Tune Yards

Tune Yards

Nikki-Nack

4AD

Merrill Garbus’s best yet, and hardest hitting album.  Birdbrain, her debut, showcased some wonderful home recordings.  On WhoKill, Garbus got comfortable in a full-fledged recording studio, and on Nikki-Nack she moved on from found sounds to synths and more percussion.  Now, her sound has also become heavy and complex, and is some of the best danceable rock I’ve heard in a long time.

Always feminist, even when, on “Water Fountain” and “Left Behind," she’s calling out women.  She's always political, even writing about peace and love in a hippie kind of way.  Even her put downs are full of common sense and respect.  These songs have more content than most in this genre. 

Nikki-Nack is probably her breakthrough album, even more than WhoKill which just started the process.   I loved WhoKill, but Nikki-Nack will appeal to a wider range of people, especially if, as I hope, some of these songs get remixed.  If you’re a fan like me, you will thrill to this album. If you’re a newcomer, get out on the floor, dance up a storm, and think while you’re doing it. https://www.facebook.com/tuneyards

Andrea Weiss