TUNE-YARDS - WHOKILL (LP)

Tune-Yards Whokill on LP

Whokill is the second album from New England native Merrill Garbus' Tune-Yards. The release was recorded shortly after Garbus transplanted herself from Montreal to sunny Oakland, California. Whokill retains the honesty of the lonely bedroom confessionals of her early work, but with the addition of the fangs, claws and dented metal of her new surroundings.

Indeed, Oakland’s particular landscapes serve as primer for what you hear on Whokill, with the city’s unique vitality fuelling the album's brightness. By applying the Tune-Yards live approach to her studio work for the first time, Garbus added more buttons and joints to those already being used, one essential new joint is dexterous bass member Nate Brenner, who co-wrote a few songs.

Produced by Garbus herself and working with engineer Eli Crews, they show there’s no substitute for a good microphone, and the sonic nuances that can only be achieved through masterful recording techniques.

"Garbus’ one-of-a-kind voice is a thrilling, go-for-broke instrument, an uninhibited cry of joy and vulnerability. It rides a wave of polyrhythmic percussion – everything from tribal drums to what sound like ticking alarm clocks and clattering pots and pans."
--Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune, April 15, 2011

Tune-Yards Whokill Track Listing: