouts and harmonizes on "Good" it's almost too much good to bear. "Good" is great because it's driving, hard-hitting, with an astonishing amount of simplicity but effortless precise and no doubt memorable. It's 6 minutes long but far from monotonous - something always catching your ear to keep you from just drifting off.
Good by The Dodos by Mute-Song

12) Hello MTN - "Suitcase Song", Tour EP
Portland folk duo Hello MTN have been working on an album for better part of the year, taking breaks pretty much solely to tour. Luckily, the duo decided to make a four song EP so concertgoers would have something tangible to hold onto and things just kind of spiraled from there. "Suitcase Song" might seem like a bit of a novelty (being that the song features an actual suitcase as the percussion) but the song is positively awash with emotion. The song makes use of the duo's seemingly endless array of talents and features remarkable musical interludes between verses.



11) Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers - "We Are Everything", On Being
It's hard to fathom the possibility of not seeing Joe Hertler and his band in that small mostly empty bar at the start of my CMJ but I did and for that I'm exceedingly glad. On Being shows off Joe Hertler's deft songwriting chops and a wisdom far beyond his years with "We Are Everything" functioning as a delightfully enjoyable cog in Joe Hertler's conceptualized vision. While songs on On Being wrestles with bigger picture ideas and pseudo-religious themes, "We Are Everything" notes how tiny humans are in the grand scheme of things when compared to the limitless wonders of the universe and yet, does so with nary a heavy-hand. Instead with his rich imagery and patience, Joe Hertler creates something truly soul-stirring.




10) Left With Pictures, "June", In Time
Last year, British chamber pop quintet Left With Pictures challenged themselves to the great songwriting feat of writing a song a month as part of their In Time project. Not only did they have to have a fully developed song that would be premiered by Gideon Coe on BBC 6Music on the last Monday of each month but they also had to have a finished video which they would post the next day. For 2010, I had no greater joy than when a brand new Left With Pictures track was revealed as each month their songwriting seemed to get better and better especially when they reached months without an obvious inspiration. One of my favorite tracks from this was "June", inspired in part by the advent of summer but with no obvious references to it. Instead "June", the month it was composed for, is personified as a beautiful girl whom has utterly enchanted the narrator. The song is as big as it's claims that a thousand battle ships would launch for her - the band pulling out all their songwriting chops to brilliant effect to create an upbeat romp full of positively delightful musical moments.


9) tUnE-yArDs - "Bizness", W H O K I L L
My introduction to "Bizness" happened live at tUnE-yArDs' concert in Central Park about a year and a half ago. There she performed almost all the sounds that weren't created by bassist Nate Brenner or with her own drums sticks with her own mouth (besides the brass band she had join her for a couple songs). It was exceptionally impressive. So when I heard the new version where those vocal effects were replaced with studio-processed machine sounds I was a little disappointed. And yet, even with that little let down, the infectiously catch nature of "Bizness" won out. It takes some of the best moments of her 2009 debut and amplifies them about tenfold. Garbus' decision to studio record affords the track with increased accessibility but also allowed her to throw some great things onto it (like the aforementioned brass band).
tUnE-yArDs - Bizness (4AD) by Ragged Words

8) The Head and the Heart - "Rivers and Roads", The Head and the Heart
During an intimately live show at Pianos in September, I had an epiphany: Spunky Seattle folk sextet The Head and the Heart write some pretty sad songs. This might seem like a no-brainer or even downright wrong to you but underneath their fun, poppy arrangements are lyrics about feeling out of place and alone whether you're far from from or stuck in your hometown. And yet there's a shortage songs on the album where this emotion is just left to its own devices - not played with by the groups various band members and their skilled arrangements. "Rivers and Road" is one of those rare songs that's not upbeat and makes no attempts to be. You don't get rapped up in the feel of the song and think it's about something else entirely - no, instead you get this wonderful moment of heart-on-your-sleeve confession carried from a purely vocal standpoint. Guitarist/vocalist Josiah Johnson gets his moment to shine while the rest of the band helpfully keep tempo and Jonathan Russell and Charity Rose Thielen add backup harmonies. And it's all quite lovely and good and makes for a nice song and then in an utterly unexpected moment Charity takes the helm with powerhouse vocals radiating with soul and you're a puddle on the floor. It elevates the already good song to an absolutely other plane of greatness and tugs at each and every one of your heartstrings.
Rivers and Roads by ImpressYourPeers

