AWmusic

My first impression of Tune-yards was that she was a strange woman and I couldn’t quite get into her music but I tended to myself back to her myspace page giving it another try. I’ve really grown to her charm, it’s a little bit odd and strange but it’s cute and as much as it seems like it’s experimental it feels like enhanced pop.

Anyway tUnE-yArDs is a bit off-centre but weirdos tend to have some sort of magnetic force luring you and making it hard not to like Merril Garbus. It’s not a difficult listen in the least bit and while the album was produced on a laptop, it’s hardly apparent that it is indeed a lo-fi album. There are times where you hear static but I think it’s part of the simplicity in the recording that allows Garbus to not take too far with experimentation. Garbus uses a variety of types of a vocals as well as dialogue with a child. Garbus comes off as really cute and showing off a personality in between her songs. My favourite song off the album would have to be Jumping Jack because it starts innocently enough with a soft drum beat but her singing that I though could be annoying had me totally addicted.

Armed with the ukulele it plays a small factor in the entertainment but again the main draw is Garbus. She shines and she shows off she has a whole bunch of range and personality. It does make you wonder what she can do when she has more to work with but taking Bird Brains for what it is – you have a solid album made under limited production tools. Talent definitely shines through no matter what tools you have.

Whether it would be folk or African influences, you have someone who you’d like to see work under a real studio. Not that the album is bad or anything. Garbus is not really held back per se but regardless it’s the shear idea of that’s intriguing.

Still a good album and I’m very interested in seeing what Tune-Yards has to offer in the future. I like the album for the most part, Garbus is incredibly unique though I’d say some parts I didn’t like but that’s part of her charm of making some good experimental music.

Rating: 3.9 out of 5
Lions by Tune-Yards
Jumping Jack by Tune-Yards

Tags: album