tUnE-yArDs: Tiny Desk Concert
12-4-11
Three red hot songs from one of the best albums of the year, w h o k i l l. Merrill Garbus, fierce, tender, wild yet controlled, sings about love and pain, mostly from a political stand point. “You, Yes You,” a love song, is the quietest song of the set, but with terrific drumming, and Garbus’s sizzling electric ukulele playing. The band literally jumps in place at the end, adding to the fun, and the bounciness of the rhythms.
“Doorstep” examines love as viewed in an act of police brutality. Her boyfriend is killed by the cops for doing nothing but standing on her doorstep. Powerful, both musically and lyrically, by the end of the song it’s plain that Garbus will resort to violence if she feels it’s needed in a political situation.
“My Country” is along those same lines. It is a song of rage and sorrow about the U.S. While all three songs are danceable, this is the most so, with the drums, saxes, and the trademark loops Garbus employs, all flowing along to the beat. This concert is not to be missed, and neither is the album. It is a tour de force and this concert is a good intro to it. I reviewed w h o k I l l for this blog on 4/18/11.[
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Andrea Weiss
