Video: Tune Yards - Gangsta

Seeing tUnE-yArDs perform several times at this year's SXSW gave me a heightened appreciation of Merrill Garbus' specific brand of art. Her music takes on a life of its own when you're experiencing it live, witnessing this mishmash of syncopated rhythms, vocal samples, and all-sax rhythm section at its inception. Even to a group of people who had been on their feet in the unforgiving Texas sun for 12+ hours, each song's energy was palpable and contagious. And I think it all stems from what I feel is the most appealing aspect of her music: it's sophisticated but retains the [...]