7) Carter Tanton - "Murderous Joy", Freeclouds
It strangely alright that, like a lot of my musical discoveries, Carter Tanton was a case of being at the right place at the right time. Because Tanton's "Murderous Joy" might just be one of the best songs I've heard in awhile and especially was about a month ago when I was introduced to it. It's catchy in an excitedly nonchalant way - a brilliant masterpiece of a song that single-handedly proved Carter Tanton and an able songwriter to me. There's an ineffable greatness about it - it ebbs and flows at precisely the right moments; its simple with unassumingly intelligent turns of phrase and a pervading sense of calm nostalgia.
01 MURDEROUS JOY by NYLONmag

6) Tallest Man on Earth - "Weather of A Killing Kind", Adult Swim Singles Program 2011
After the release of The Tallest Man on Earth's sophomore album The Wild Hunt and subsequent Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird EP just a couple months after last year I figured we'd be done with any new Tallest Man for awhile. So when Adult Swim released a brand new Tallest Man track as part of its Single Program this summer I was incredibly surprised and equally as appreciative. It's quintessential Tallest Man with his trademark rasp and complex fingerpicking but also with beautiful melodies.
The Tallest Man on Earth - Weather of a Killing Kind by All Around Sound Blog

5) St. Vincent - "Cruel", Strange Mercy
When I first heard St. Vincent's music, I remember being strangely neutral about it. Albeit my first foray was at a live show that Annie Clark herself was disappointed in. But earlier this year when Annie Clark teased Strange Mercy via Twitter-fueled Youtube videos, color me intrigued. I revisted her older stuff and found myself actually really liking it. When "Surgeon" dropped, I ate it up and asked immediately for more. Then "Cruel" came out. This track took the big rock licks that were my favorite part of "Surgeon" and made a whole song of it. It's big, bold, and strangely enough not in your face. Annie Clark knows subtlety. She's made a career of wink-wink nudge-nudge moments and yet, "Cruel" is subtle in a brand new way. It's vunerable and open with a shouted from the mountaintops vibe that she tones down into something far more marvelous. It's catchy without trading in any of the necessary emotion and virtuosic without being overly showy.
St. Vincent - Cruel by Posh Magazine

4) Fleet Foxes - "Grown Ocean", Helplessness Blues
Fleet Foxes' Helplessness Blues is arguably one of the best things to come out of this year. Especially when you realize it almost didn't. But Robin Pecknold's musical perfectionism ended up creating one of the greatest albums of the year - one that tackles an important theme of growing up. One of the best songs on Helplessness Blues is no doubt "Grown Ocean", with it's driving drums and bass, not to mention it's place as the cathartic end to an album with heaps to say and even more questions to ask. Everything you love about Fleet Foxes spills out in this track - Robin Pecknold and the band's lovely songcraft, everpresent nature imagery, soul-gripping vocal harmonies. The whole thing is utterly magical, even the wonderfully little ellipses that ends the track (and album).
Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean by subpop

3) Marissa Nadler - "In Your Lair, Bear", Marissa Nadler
If I had made this list about a week ago, this track wouldn't be here. But since sitting down with Marissa Nadler's self-titled I've found this song has completely taken over my life. Since I heard the opening strains of the album's opening track, I've hardly been able to listen to much else. It's slowly but surely consuming me. And yet, isn't that exactly what our favorite songs do? With her slow, lilting siren song Marissa Nadler has charmed her way not only onto the list but also pretty high on my favorites list. "In Your Lair, Bear", with it's supple melodic lines and yawny unraveling narrative is bewilderingly beautiful. Not a bad song to have utterly take over your life, actually.



