I have a bad habit of forcing my friends to play this one game with me. I press play on a track and tell them to listen carefully. Sixty seconds in, I break the silence and ask, “What does the singer look like?” The over-dramatization of the reveal was always more fun for me than for my (patient and unconditionally loving) friend. There is such beauty in androgynous and otherwise atypical voices like Asaf Avidan and Paul Janeway. They break convention, they challenge listeners.
This is the same game I once played a few years back with tUnE-yArDs (the pseudonym for multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Merrill Garbus). Last month, Garbus put out her third full-length release Nikki Nack. The album has been received with mixed messages, some accusing Garbus of overstepping the boundaries of being quirky for the mere sake of it.
In the 44-minute span of Nikki Nack, you’ve got ties to African drumming, 80s glam, pop, R&B, and electronica all wrapped up in her signature sound that isn’t afraid to flirt with atonality. I’ve been a casual tUnE-yArDs listeners for a couple of years ever since I saw a photo floating across my news feed of face-paint and feathers for some band I’d never heard of. Three years later I found myself rushing out of work, worrying that I wouldn’t have enough time to put my own face paint on or that my friends would be late to get a spot up front on my accord. I’ve started drinking the kool-aid and couldn’t be happier.
Supporting on this leg of the tour is Sylvan Esso. Members have been a part of Mountain Man, Feist’s and Megafaun’s touring acts, just to name a few. These two are a couple of the most genuine performers I’ve seen lately. The electro-pop duo is light and welcomes new listeners to groove with ease. Sylvan Esso won over the crowd with their staccato synths and Grimes-esque loops. Sylvan Esso just announced a headlining gig at The Sinclair this fall, so everyone who were just hearing the band for the first time this week has plenty of time to learn how to dance as smoothly as singer Amelia Meath by November.
The stage was lined with big pink and gold eyeballs for Garbus and her band, which now features two backup singers (who double as jazzercise coaches). The house waited on bated breath and one unfortunately bold man was headstrong enough to weasel his way to the front of the crowd to perch himself directly in front of Garbus’ microphones. His plan? To ask her to sign his record when she took the stage. Do I need to explain why this was a terrible plan? To no one’s surprise but Mr. Determined himself, he waved his record frantically in hopes of catching Garbu’s eyeline as she entered center stage in a vibrant and scaly dress. Garbus proceeded to mouth “after, after,” while motioning to signal that she was kind of…in the middle of something here.
“Peace, peace and love, love is waiting for the feeling of discomfort to pass before killing,” the set kicked off crisp and joined by echoing claps with “Sink-O” off of Nikki Nack. Quickly followed by another new track “Hey Life” Garbus wasted no time bringing us into her world juxtaposed with playful sounds overlaid with dark lyrics. While we’ve known Garbus is a powerhouse for a while now, not enough credit can go to her backing band. It’s on my bucket list after this show to see Garbus perform solo but I’m sure as hell glad I saw this setup while I could
because her support deserves to shine. With this crew you don’t have to sacrifice sound for theatrics. The key word for this performance is balance. Knowing how to bend, wiggle, jump, keep the beat, help the audience find said beat when they’ve lost their way….all while harmonizing loud and proud…I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a tighter group.
The rest of the set was punctuated with “Bizness” and “Gangsta” off of w h o k i l l and more cheers were heard for Garbus’ ukelele for a goosebump inducing rendition of “Powa” than the band’s entrance (not an exaggeration, Garbus was caught off guard too). Longtime fans were pleasantly surprised by deeper cuts “Real Live Flesh” and “Fiya” dug up off of 2009’s BiRd-BrAiNs.
My only regret: We didn’t get the horn section this time around.
My advice: If Garbus comes to your town, you go. You go.