What could I possibly say about tUnE-yArDs that hasn't already been said on every music blog on the world wide interweb? Nothing. Nothing at all. I was ambivalent about Merrill Garbus's much-hyped music project up until last night, when I got a chance to check out her live act at the very cool Brighton Music Hall. Now I am a convert, an enthusiastic passenger on the crowded but thoroughly entertaining tUnE-yArDs bandwagon.
Garbus was joined onstage by Nate Brenner, who also plays bass on the new record, and two saxophonists. The typical track consisted of Garbus and Brenner whipping up some drum and vocal loops on the fly, which built steadily in complexity and sheer awesomeness until their metamorphosis into a recognizable song was complete. The saxophones were a treat whenever they chimed in, but the main attraction was Merrill's remarkably powerful and versatile voice. With an undeniably unusual sound for a female vocalist, she commands attention with her intensity while maintaining the flexibility to go on some pretty amazing vocal runs.
For a mere 12 bucks, the sold-out crowd was treated to one remarkable song after another. One of the most all-around entertaining shows I've seen in a while, tUnE-yArDs impressed with musicianship, showmanship, and creativity. Sometimes an act takes off because everybody is supposed to like them, but nobody can figure out why (see: Animal Collective). But tUnE-yArDs, like the Dirty Projectors (who they toured with back in 2009), are blowing up for all the right reasons. Check out the new record and don't miss the chance to see this fantastic act on tour.
The former mill town of Lawrence, Mass., is a mere 45 minutes from downtown Boston, but worlds away from the city's gold-domed capitol and shimmering skyscrapers. The rough-and-tumble city has been in the headlines a lot recently for basically showing us what would have happened if Stringer Bell from "The Wire" had survived being ambushed and ultimately gone on to become the mayor of Baltimore.
But it hasn't been all harmless fun for Mayor Lantigua; he's under investigation for corruption for a number of incidents from the serious to the mundane. He was the victim of an assassination attempt back in April; he later criticized the police for their investigation and suggested that they were trying to frame Lantigua himself for a crime. Finally he appointed one of his boys - a sergeant - as Deputy Chief of Police. Gangsters around the city are now known to drop Lantigua's name when cops mess with them. And as in "The Wire," race has been a major factor in all of this; the old-guard cops and firemen that Lantigua has clashed with are mainly white, while Lantigua's base is the more recently-arriving Dominican and Puerto Rican community in the city.
Termanology representing Mass.
with Celtics jacket and "The Town"
bank robbery creepy nun mask
The Honorable William Lantigua, Mayor
What does all of this have to do with music? Not much, except to establish the street cred of Lawrence, Massachusetts's answer to the post-industrial blight affecting urban areas in this country from Baltimore to Detroit. With a mayor that hardcore, any aspiring rappers have a tough act to follow.
Stepping up to the plate is Termanology, a Lawrence native of Puerto Rican extraction who has been steadily rising in the rap game for years. He got his first big break when the legendary DJ Premier produced a track for him in 2006 - the very tight "Watch How it Go Down." Since then, Term has frequently collaborated with fellow Lawrence native (and Exeter alum) Statik Selektah, including on the well-received "Stop, Look, and Listen" with Q-Tip and Styles P and "To The Top" with Cassidy and Saigon. It's been a slow and steady rise, but from where I'm sitting, Termanology looks like the top rapper out of the Bay State today.
His new single "Uncut," released in April, finds the city's favorite son paying homage to Lawrence (watch for a shout-out to "the Law" with attendant hand sign at 0:30) while enjoying all the trappings of a successful rap career. I think that the club in the closing scene of the videos is none other than The Loft - Mayor Lantigua's favored spot - though I didn't spot him in the frame anywhere.
Politicians, rappers, and strippers - oh my! While none of this is great for the city of Lawrence, a Mayor who likes to hit the clubs is hardly the worst scandal facing the Commonwealth these days. And at least Lawrence is getting some pretty tight music out of their slow and painful decline, following in the path of Detroit rather than its less rhythmically-inclined neighbor Flint. For better or worse, Lawrence is back in the spotlight, as Termanology and Willy Lantigua alike are both very much on their grind.
Free for the summer from the mind control programming of the Harvard Kennedy School's liberal shills, I resolve once again to pledge my Life, Fortune, and sacred Honor to the pursuit of catchiness, at least until I get bogged down with something else. The weather has finally begun to turn here in the northeast, and it's my pleasure to bring you a new track with those sweet summer sounds we've been longing for all through the finger- and soul-numbing winter.
The biggest problem with this track is that the guitar intro for the first ten seconds or so sounds exactly like "Zebra" by Beach House, and that song annoys me. But once that visceral association passed, I really got into this beachy jam by two brothers and their friend straight out of San Diego. Just one listen to the seagulls squawking in the beginning of the track, and you don't need The Google to tell you that this is a band in the Cali tradition through and through. Their debut EP was just released by Autumn Tone, the record label arm of music blog Aquarium Drunkard, and their description of "shimmering beachside pop" pretty much hits the nail on the head for this trio.
This picture of the band, featuring driftwood, a hand drum, and a sweet portable keyboard, gives a better visualization of their music than even the most intrepid iTunes programmer could. There's nothing too complicated going on here - but as my fellow Concordian Henry David Thoreau always said, "Simplify!" That was a man who knew a thing or two about transforming the individual's commune with nature into art, and the spirit of Thoreau's message shines through on "California Sunrise."
It's only May 10th (happy birthday to my brother Alex in Baghdad!), but I think that I've already found my beach anthem for the summer of 2011. I'm very much looking forward to getting down to the Cape, laying down a towel, and giving "California Sunrise" a field test. Happy summer, everyone.
