John's Track of the Week: "Sunlight"

Song: Sunlight
Artist: tUnE-YaRdS
Album: Bird-Brains
Year: 2009

If you pay attention to the haphazard noise long enough, chances are you'll get to the finely-crafted pop track underneath. tUnE-YaRdS' "Sunlight" jumps from hokey freak-folk tune, to electric pop power jam to garage rock, all in a matter of a few engaging, enjoyable minutes. The woman behind tUnE-YaRdS, Merrill Garbus, is what makes the track so intriguing though. Garbus' DIY method shines both here, and on the rest of debut album, Bird-Brains. Nothing is over-produced, but rather flows naturally, as the artist does a fantastic job of pulling together her diverse and complex melodies into singular, cooperative entities.

The fact that Garbus is able to do all of this on her own isn't anything new or novel- tons of other artists are DIY-ers, and have been at it longer- but it's the aforementioned diversity that stands out to me. There's just so much going on, with sounds careening off the walls, drums bouncing to-and-fro and a trippy bass riff, that it's a wonder she brought it all together. I guess it's a testament to the quality of the artist we're dealing with here. For those who haven't heard tUnE-YaRdS at all, check out the mp3 below, courtesy of Stereogum, and please, give a listen to the album, Bird-Brians. It's sure to be one of your favorites for this year.

tUnE-YaRdS- "Sunlight"