Bird-Brains
Bird-Brains | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 9, 2009 | |||
Genre | Lo-fi | |||
Length | 53:49 | |||
Label | ||||
Tune-Yards chronology | ||||
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Bird-Brains (stylized as BiRd-BrAiNs[1]) is the debut album by American lo-fi musician Merrill Garbus' project Tune-Yards. It was originally released as a Compact Cassette[2] on Marriage Records on June 9, 2009, and was re-released on August 17 by 4AD as a limited-edition pressing. It was released worldwide on November 16, 2009, with two bonus tracks.
The album was recorded almost exclusively by Garbus on a hand recorder and mixed using Audacity.[3] Speaking to Charlotte Richardson Andrews of The Guardian, she noted her instrumental limitations and how they led to a dependence on percussion: "I had no bass – literally, I didn't own one – so the drums had to be big."[4]
Critical reception
[edit]Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10[5] |
Metacritic | 79/100[6] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Drowned in Sound | 8/10[8] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Irish Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicOMH | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MSN Music (Consumer Guide) | A[12] |
Pitchfork | 6.8/10[1] |
PopMatters | 7/10[13] |
Pitchfork ranked Bird-Brains at number 44 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2009.[14]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Merrill Garbus
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "For You" | 1:50 |
2. | "Sunlight" | 3:47 |
3. | "Lions" | 4:59 |
4. | "Hatari" | 5:39 |
5. | "News" | 3:24 |
6. | "Jamaican" | 3:54 |
7. | "Jumping Jack" | 3:54 |
8. | "Little Tiger" | 4:59 |
9. | "Safety" | 4:37 |
10. | "Fiya" | 5:28 |
11. | "Synonynonym" | 3:50 |
12. | "Want Me To" (bonus track) | 4:24 |
13. | "Real Live Flesh" (bonus track) | 3:33 |
- The vinyl edition does not include the track "Synonynonym" and instead ends with "Fiya".
References
[edit]- ^ a b Richardson, Mark (April 3, 2009). "tUnE-yArDs: BiRd-BrAiNs". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ Sean and Matt (August 25, 2010). "Inside The Jukebox: Tune-Yards Q&A". The Wounded Jukebox. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ Eli Crews (2012). "Merrill Garbus: of tUnE-yArDs". Tape Op Magazine. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Andrews, Charlotte Richardson (April 7, 2011). "Tune-Yards' Merrill Garbus on life after lo-fi". The Guardian. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ "BiRd-BrAiNs by tUnE-YaRdS reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "Reviews for BiRd-BrAiNs by tUnE-yArDs". Metacritic. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "Bird-Brains – tUnE-yArDs". AllMusic. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ^ Ashurst, Hari (November 17, 2009). "Album Review: Tune-Yards – BiRd-BrAiNs". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ Hann, Michael (November 13, 2009). "tUnE-YaRDs: BiRd-BrAiNs (4AD)". The Guardian.
- ^ Carroll, Jim (October 16, 2009). "Tune-yards: Bird-Brains (4AD)". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ Clarke, Jude (November 16, 2009). "tUnE-yArDs – BiRd-BrAiNs". MusicOMH. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (December 2009). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ Fairell, Jer (August 20, 2009). "tUnE-YaRdS: BiRd-BrAiNs". PopMatters. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2009". Pitchfork. December 17, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- [1] Tune-Yards at 4AD
- Bird-Brains at AllMusic