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SXSW review: Tune-Yards
Tune-Yards, led by lead singer/percussionist Merril Garbus, is defined by its sky-high level of energy. The Afro-pop-inspired band harnesses that energy in strange ways. Garbus, surrounded by a news conference worth of microphones, records snippets of percussion, banging not just on drums but on mike stands, too. She records her voice, which can bend and twist in unlimited directions. It all gets spit back out to accompany her and her band, which utilizes such disparate instruments as a saxophone and a ukulele. Her efforts have been getting attention from places like Rolling Stone, and the band does sound good recorded, but to witness Garbus in action is something entirely different, an uplifting experience.
She delights in the juggling act that goes into making the music happen in a live setting. She started her set by ordering the crowd to stand, which they seemed eager to do. It continued from there, with the band working its way through a set of material from their first album, “Bird Brains,” as well as their forthcoming LP, “whokill.” The songs incorporate elements of call-and-response and blues, and Garbus wasn’t shy about directly addressing the audience, which went nuts when she played the popular single “Bizness.” The song, which channels the Dirty Projectors at their most intense moments, along with the rest of the set, earned her so much good will that she received an ovation when technical difficulties derailed the end of the set.
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