#4 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
W H O K I L L by tUnE-yArDs
More often than you may expect, a single performance can change your entire view of an artist. It’s probably the main reason I consider myself addicted to live music: that unexpected song, that unbelievable show, that undeniably great set. The reason tUnE-yArDs is so high up on this year’s list is due to what, upon retelling, I’ve termed on more than one occasion “a religious experience.”
tUnE-yArDs is an extension of one very talented person’s musical experimentation. Her name is Merrill Garbus, and she is a phenomenon. She creates music that’s definitely not for everyone. How she creates her music is not entirely original: she uses loops of her powerful voice along with other analog sounds to create electronic beats/rhythms/melodies (similar to Andrew Bird and St. Vincent), culminating in a cacophony of sounds that are vaguely African in origin. Hearing the recordings on her two albums, this seems somewhat apparent but doesn’t jump out at you like it does in her live show, where she is beating on anything in sight with her drum stick and creating complicated orchestrations on the strings of a ukulele. It’s fantastic to watch her form a song on stage in this manner, and regardless of whether you enjoy the music, seeing this in person is a must sometime during your lifetime. (After viewing the video above, go here to watch her perform the song live and it’ll give you an idea of what I’m talking about here.)
Regarding the strangeness of her stage name, according to this New Yorker article, Garbus told Sasha Frere-Jones that the typographical oddities were initially a response to “the early days of posting music on MySpace—it was a way to get attention and make people hold down the shift key.” tUnE-yArDs is certainly annoying to type. But it’s minor annoyance next to the brilliance of her work.
More than any other performance I saw in the past year, Garbus seemed to be having genuine fun on stage. I know this seems ridiculous, but it’s very important. If you can see the performer is thoroughly enjoying themselves, then you will, too, most likely. So, check out the album, W H O K I L L, but more importantly, see tUnE-yArDs live. It’s worth way more than the price of admission.
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5. Build A Rocket Boys! by Elbow
6. Bon Iver by Bon Iver
7. The King of Limbs by Radiohead
8. Bad As Me by Tom Waits
9. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
10. The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River