tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l

I had a great time last night...well, it didn't end all that great, but still fun. I can still taste whiskey in my nose and in the back of my throat. I haven't been that drunk in a long time.



Today's album: tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l (4AD 2011)
Genre: Indie pop
Running time: 10 tracks, 42:16
In a nutshell: Fun, politically-conscious hispter music

1. My Country - 3:42
   
2. Es-So - 3:31
   
3. Gangsta - 4:00
   
4. Powa - 5:51
   
5. Riotriot - 4:15
   
6. Bizness - 4:25
   
7. Doorstep - 4:18
   
8. You Yes You - 3:15
   
9. Wolly Wolly Gang - 6:09
   
10. Killa - 3:12

When I first heard this album, I just assumed that front-woman Merrill Garbus was black. Her vocals sound like a more powerful and versatile Macy Gray, while her band plays an eclectic mix of soul, jazz, R&B and hip-hop. The politics of the album also gave me the impression of blackness. The lyrics explore sexual identity, ghetto violence, economic inequality...all themes that the African-American perspective has always been able to speak to most eloquently in my opinion. The fact that Garbus isn't black seems somewhat encouraging to me. She is engaging with ideas that are perhaps becoming more universal, and in the process is forging a new consciousness that can easily be shared. Does this sound a bit pretentious? It's not really. The ideas and music might be challenging, but they never become inaccessible. More than anything, this album is fun. I think Garbus is going to be prominent figure in music in the years to come because of her ability to make cultural and political transcendence an accessible and thoroughly enjoyable experience.