Rise

Formats

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  CAD3414CDCD  £10.00Expected 5th May 2014

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  CAD3414Long Player  £18.00Expected 5th May 2014
  X

  Initial pressing on translucent, red vinyl.

Label

4AD

tUnE yArDs

Nikki Nack

On her third album Merrill Garbus has enlisted producers to help her achieve new heights on some tracks; “To ask Malay (Frank Ocean, Alicia Keys, Big Boi) and John Hill (Rihanna, Shakira, M.I.A.) for input, I had to let go of tUnE-yArDs being rigidly my production. I have a very specific vision for the sound of the band and I don't think women producers get enough credit for doing their own stuff, so I was resistant – but we grew, Nate and I both, and thesongs grew. And it turns out that's what's most important: the songs, not my ego.”

A record that could only have been made by its creator, at heart it’s heavy yet still retains a sense of fun. This is explained in part by experiences in between records - like a life-affirming trip to Haiti (which she wrote extensively about for the online magazine written by the artists themselves, The Talkhouse) and her finally catching up with 80s kid’s TV programme Pee Wee’s Playhouse some 25 years since first broadcast -proving influential during the songwriting process. Her upbringing was also at the forefront of her mind in this period, shown by her subtle use of the traditional American music her parents raised her on to help colour her new creation (her dad’s old fiddle too makes an appearance).

Experimentation is still key for tUnE-yArDs. Where the loop pedal and the saxophone were main components of the first and second record respectively, it’s the drum that takes centre stage here, augmented by greater use of synth and Nate’s growing prowess as a bassist. She also decided to launch her third album with a homemade ‘MegaMix’ of the record, posting it to her fans online on her birthday; "I've put together a mash-up so you can get a tiny taste. We really can't wait to play this music for you. Thanks for all your support
and patience while we cooked this chicken!".

With it’s its jump-rope-chant title, the brilliantly playful Nikki Nack continues the tUnE-yArDs story gloriously

Tracklist

• 1. Find A New Way
  2. Water Fountain
  3. Time Of Dark
  4. Real Thing
  5. Look Around
  6. Hey Life
  7. Sink-O
  8. Why Do We Dine On The Tots?
  9. Stop That Man
  10. Wait For A Minute
  11. Left Behind
  12. Rocking Chair
  13. Manchild