tUnE-yArDs is the music project of New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 native Merrill Garbus. When performing live, Garbus creates drum loops on the spot, and layers these with ukulele, voice, and electric bass (played by Nate Brenner). The "w h o k i l l" tour has added a saxophone section.

History and work

The first tUnE-yArDs album, BiRd-BrAiNs

Bird-Brains

Bird-Brains is the debut album by experimental-pop musician Merrill Garbus' solo-project tUnE-yArDs. It was originally released on Marriage Records on June 9, 2009, then re-released by 4AD Records on August 17th of the same year as a limited-edition pressing, then finally released worldwide on...

, was originally self-released by Garbus on recycled cassette tape. It was recorded using only a handheld voice recorder. A limited edition vinyl was released in June 2009, via the Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

-based imprint Marriage Records

Marriage Records

Marriage Records is a small, independent record label based in Portland, Oregon, USA. It was founded in late 2002 by Curtis Knapp and Adrian Orange. The first release was a cd-r entitled Nothing by Thanksgiving. Marriage releases vinyl records, compact discs, CD-Rs, tapes, skateboards, books,...

. In July 2009, it was announced that Tune-Yards had signed to 4AD, and a limited edition pressing of Bird-Brains was released on August 17, 2009. A full worldwide release followed on November 16, 2009 (and November 17 in North America). The autumn 2009 pressing was remastered at Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...

 by Christian Wright, and includes two new bonus tracks: "Want Me To" and "Real Live Flesh."

A second album, w h o k i l l

W h o k i l l

w h o k i l l is the second studio release by Merrill Garbus' experimental solo-project tUnE-yArDs. It was released on 4AD Records on April 19, 2011.-Musical Style:...

, was released on April 19, 2011. A single from it, "Bizness", came out in February 2011. It was produced by Garbus and engineered by Eli Crews at New, Improved Studios in Oakland, California. Applying the live approach to her studio work for the first time, Garbus works with bass player Nate Brenner, who co-wrote some of the album's songs. Comparing the act to Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...

, Frontier Psychiatrist said, "if BiRd-BrAiNs was Garbus’ EVOL

EVOL

Evol is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released in 1986 on SST Records, and recorded and mixed by New York recording icon Martin Bisi. The album cover features a picture of Lung Leg, a still taken from Submit to Me, a film by Richard Kern...

, a record bursting with musical ideas that attempted to subvert the notion of song, w h o k i l l is her Sister

Sister (Sonic Youth album)

Sister is the fourth album by alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released in 1987 on SST Records. It was re-released in late 1994 on DGC.The album furthers the band's move away from noise rock towards more traditional pop structures, while maintaining an aggressively experimental approach. It...

, a record that embraces the traditional pop song as a vehicle to convey those ideas."

Garbus' song "Fiya" is featured on a 2010 commercial for the Blackberry Torch, while the song "Gangsta" has been used in the television shows Weeds

Weeds

Weeds may refer to:* Weed, a type of common plant* Weeds , an American comedy drama series, starting 2005* Weeds , a 1987 film starring Nick Nolte* "Weeds" , an episode of the TV series Millennium...

and The Good Wife

The Good Wife

The Good Wife is an American legal drama that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2009. The series was created by Robert King and Michelle King. It stars Julianna Margulies, Christine Baranski, Archie Panjabi, Matt Czuchry and Josh Charles. Executive producers are the Kings, Ridley and Tony Scott,...

.

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions
		BE (Vl) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts...	UK	US Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...	US Alt. Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
2009	Bird-Brains Bird-Brains Bird-Brains is the debut album by experimental-pop musician Merrill Garbus' solo-project tUnE-yArDs. It was originally released on Marriage Records on June 9, 2009, then re-released by 4AD Records on August 17th of the same year as a limited-edition pressing, then finally released worldwide on... Released: June 9, 2009 Label: Marriage Records Marriage Records Marriage Records is a small, independent record label based in Portland, Oregon, USA. It was founded in late 2002 by Curtis Knapp and Adrian Orange. The first release was a cd-r entitled Nothing by Thanksgiving. Marriage releases vinyl records, compact discs, CD-Rs, tapes, skateboards, books,... /4AD 4AD 4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...	-	-	-	-
2011	w h o k i l l W h o k i l l w h o k i l l is the second studio release by Merrill Garbus' experimental solo-project tUnE-yArDs. It was released on 4AD Records on April 19, 2011.-Musical Style:... Released: April 19, 2011 Label: 4AD	49	135	148	19

Singles & EPs

• "Sunlight"
  • August 2009 – 4AD (promo-only CD-R)
  1. "Sunlight" (Edit) – 3:17
• "Hatari"
  • November 2, 2009 – 4AD, AD2934 (7" vinyl and download)
  1. "Hatari" – 5:43
  2. "Hap-B" – 3:22
  3. "Hatari" (The Small Is Beautiful
     Jamie Thompson
     Jamie Thompson is a Canadian musician who has been the drummer for several Canadian bands, including Islands, and Th' Corn Gangg. Jamie joined The Unicorns in 2003 for the release of the band's first major album, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?...
     
     Remix) – 4:20
• Bird-Droppings
  • November 3, 2009 – 4AD, EAD2938 (U.S.-only download EP)
  1. "Want Me To" – 4:24
  2. "Real Live Flesh" – 3:33
  3. "Hap-B" – 3:22
  4. "Hatari" (The Small Is Beautiful Remix) – 4:20
• "Real Live Flesh"
  • February 8, 2010 – 4AD, AD3X11 (7" vinyl and download)
  1. "Real Live Flesh" – 3:33
  2. "Youth" – 4:45
• "Bizness"
  • February 11, 2011 - 4AD
  1. "Bizness"

External links

• Tune-Yards' official website
• Tune-Yards' profile on 4AD's website
• www.kevchino.com/tune-yards Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto, If By Yes interviews Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs