tUnE-yArDs

Here, she makes a mockery of other so-called "live loopers". I can't even deal with this it's too good.

http://vimeo.com/22883825

i think i mentioned it upthread, but it becomes kinda a chore when she has to build up the loops at the beginning of every song

mad looping skillz tho

xp that's the nature of looping though?

also, the music aside, the looping she's doing there seems pretty standard? just technically i've been impressed with how jamie woon does it, in terms of dubbing out different elements of the loop etc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cys2hJM0gaE

is that how woon plays when he's live? because if so i'm a little sad i didn't go see him

i dunno, what woon does is cool in that he's varying the textures and stuff. but the breakdowns in the tuneyards clip / the little vocal bonus bit at the end, those just made me go HUH CHOPS

possibly this is bcz i have such little rhythm that it would take me until i was 32 to be able to do that if i did nothing else in the interim

whereas to do what woon is doing i would merely need to be blessed with decent voice and two hands, like what he has

I love this album by the way. Top five.

I'm having similar issues with what I've heard off of this that I have with Sleater-Kinney; there is something going on in the vocals, something slightly on the reedy side of things, that sets my teeth on edge.

in the tune-yards clip she's just stopping the entire loop and turning it back on, no big deal. woon is doing similar things but in a much more subtle way - he's not playing a live instrument besides singing, so he does a lot more with bringing in and out the different layers of the loop, adding effects etc. that takes a lot more mental independence imo.

(btw that comparison only came up because SK was playing on THE CURRENT radio stream and I was all "wow I am not enjoying this in exactly the same way that I do not enjoy tUnE-yArDs")

in the tune-yards clip she's just stopping the entire loop and turning it back on, no big deal. woon is doing similar things but in a much more subtle way - he's not playing a live instrument besides singing, so he does a lot more with bringing in and out the different layers of the loop, adding effects etc. that takes a lot more mental independence imo.

Oh, I disagree with you there. Hands-free is much more difficult. Jamie is using pre-fab drum loops, a Kaoss pad for post-effects. His songwriting is limited to repeating a mantra over and over again. It's good, yeah! But it doesn't have Merrill's "chops fabulous" appeal, imo.

i guess i see so many guitar players around here doing (beatbox/percussion/bass/guitar) looping that it seems like old hat, and she's not doing anything different (not that it's easy). what woon's doing there feels fresher to me, and i like that the songwriting is loop-based (no chord changes). on the other videos i've seen he's not using any pre-recorded sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNnngd0oLgk

This is sort of off-topic, so apologies, but Merrill Garbus does some backing vocals on my friend's new record. Maybe you will like it? It's not very Tune-Yards-y but it's still good:

http://mwahaha.bandcamp.com/album/mwahaha

Specifically she helps with harmonies on "Love".

I dunno, Jordan, that Jamie Woon stuff doesn't distinguish itself for me, stylistically.

What I mean is this: when you get someone like Merrill doing the looping without post-effects or stuff, one is forced to adjust one's songwriting to transcend the technology... or at least, transcend the fact that one doesn't have a finger on a fader and another on a Kaoss pad.

Many people in Canada miss Merrill's old band, btw. (Don't watch the vidjo just give a listen)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7EhxAUprUY

sure, but that's what 95% of live loopers do. at least in this song, it just seems like she's doing very standard shit?

xp

i mean, looping chops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3CGWOw9LHI

I love this album by the way. Top five.

― ginny thomas and tonic (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, May 18, 2011 9:30 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

i'm into it, but reserving superlatives ftm. "bizness" just towers over the rest.

"bizness" just towers over the rest.

No way! My Country and Gangsta are both just as good if not better.

i like the whole album a lot but gangsta and bizness are high points.

i think i mentioned it upthread, but it becomes kinda a chore when she has to build up the loops at the beginning of every song

― ｐｒｉｎｔｆ (diamonddave85), Wednesday, May 18, 2011 8:37 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

haven't seen tune yards, but this can be one of the best parts of loop-based live performance. saw Geneviève Castrée (Ô Paon) last year, and loved the process aspects.

and "Powa," "Wooly Wooly Gong" too.

i like the whole album a lot but gangsta and bizness are high points.

gangsta's a very respectable second

Ô Paon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgCqq9ZzXq4

not cuz the loopsmanship is so incredible, just love this song

@ Jordan Dosh a different thing again. He uses Ableton, and with it, pre-programmed tracks, quantized loops. There's no mystery there.

