tUnE-yArDs: Nikki Nack
tUnE-yArDs
Nikki Nack
(4AD Records)
Letās get one thing out of the way: Merrill Garbus is really goddamn weird, as though the random capitalization of tUnE-yArDs didnāt give that away. Thankfully, her oddball perspective has given way to Nikki Nack, a collection of songs even more delightful than 2011ās w h o k i l l.
Rhythm remains the driving focus of most tracks. Garbus excels at using unconventional beats and African-inspired percussion. āTime of Darkā could be a mainstream pop song with its churning synth, but layered vocals and the emphasis on the beat set this track apart from anything on the radio. āRocking Chairā is incredibly simple lyrically, but the repeated vocals building up in Garbusā deep wail mimic the tormented thoughts of insomnia.
Indeed, tension lives at the heart of this album. Opener āFind a New Wayā addresses Garbusā fear of success (āI tried to tell him all the reasons that I had to never sing againā), while āWait for a Minuteā describes the difficulty of working through depression (āI wait for relief, but the illness is my mindā). Jarringly, the eighth track, āWhy Do We Dine on the Tots?,ā is a spooky spoken word interlude, and the tots are of the human and not potato variety.
If you like your pop a bit funky and freaky with a worldly beat, then Nikki Nack will hit the spot. As ever, tUnE-yArDs is a little confusing and a lot catchy.