tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l

tUnE-yArDs…

What can I say…?

Headed up by Merrill Garbus ,‘w h o k i l l’ is the sophomore album from the band, and it’s absolutely bonkers. The album comes not long after Garbus made a splash on the international live music scene with her somewhat DIY debut Bird-Brains, which was initially recorded on a handheld cassette recorder. The follow-up, released on 4AD and an altogether much better produced affair, promises more energy and intensity, and tUnE-yArDs deliver. It seems almost unfair to go through this album in a standard track by track format, so let’s take a look at a few choice tracks…

First and foremost we’ve got the lead-off single, Bizness. Garbus bases her live show around the use of a loop pedal to loop multiple vocal lines, and the loops form the almost synthesised opening to the track. Amidst the pattering of drum rims, the soul of Garbus’ voice has a field day, giving off an almost Mo-town feel at times, particularly in the “Get up, stand up, get up stand up get on it” section. A remarkably sparse track by comparison to the rest of the album, it’s a natural choice for a single, and the brass infused chorus (“I’m a victim yeah!”) makes Bizness the most ‘pop’ track on the album.

The incredible Gansta is another stand out track, if only due to its place as the maddest song on a very mad album. Opening with an ambulance siren, (promptly imitated by Garbus’ own unique vocal wailing), the song is almost a ghetto anthem parody with its “Bang bang bang!” refrain and hip-hop-esque lyrics, “What’s a boy to do if he’ll never be a gangsta?”. As always, vocals are the centrepiece to tUnE-yArDs’ sound, and nowhere moreso than on this track. Garbus whispers, shouts, screeches and raps on Gansta and we’re given an insight into the constituent parts of the song when it disintegrates around the two and a half minute mark.

Then we have the album opener, My Country. A kick/snare combo opens the track and the first of Garbus’ vocal loops/synths are heard. In a parodic manner, she sings “My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty”. I’m unsure whether this was a politically conscious move on her part, but it’s definitely possible as she sings, “If nothing of this is ours, how will I ever know if something’s mine”. But if such depth exists in the song, it’s hidden by the manic instrumentation and Garbus’ occasionally unintelligible rapping in the verses. It’s a furious opener to a furious album.

Just commenting on three specific tracks, may seem like short-changing ‘w h o k i l l’, but I can assure you, it’s not. It’s definitely an album to be experienced personally. It’s already being hailed as one of the top albums of the year but I suspect that it might grate on me after a while. However the energy and madness that present on the LP is so fierce that you’ll never forget the first listen.

Drop-D Rating: 8/10

Published on Drop-D.ie, 5th May 2011