tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l [4AD]

8.4

There is no greater joy then finally "getting" music or a certain angle an artist is trying to get across. Another fantastic joy is hearing different angles from someone else that heard the same album or song you heard and they feel a completely different vibe but you still see where their coming from. Merrill Garbus is one of those artists. Her experimental solo project tUnE-yArDs' sophomore LP w h o k i l l stretches vast ranges of experimentation while staying a consistently nice, comfortable motion of sound for easy listeners.

Garbus almost has a "Captain Beefheart effect" on me. Maybe not as experimental, but she has the qualities of being a modern day, more polished Beefheart. "Riotriot" is the best example of this experimental delve then catchy finish; a tense and dissonant intro with staccato guitar flicks with very eerie drum machine underneath Garbus's unique vocals which all builds into the fuzzy bridge which saxaphone squaks, random piano notes and then silence where Garbus sings out, "There is a freedom in violence that I don't understand!/And like I've never felt before!" After that bold statement, a bombastic jam breakout with jazzy saxophones floating around with a heavy guitar strumming along in perfect pace, but just as quick as it came, it floats away back to the tense, dissonant sound from before.

Garbus really is onto something when making the sounds for w h o k i l l. Another album highlight "Es-So" has a constant beat that may be offsetting on the first few listens, but it really makes the song come together as a unique input to w h o k i l l. Other offsetting and random things Garbus does is her weird vocal manipulations and loops on "My Country" and "Bizness". I hated them at first, but they truly added to the sound of those two tracks. Speaking of vocals, Garbus's voice is very unique. It has the same quality that Beach House singer Victoria Legrand, very warm and distinctive and honestly it can sometimes sound like a male voice. Her high point in vocals is the steady and catchy "Powa" with her very lengthy vocal range.

One of the only down points to w h o k i l l is the slowed down, lo-fi "Wolly Wolly Gong" which sounds out of place and drags on too long. I much prefer Garbus's fast paced jams like "Bizness" or "My Country". Not that "Wolly Wolly Gong" is a god-awful track, it just sticks out as an anti-climatic point to w h o k i l l. Garbus sticks herself out as an extraordinary musician through her high energy jams with experimental conks and clinks here and there. The moment that her very fun, high energy songwriting gets to you, you find yourself easily jamming to her tunes.

Merrill Garbus is one of the music community’s most fun experimental artists out there. Taking the elements that make other, less experimental artists have and transforming it into her own crazy, wacky image is fun to listen to. Only a couple of low points like the slowed down "Wolly Wolly Gong" and other minor flaws, tUnE-yArDs are a very enjoyable listen for any music fan with a taste for something very fresh and inventive.

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