Tune-Yards - "Cannonball (The Breeders Cover)"

Off the 40th anniversary 4AD tribute album Bills & Aches & Blues, Tune-Yards provides a spirited cover of The Breeders' classic track "Cannonball."

Videos of the Week

Here are the videos that are jump-starting my weekend:



Cute, quirky, and strange Pee-Wee's Playhouse-inspired clip from tUnE-yArDs.



Colorful clip from Lily Allen.



This gorgeous track from Damon Albarn's solo record gets an iPad filmed travelogue video.



Almost one take clip for this simple, yet beautiful track from London Grammar.



Owen Pallett releases another track from his upcoming record In Conflict and gets Robert Binet, Choreographic Assistant of the National Ballet Of Canada, to choreograph this beautiful ballet.



Slightly surreal clip from Toronto synthpop group DIANA.

Videos of the Week

Battling Coachella cough and the need to not be at work. Here are some videos to distract you from my hacking:



New video from Squarepusher that apparently is a teaser of his upcoming live dates.



Niki and the Dove come across like a mix between The Knife, Kate Bush, and Robyn. I love this song and most of their upcoming album.



One of my favorite tracks off the new THEESatisfaction album.



New video made up of single frame shots. It is quite hypnotic. The new album from Death Grips is pretty amazing.



Cool looking video from Phantom.



Typically goofy, awesome video from tUnE-yArDs.

Coachella 2012 Countdown: 59 Days! tUnE-yArDs - "Bizness"

Such a unique band with an interesting mix of pop/world music/hip-hop that sometimes defies categorization. You just have to go with the flow.

Videos of the Week

We got through another week, thankfully. Here are the videos this week that shook my money maker:



Dan, one of my Coachella posse, and I never quite see eye to eye on music. We have some similar tastes, but from there we veer off wildly. On rare occasions, I can get him interested in something, or find he is interested in something that I would never in million years think he would like. Case in point, tUnEyArDs. Was very surprised he liked them. I love this song and video.



Another bat-shit crazy video from Miike Snow.



Fan made video for the Nicolas Jaar track "Materials." The song sort of echoes early Aphex Twin, while the video has some Chris Cunningham-like touches.



New track and video from Orbital. Love the time-lapse video, but the song seems sort of like a retread.



While I sort of like the track, the girl in Die Antwoord just gives me the creeps.



Hallucenagenic video from the dream pop outfit The Trailer Trash Tracys.



Hypnotic new video from Shabazz Palaces.

Videos of the Week

Friday, Friday, Friday! Here are the latest videos that buttered my biscuit:



Private school lothario gets his demonic comeuppance in this clip for Nero's cover of the Jets' song "Crush On You."

Hold My Breath - Holy Ghost! from DFA Records on Vimeo.

New video from Holy Ghost! made up of still photos chronicalling their lives in NYC.



One of the more eclectic tracks on the latest album from tUnE-yArDs.



Second video from Bjork's upcoming album Biophilia.



Another weird, animated clip from Young Galaxy's latest album Shapeshifting.



Futuristic clip from Com Truise.

Videos of the Week

Here are the latest videos that shook my money maker:



It's only been 8 years since their last album, but electronic duo Plaid return with Scintilli, and "35 Summers" is the first track to be released. The twinkly, almost beatless IDM track has a very odd, aquatic video.



Bouncy electro-house track from Azari & IIIs.


Toro y Moi - How I Know from Jordan Kim on Vimeo.

Goofy, Scooby Doo-esque video from Toro Y Moi. I don't really care for his new sound, but this song is kinda catchy and the video is sweet.



tUnE-yArDs came on the Jimmy Fallon show to perform "Gangsta."


Holy Ghost! / Some Children By lilfuchs from DFA Records on Vimeo.

Fun animated clip from Holy Ghost! directed by the crazy people from Adult Swim.


Violens - "It Couldn't Be Perceived" from stereogum on Vimeo.

Arty clip from Violens. It is being touted as a new single, however, it was originally released on their debut album last year. Still, it is a good song.



Awesome live performance from Lykke Li on the Tonight Show.

tUnE-yArDs: whokill

tUnE-yArDs
whokill
Rating: Grrrr

Merrill Garbus' first album under the tUnE-yArDs moniker, Bird-Brains, was self-released on cassette, recorded solely with a hand-held digital recorder. Many found the album charming it its low-fi way, but for me, the cheap sonics were a hindrance to any true enjoyment. Despite the ramshackle nature of the recordings, the songs were intimate and catchy, and I hoped in the future she would at least pay for a little studio time to showcase her material in a better light. With her sophomore album whokill, Garbus did just that and the results are astonishing. Unlike Bird-Brains, you don't have to sift through muffled, clipped digital audio to find the treasures underneath. From the first track, which does winkingly begin with a crackly audio sample, whokill subverts all expectations; coming across like the long awaited lovechild of Talking Heads' afro-pop/punk stylings and Laurie Anderson's witty, ironic post-modern commentary. All of it bound by Barbus' unusual, love it or hate it androgynous vocals, which leave you scratching your head trying to figure out whether it's male or female.

"My Country" starts off with the aforementioned sample, then breaks right into a tight, tribal groove, supplemented with xylophones and a wickedly agile horn section.



Throughout the album, Garbus utilizes the same general palate for each song, laying down a dense drum pattern, interlocking it with rudimentary guitar work, and surrounding it all with odd touches of keyboards, horns, or other obscure instrumentation. All of it just a base to follow her musings on many different topics. From the body obsessions of "Es-so;"



guilt over sexual attraction to the man who arrested her brother on "Riotriot;"



and issues of race and gender in "Killa:"



The one complaint I do have with the album is that the majority of the album follows too closely to the same sonic blueprint, and the angular, herky-jerkiness of the rhythms and atmosphere can be overwhelming. Just when you can't take another patch of intricate drum programming, Garbus throws in the lovely nursery rhyme "Wooly Wolly Gong," with its hushed vocals and gorgeous looped guitar part. Over 6 minutes the song lulls you back into a sense of calm. If there had been a couple other tracks to match this song's subtleness, it would have broken things up a bit more.



For such an album bursting with life and love of music and its endless possibilities, it is a very small quibble. whookill is challenging and complex, but also a lot of fun. It will not be to everyone's tastes, but for those who like their pop music slightly off-kilter, tUnE-yArDs will be right up your alley.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

tUnE-yArDs: "Bizness"

Photograph courtesy of sarahana (http://sarahana.com)

Do you ever hear something on the radio/internet/tv and go "what the fuck was that?" tUnE-yArDs puts out a lot of music like that. First time I heard the single "Bizness," from her new album whokill it sounded like a mashup between Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, and some gutteral afropop band. I had to listen to it several times before I could get a handle on it. Whether you like it or not, you won't be able to get this song out of your head. Plus, the video is really cool.