I think, Jordan, you're looking at the 'technology used' and appreciating that, rather than considering that Merrill is using ten-year-old looping pedals, not in new ways, but in ways so effortless and compositionally interesting that it makes people like Dosh or Jamie Woon or myself look like suckers for new toys.

Also the best song on the record is "You Yes You" and you'll all feel similarly one day

whoa.

Sure, recognise the compositional brilliance of her loop use and all that but I just can *not* get with her voice. I'm sorry, I tried. I'm with Dan on this one.

really, dosh uses ableton? i didn't see a laptop onstage the last time i saw him, but maybe he's sneaky with controllers?

but in ways so effortless and compositionally interesting that it makes people like Dosh or Jamie Woon or myself look like suckers for new toys.

am i missing something in that tune-yards video - is she looping anything besides the beat and the vocal thing at the end? anyway, i'll stop being harry hater. i wasn't going to mention it but your looping is definitely more interesting/artful to me than tune-yards (and i've caught both live).

kinda agree with owen, the "I was BORN to do it" part gets me every time.

"don't need a living room ah diamonds YEAHHHH a chicken shack will do do do do"

do we see how the first loop is set in that video? seems like it's always the first one that's hardest to get right. once you've got that one you're not worried so much about setting the loop. sounds cool either way but if the first one was done at home or something it's a little easier. not sure if you can do that with the equipment she's using.

Also the best song on the record is "You Yes You" and you'll all feel similarly one day

This is my gf's favorite. I'm coming around, too.

yeah, it's up there

You know, I've liked this in fits and starts but I think think I like it more than I like it. I want to give it several more shots, though, since it doesn't deserve my unwarranted snap reaction that it's a more assured and interesting Coco Rosie.

I've seen a lot of "dude, gear, and loops" shows and IMO she is miles beyond anyone doing this sort of thing (never seen Owen P tho). You feel like you are experiencing music as it's being made in the moment rather than a bunch of triggered elements and processed electronics. And the fact that she builds the loops at the start of each song gives the evening an appealing and unusual rhythm.

i'm into it, but reserving superlatives ftm.

no longer reserving anything. in the running for album of the year. and yes, "you yes you".

ve seen a lot of "dude, gear, and loops" shows

are we differentiating between laptop/sampler/etc shows and people who use loopers specifically? 'cause this:

You feel like you are experiencing music as it's being made in the moment rather than a bunch of triggered elements and processed electronics. And the fact that she builds the loops at the start of each song gives the evening an appealing and unusual rhythm.

describes pretty much every looper i see. again, nothing wrong with tune-yards, i just don't see why people are freaking about what she's doing specifically.

i cant get into this. rather annoying i find.

Having finally heard some of this -- kinda in the middle here. I could totally see her and White Rainbow touring if they haven't already.

One of my favourites so far this year for sure. I do understand people taking issue with her voice, it's quite marmitey. (First time I heard a tUnE-YarDs song I went, "wait, I thought the singer was a woman?") She reminds me a lot of Antony, not so much in expression but in general fierce-individualist-with-gender-defying-voice mood.

Really, it's the way she sings lead that I take issue with. The sound-effecty stuff she does on "The Bizness" is actually very pretty but the braying shout she employs on the main melody is not really my bag.

jordan i dig this person a lot but what i like about the record is nothing to do with her use of looping -- which, i mean, i hadn't thought about to what degree that was a compositional tool for her before owen started posting about it in this thread

Saw her live earlier this week. I love how she basically builds the backbone for each song right in front of you. Impressive. I haven't heard the record but wouldn't be surprised if the live sound doesn't translate well to record.

Usually this kind of "difficult" project bores me less than a third of the way through – I still can't stand the first album – but I hear a lot of unexpected beauty in the squawks and squalls. Nothing I've written about this album matches nabisco's review.

Are there pictures of her without her mouth wide open? I know thats a live shot with that review, but even all of her staged promo shots seems to picture her preparing to bite into a Dagwood sandwich.

I refuse to believe all these soulless nu-indie bands are actual irl bands.

The Dirty Projectors, for example, don't actually exist. I am convinced of it.

great bisco piece, really well thought out

love her voice. more female singers should be brave enough to be unpretty.

(also, my guitarist bf does some very creative stuff with live looping and he loves both tune-yards records.)

This is great and I can't really figure out what I want to say about it besides that