The Underground of Happiness

More class action from Merrill Garbus , first explaining the title of the current album, whokill on 4AD , then getting together with partner in crime Nate Brenner to perform a stunning live version of You yes you from the album. Playing Whelan's, Dublin, June 17 Yourstru.ly Presents: tUnE-yArDs "You Yes You" from Yours Truly on Vimeo .

Tune-Yards - whokill (4AD) After recording her debut, Bird-Brains , using a dictaphone and freeware, album number two sees Merrill Garbus making full use of a studio, in terms of scope and sound. Unlike that album, there's a lot less ukulele in sight (one exception is Wolly wolly gong with its spooky fairytale quality, a kind of hip-hop lullaby). The other main difference is a more prominent dub influence running throughout - a prime example is Powa with its lovely loping tempo and heavily reverbed vocals. The single Gangsta has a great caustic energy (brass and strident vocals); check out the street funk of My country , with a memorable fuzz synth line, freewheeling brass section and playground chant na-na-na-na-na outro. However, if you have no other contact with this album, you must at least hear the transcendant moment during Doorstep when a bevvy of layered Merrill's (all sha-la-la's and whoa-oo-whoa's) contrive to produce an intimate atmosphere straight off a ...

More fantastic craziness from Merrill Garbus , with direction by Mimi Cave, choreography by Sonia Reiter and featuring dancing talent from the San Francisco area. Reflects the woman's background in avant-garde theatre.

Another tantalising taster of the new Tune-Yards album, whokill , this a live performance of Doorstep shot "Take Away Shows"-style in the very salubrious Place des Vosges in Paris, with Nate Brenner on drumsticks and stone column. What she does with the vocal loop, and using the ukulele as a mike, is particularly tasty. HibOO d'Live : Tune-Yards "Doorstep" from Le-HibOO.com on Vimeo .

Great to hear some new music from Tune-Yards the other week, a track called bizness , ahead of her new album, whokill , due out in April. You can listen here: http://tune-yards.com/ Here's what I thought of it: Tune Yards - bizness (4AD, from the upcoming album whokill ) Picking up where Merrill Garbus left off with her wonderful debut Bird Brains but with a less ramshackle feel (recorded in a studio as opposed to on a dictaphone). Fantastic, gymnastic vocal loops get things going, before a west African-style groove of staccato bass and a matrix of guitars locks in, with a bank of horns as the cherry on the cake. Wonderful foretaste of her upcoming new album. And a live date in Whelan's in Dublin has been announced for June 17th (she's also part of the mouthwatering bill of the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona at the end of May), the first visit to this country in almost 18 months (tickets here - http://www.whelanslive.com/  ). Here's what I thought of...