Tune-Yards
I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life
(4AD)
Four years on from Nikki Nack, her acclaimed third album, American multi-instrumentalist Merrill Garbus returns with another blend of clattering rhythms, vocal loops, African-inspired instrumentation and artful lyrics which, in her own words, ruminate on “race, politics, inter-sectional feminism and environmental prophesies”. If St Vincent has a backpacking, commune-dwelling, Fela Kuti-loving older sister, then Garbus is it. As before, musical partner Nate Brenner is on board, though for the first time he also produces.
Opener Heart Attack lopes along on a propulsive disco bassline topped with burbling, electro-pop flourishes and is about as close to an all-out club track as Garbus is likely to get. In contrast, her vocals on ABC 123 sound like they were recorded into a smartphone on a commuter train, while both bass and percussion have the same lo-fi feel. It's all very Tune-Yards. Garbus is at her best, though, when she takes a middle route: on Hammer, for instance, which showcases her impressive vocal range and her skills as a verbal gymnast, and the mid-tempo Coast To Coast, which brings a little bit of gospel sway to a story of imminent environmental collapse. All in all, another fine release from one of America's most articulate and inventive musicians.
BARRY DIDCOCK
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here