Innovative singer/songwriter/musician Merrill Garbus, better known as tUnE-yArDs, is a one-person onslaught of vocals, samples, loops, clashing instruments, old home recordings, often informed by African, punk and contemporary influences. Her new effort, w h o k i l l, on 4Ad, just may be the most creative and explosive and fun records to come out so far this year. It's a masterful record by the young Montreal expat (now in Oakland).
BOY WONDER'S HOT CIRCLES/10PM-MIDNIGHT
Nothing But Heart/ LOW (’11, C’mon)*
Ashes of American Flags/ WILCO (’09, Ashes of American Flags)
Friction/ TELEVISION (’77, Marquee Moon)
Hot Head/ CAPTAIN BEEFHEART (’80, Doc at the Radar Station)
16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six/ TOM WAITS (’88, Big Time)
A Shot in the Dark/ JOHN ZORN (’89, Naked City)
Confection/ THE NELS CLINE SINGERS (’07, Draw Breath)
Sugar Kane/ SONIC YOUTH (’92, Dirty)
TV Eye/ THE STOOGES (’70, Funhouse)
Devil Doll/ X (’83, More Fun in the
Ghost on the Highway/ THE GUN CLUB (’81, Fire of Love)
Definitely Clean/ THE DREAM SYNDICATE (’82, The Days of Wine and Roses)
I’m Waiting For the Man/ THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (’67, The Velvet Underground & Nico)
Back Slider/ JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION (’93, Extra Width)
Shakin’ All Over/ JOHNNY KID & THE PIRATES (’60)
City of
When My Baby Comes/ GRINDERMAN (’10, Grinderman 2)
Comfy in Nautica/ PANDA BEAR (’07, Person Pitch)
Heavy Stones/
Gangsta/ tUnE-yArDs (’11, w h o k i l l)*
Hoy supe que viajas/ JUANA MOLINA (’10, Tradi-Mods vs Rockers)
Hear the Grinder Creak/ FAUN FABLES (’10, Light of a Vaster Dark)
Surrender/ OLOF ARNALDS (w/ Bjork) (’10, Innundir Skinni)
The Last Living Rose/ PJ HARVEY (’11, Let
Waiting in the Rain/ KENDRA SMITH (’91, The Guild of Temporal Adventures)
Belle/ AL GREEN (’77, The Belle Album)
*new or recent release