2) Laura Marling - "Flicker and Fail", A Creature I Don't Know (Bonus Version)
I was first introduced to the live version of this song which Laura Marling debuted at the Radio 2 Folk Awards early this year and I was struck by how good it is. When describing Laura Marling's music calling it "good" seems kind of like kind of a moot point but considering that half the song is an old song her father wrote and the rest is just things she fixed around it, I was surprised by how well it all seemed to go together. Laura Marling has always been described as being a mature songwriter but this song left me completely floored. Still does. For all the conceptualizing on I Speak Because I Can and A Creature I Don't Know, this track hit me square in the heart. Not only did it sound amazing, like all of Marling songs, but it captured all the elements I loved about Marling and elevated them to the next level - her witty turns of phrase? Present. Her intricate guitar melodies? Present. It contains the emotional side-stepping Marling has started to make her songwriting staple and yet, does in a manner that doesn't make you question it. "Flicker and Fail" shows a decidedly better Laura Marling that was hinted at in some of the best tracks on A Creature I Don't Know and her decision to include it (albeit as a bonus track) shows that she knows this too.


1) ARMS - "Heat & Hot Water", Summer Skills
"Heat & Hot Water" might not have been the first song I heard from ARMS (that slot is reserved for "Emily Sue, Cont'd") but it was the song that launched my year-long obsession with all things ARMS related. So much storytelling is packed into 4 minutes of vibrant, visceral songwriting not to mention so many delicate musical ornaments and intricate textural strokes. While practically any song from Summer Skills could've made it on this list, "Heat & Hot Water" is my definitive ARMS song. The moment on their 2010 EP where I realized I needed to know more, and probably my most listened to track of the whole entire year of 2011. Not to mention a surefire contender for one of my favorite songs ever written ever.



Honorable Mentions:
Conveyor - Sun Ray, Sun Ray EP
The Middle East - "Hunger Song", I Want That You Are Always Happy
Laura Marling - "Don't Ask Me Why"/"Salinas" A Creature I Don't Know
Sondre Lerche - "When the River", Sondre Lerche
The Voluntary Butler Scheme - "Don't Rely On It, Don't Count on It", The Grandad Galaxy

tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l (2011)

When tUnE-yArDs announced that their sophomore album would be studio recorded, I was dubious. The lo-fi charm of BiRd-BrAiNs is essentially what initially drew me to her and when I initially heard first single "Bizness", I was at first sure my reservations had proved true. After seeing tUnE-yArDs perform it live it was incredibly hard to listen to a recording where she swapped out vocal ornamentation for computer blips and beeps but it grew on me. Some people might be put off by her sudden jump to high quality recording: Don't be. w h o k i l l is a natural progression for Garbus, proving what she's learned from years on tour and contains all the best elements from fans can come to expect like her big, brassy vocals combined with some of the newer aspects featured at her live shows like bassist Nate Brenner (who helped write some of the new songs), and a horn section to name a few. There's a lot of sonic differences from her debut and a new found sense of restraint that's actually incredible endearing.

Charging right out the gate with her own take on the national anthem "My Country", it's clear that w h o k i l l is going to be an experience like no other. Whether you begin listening to the album with lofty expectations or an open mind, you're bound to have all of your wildest expectations shattered as that's just Garbus' style. Even songs you may have heard before have gotten a bit of a makeover. They're still recognizable but Garbus has tweaked them up to offer up a new listening experience.


The new album is now streaming as part of NPR's first listen. Give it a listen here.

tUnE-yArDs release new video

tUnE-yArDs kind of set the bar pretty high after the thoroughly enjoyable video for "Real Live Flesh" and with her latest video for "Bizness", Garbus certainly outdoes herself. For starters, the video has some semblance of a story but not enough to bog down the video with meaningless details. The video starts in a classroom with a young Garbus-look-a-like rallying her other students into a kind of pseudo dance rebellion. Then there's this awesome light in the mouth scene, followed by Garbus herself leading a bunch of dancers in a forest made of cardboard trees. There's lifts, choreographed writhing on the floor, funny faces, all held together by bright colors and Garbus proving herself to possess another talent (like she needed one). Enjoy the video for "Bizness":

tUnE-yArDs premieres new song live in Paris

Before her SXSW stop and subsequent North American tour, tUnE-yArDs decided a trip to Paris was necessary. While there she set up at Paris' Place des Vosges and proves she's so talented she doesn't even need instruments, relying only on drumsticks played on a concrete wall and a delay pedal hooked up to her ukelele. Enjoy the video of tUnE-yArDs' acoustic version of new song "Doorstep" live from Paris:

