Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Ben Lowe-Smith enjoys a set dedicated to the people of Sudan, Gaza, and Haiti, and reminded of the emotional impetus of Tune-Yards’ songs
Image by Ben Lowes-Smith
LuxJury look like they are having a great time, and their effusive enthusiasm carries them through tonight. By their own admission, they are a new band with a handful of songs, but the quality of the material and performance makes it clear why there is a considerable amount of buzz around them. A robust, melodic three-piece, their songs deal articulately and expressively about queer experience – it’s a charismatic, infectious and endearing performance.
Merrill Garbuss and Nate Brenner take to the state tonight with fairly rudimentary equipment (as well as retina blazingly colourful outfits). What is remarkable about their performance tonight is how they get so much out of so little- Garbuss’ astonishing sense of play and rhythm creating scattering drum loops, Brenner’s controlled melodic, controlled bass playing anchoring everything together. Drawing predominantly from the excellent, and somewhat slept on, new album Better Dreaming, Garbuss and Brenner invite us into their idiosyncratic and beautiful universe- from the hyper energetic Water Fountain to the more plaintive Suspended – very much reminiscent of the work of Dave Longstreth and Dirty Projectors – though indeed what sets Tune-Yards apart from any meaningful comparison with anyone else is Garbuss’ voice- powerful, wounded and expressive, and the quality giving all of these fairly eccentric songs an unmistakably human core. Dedicating the set to the people of Sudan, Gaza, and Haiti, one is reminded of the very emotional and generous impetus for these wonderful songs.
