tUnE-yArDs

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Biography

Connecticut, United States (2009 – present)

tUnE-yArDs is the moniker of Oakland-based musician Merrill Garbus (b. 1979 in Connecticut, United States). To date, she has two full-length studio albums and is currently signed to the British independent record label 4AD. She was formerly a member of Sister Suvi.

Her debut album Bird-Brains was first released on limited edition vinyl and cassette in June 2009, via the Portland-based imprint Marriage Records. 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 17th in North America). The autumn 2009 pressing was remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Christian Wright, and includes two new bonus tracks: “Want Me To” and “Real Live Flesh.”

BiRd-BrAiNs was entirely self-produced and recorded, with Garbus utilizing a hand-held digital voice recorder, ukulele, some noisy off-balance drums, and produced using shareware mixing software. Garbus described her sound as “a patchwork of sound snippets, of history in a present tense. It is a composer’s commitment to the preservation of stories, however small and unassuming.”

A second album w h o k i l l was released on April 19, 2011, preceded by the single “Bizness”. 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.

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  • jyjz

    merril = love. her music = love. rocking out that ukulele of hers, making exquisite, joyful, sparkly music. resuming: love. [people who dislike her are often deaf] ♥

    10 May 5:08pm Reply
  • jussslic

    [Seriously can't understand why Merril's work receives so much hate. Bright joyful music in vein of good old Slits, Raincoats, LMD etc. Why do people dislike it so much? ] I don't get it either. Whokill is easily one of my favorite albums of the past three or four years--like you said, it's bright, happy, infectious music. I don't know why people rail against her so hard. Thankfully, she has just as many fans as she has haters.

    26 Apr 7:39pm Reply
  • vixva

    What a voice! Goosebumpy pleasure.

    11 Apr 8:09pm Reply
  • Nimbie

    Seriously can't understand why Merril's work receives so much hate. Bright joyful music in vein of good old Slits, Raincoats, LMD etc. Why do people dislike it so much?

    8 Apr 8:28pm Reply
  • oceanseacrest

    Every time I re-listen to Whokill, I remember how totally awesome it is. Perrrrrfect spring/summer music.

    5 Apr 7:38am Reply
  • elysiadrake

    w h i t e p e o p l e

    24 Mar 5:02am Reply
  • KiingNothing

    Weeeeeeere aaaaaaaaaaaall water

    12 Feb 8:12pm Reply
  • mrpaul01

    I don't get her music... Too weird... I always thought it was a guy with an obnoxious voice. Lol

    10 Feb 4:43am Reply
  • turbokoala

    eff the haters

    6 Feb 4:26am Reply
  • SexWithMinors

    tUnE-yArDs hAs a mOsT aNnOyInG nAmE and their sound isn't far behind. The group's magnum crapus, 2011's w h o k i l l, is a collection of sonic refuse cobbled into atonal melodies and rhythms that fail to approximate tUnE-fUllNeSs. That the album won the 2011 Pazz and Jop awards is a testament to the emperor has no clothes phenomenon that continues to afflict music writing. -Linda Leseman

    2 Feb 1:47am Reply
  • Nimbie

    Wow, Bird-Brains turned out to be no worse than whokill. Dying for a new album now!

    30 Jan 11:07am Reply
  • Nimbie

    she is awesome.

    6 Dec 2012 Reply
  • fuqinmuchachito

    "Tune-Yards"??? What happened to TµN3 ¥ArDzZ? [x4] (?)

    6 Dec 2012 Reply
  • YEAHAnGiE

    "Tune-Yards"??? What happened to TµN3 ¥ArDzZ? [x3]

    5 Dec 2012 Reply
  • suxk

    says a purple squirrel.

    20 Nov 2012 Reply
  • etiopczyk

    original, sensitive & in the same way very energic, beautiful indie music !

    9 Nov 2012 Reply
  • Murdoc_Niccals

    i totally adore her. she has stunning voice and she can do a big things with it, she never miss a single note. who the fuck said she was ugly??? go to hell, the only one who's ugly here is you!

    28 Oct 2012 Reply
  • thrashketchum

    completely unlistenable

    22 Oct 2012 Reply
  • VelvetCotorro

    The new video by Velvet Cotorro: Bomboyatch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fAu63QK41A

    17 Oct 2012 Reply
  • tamiemaria

    i love her sooo much. even tho i still don't get what's with the lower & upper case in its name.

    15 Oct 2012 Reply
  • All 777 shouts