HibOO d'Live : Tune-Yards "Doorstep" from Le-HibOO.com on Vimeo.

tUnE-yArDs releases new single off new album

Not too long ago tUnE-yArDs announce the upcoming release of their sophomore album, and now you can hear the album's first single "Bizness". For those who saw her in concert last year, the song will certainly be familiar to you. It's your first foray into Garbus' more polished studio album.
tUnE-yArDs - Bizzness by ListenBeforeYouBuy

"Bizness" or at least the album version of it seems to lack something. Despite Garbus' big, brassy voice, there's always been a sort of natural intimacy achieved with her and her looping pedal and a sort of amazement that all the sounds produced came from her whereas this version of "Bizness", featuring tenor saxophone and computery blips filling during her normal appeggiated vocal riffs. I'll hold off judgment until w h o k i l l's actual release but the new studio sound doesn't adequately capture Garbus' skills or charm.

tUnE-yArDs announces new album and tour dates

Last August at Summerstage, Merrill Garbus aka tUnE-yArDs played tons of new songs and at her secret show at The Rock Shop announced the next time she returned to New York, she would have a new record out. Garbus makes good on her promise with the announcement of her new album W H O K I L L out this April 19th on 4AD. Unlike her 2009 debut BiRd-BrAiNs, Garbus trades in her lo-fi DIY aesthetic for a cleaner studio sound funded from featuring "Fiya" in a Blackberry commercial.

You can read Garbus' short interview with Pitchfork here for more info about the album.

In addition to the wonderful news about the record, Garbus also revealed some tour dates starting this Spring:

4/26 Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, California
4/28 Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, Oregon
4/29 The Crocodile - Seattle, Washington
4/30 The Biltmore Cabaret - Vancover, British Columbia, Canada
5/2 Visual Arts Collective - Garden City, Idaho
5/3 Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, Utah
5/4 Hi Dive - Denver, Colorado
5/6 Jackpot Saloon - Lawrence, Kansas
5/7 Slowdown - Omaha, Nebraska
5/8 Cedar Cultural Center - Minneapolis, Minnesota
5/10 Lincoln Hall - Chicago, Illinois
5/11 The Pike Room @ Crofoot Ballroom - Pontiac, Michigan
5/12 Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
5/13 La Sala Rossa - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
5/15 Flywheel Arts Collective - Easthampton, Massachusetts
5/16 Brighton Music Hall - Boston, Massachusetts
5/17 Daniel Street - Milton, Connecticut
5/19 The Red Palace - Washington, D.C.
5/20 Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5/21 Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York
6/25 The Troubadour - West Hollywood, California

Now Streaming: Beep! - City of the Future

I found out about Beep! and this album City of the Future from tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus via tweet. Nate Brenner plays bass with her but apparently he also has his own musical endeavors; one of which is Beep!, an experimental jazz trio composed of Nate Brenner on bass, Michael Coleman on piano, and Sam Ospovat on drums (at least according to their Myspace). I had never heard of someone using experimental jazz to define themselves so I was really intrigued (even though I'm vary of anything daring to use the word "experimental"). What listeners can expect is sonic exploration used to conjure up different scenes and even cultures whether they be the Orient in the pentatonic rooted "Golden Chinese Amulet" or"Mbira" which wouldn't be out of place with tUnE-yArDs' African-inspired sound. Beep! is smooth jazz at some points with occasional random points of ragged attention drawing sound. That might sound bad but merely it's music that refuses to be a part of the background, instead drawing attention to itself at key moments. Listen to Beep!'s City of the Future here:
Latest tracks by Beep

