Before Merrill Garbus set foot on the Austin City Limits stage, the crowd anxiously awaited what they knew would be a powerful performance. Since the release of her first album BiRd-BrAiNs in 2009, Merrill Garbus’ tUnE-yArDs have achieved national recognition for its unique sound and unwaveringly honest music. tUnE-yArDs second album, w h o k i l l, was released in 2009 and became an instant favorite of music critics nationwide. The tUnE-yArDs stopped in Austin in the middle of a seven month long tour to continue the promotion of the w h o k i l l album.
The lights came up on the stage and Merrill Garbus strode out on stage in a bright red dress, barefoot in green stockings and with her signature yellow lines streaked across her face. The audience only had moments to soak in her presence before she stretched out her arms and began the harmonious chant that opens up “Do You Want To Live?” As with every track she played during the night, she began to record short musical loops that she layered vocals and other instruments over. As the loops started to play and she continued to record over them, her bassist Nate Brenner joined Garbus on stage. Soon Noah Bernstein and Matt Nelson, both on saxophone, completed the Tuneyards. The four collided in a highly energetic performance to open up the night.
tUnE-yArDs firmly cemented their musical style in the second song of the night, “Gangsta.” Garbus recorded herself vocalizing siren-like noises that she looped and harmonized in layers. Brenner opened up the number by playing two bottles with drumsticks. tUnE-yArDs walks a fine line between noise and music. Where other musicians might shy away from producing anything but finely stylized notes, tUnE-yArDs embraces every possible sound or noise and combines them into what becomes a powerfully moving musical feat. Over the course of the night, the band included drums, a synthesizer, bottles, ukulele, saxophones, and pans to create a symphony of sounds.
One of the highlights of the night came with one of the last songs of the night, “Bizness.” The track “Bizness” is arguably the most popular and most recognized song from w h o k i l l. Garbus acknowledged its popularity by recording the audience applause and screams for a good 10 seconds to loop into the song. The audience became instantly immersed in the strong vocals and repeating rhythmic loops. The climax of the song easily came with the two saxophone solos by Noah Bernstein and then Matt Nelson.
tUnE-yArDs are well worth seeing live and delivers an awesome musically challenging performance in the most satisfying way. In addition to the Tuesday night taping of Austin City Limits, the band played to a sold out crowd at Mohawk on Wednesday night.
