On paper tUnE-yArDs sound really cool...So lets see... The proof, afterall is in the pudding...The work of one Merrill Garbus who has recorded herself using a digital voice recorder and produced her tracks using shareware mixing software. A total DIY aesthetic that has clearly charmed 4AD who've snapped her up. Listening to the 'BiRd-BrAiNs' record it's no mystery as to why as the girl is super talented. I suppose in essence this is pop music that's deliciously rough around the edges. She has a sweet voice and draws influences from post-punk to R&B and blues and everything inbetween. She clearly has soul and really creates from deep within. I dig the rugged drums on 'Hatari' a lot. Actually the percussion throughout is consistently great. We're reminded of everything from Timberland to Stereolab, Psapp, Snow Pony etc.. Certainly a unique talent well worth checking out. Initial copies of both the LP and CD come with a bonus DVD. (NONE OF THESE ARE AVAILABLE NOW!)
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Sound clips for BiRd-BrAiNs by tUnE-YaRdS: on CD at Norman Records UK. CD, 4AD, CAD2928CD, £8.59.
· Possessing an expansive sound that marries a coarse folk ingenuity with the bold pop sensibility of an R&B siren, ‘BiRd-BrAiNs’ was assembled with a staunch DIY aesthetic. Recording herself using a digital voice recorder and produced using shareware mixing software, Merrill Garbus was described by Stereogum as “a selfcontained Sublime Frequencies compilation, jumping between blues, African tunes, shiny reggae-esque sprawls, and lo-fi folk”, infusing the worldly sonic palette of M.I.A. or post-punk pioneers The Raincoats. · The album ranges from the surreal to the sublime, with ‘Lions’ described by Pitchfork as “halfway between a singsong schoolyard rhyme and a graveyard blues”, whilst ‘Jamaican’ could be the blueprint to a Timbaland-produced gem with its ricocheting drums pattern and intoxicating tape loops.