If you like what you hear, the album will be available on December 2nd on Third Culture Records.

tUnE-yArDs remixes Jamie Lidell

Your first introduction to an artist probably shouldn't be in the form of a remix, but mine was. A fan of tUnE-yArDs, my ears perked up at the news that she had done a remix of Jamie Lidell's "Compass". I had heard of Jamie Lidell as sort of a blender of art-pop and soul and R&B elements but never really mustered up the energy to give any of his music the listen it probably deserves. Having not heard the original "Compass", listening to the remix I could only assume where Garbus had left her unique mark in the form of crash-bang percussion and her own interjected vocals. The remix is part of an EP that features other remixes of the song and is given to those who purchase tickets for Jamie Lidell's upcoming fall tour, but if you have no intentions of seeing him just yet, you can listen to the track here.

tUnE-yArDs clears up some setlist questions.

So about two weeks back I got to see the magnificent tUnE-yArDs in concert along with St. Vincent at the Central Park Summerstage. At the time, I knew she played several news songs but wasn't exactly sure as to their names. Well, Merrill got back to the message I sent her and I can tell you the new songs she played were "Party Can" also unofficially called "Do You Want to Live?" by fans, "You Yes You", and "Bizness". That along with "Gangsta" and another song I believe is called "Powa" (but which is still unconfirmed) formed the backbone of her Summerstage set.

Random Musing: New tUnE-yArDs songs

This post was inspired by me trying to find out the new songs tUnE-yArDs played at the Central Park Summerstage show and stumbling upon a bunch of new songs. Enjoy these songs that you won't find on the album!

Live at The Rock Shop


"You Yes You"


Two songs the second of which is "Gangsta". No idea what the first one is but it's new and she played it at Summerstage as well.


Live at Soundscapes

tUnE-yArDs - BiRd-BrAiNs (2009)

Before beginning the review I should caution you not to listen to tUnE-yArDs' (the eyecatching moniker of singer/songwriter Merrill Garbus)debut album BiRd-BrAiNs if you want to listen to anything else. Infectiously catchy and astoundingly unique, it takes getting a song stuck in your head to a whole new level. After listening just once, don't be surprised if you find yourself humming one of the memorable melodies to yourself later. The result of Merrill Garbus' fascination and later study of African music, the album taps into something primal within it's listener. Garbus' goal is to move you whether that be from the dance-inspiring drumbeats in "Hatari" or heart-clenching and captivating "Fiya". Garbus' debut effort is a sumptuous blend of Afro-pop, folksy charm born from a ukelele, and technology in the form of a looping pedal into something that almost defies description. Even with the lo-fi DIY recording, the result of Garbus using a voice recorder in a basement and mixing with shareware mixing software, her voice still manages to explode from the speakers. You'll marvel at how Garbus manages to use layers to perfectly harmonize with herself and play the ukelele in ways you've never imagined. Listen at your own risk because once you do, you won't be able to stop.

As dazzling as the album is in all it's lo-fi splendor, the real magic of tUnE-yArDs can only be truly experienced live. Check out this live video of tUnE-yArDs' "Hatari":

Pitstop: tUnE-yArDs

I first found out about tUnE-yArDs when reading an interview with Owen Pallett in Under the Radar magazine in which he stated his fascination with the stylistic name and the reasoning behind it being to get people to just slow down. Such a name certainly made an unforgetable impression on me and I set out to find out more. tUnE-yArDs is the moniker of New England native Merrill Garbus. Her debut album BiRd BrAiNs was released late last year on British 4AD Records but was recorded and produced by Merill Garbus herself. Even though she has a backing band at shows the album was a solo DIY effort made by Garbus with a voice recorder and shareware mixing software. Sometimes sounding RB-ish like Dirty Projectors' "Stillness is A Move" with around-the-world influences like M.I.A. and sometimes not, Garbus' sound is unique and interesting in only good ways. Check out tUnE-yArDs!

Hear what she sounds like here with the video for single "Real Live Flesh" released earlier this year: