w h o k i l l Review

For her second album 'whokill', Merrill Garbus may have moved on from using second hand cassettes and hand held voice recorders used to create alter ego tUnE-yArDs, but in doing so lost none of its predecessor's charm.

Influences from African music are prevelant throughout (Merrill spent time studying music in Kenya). However, it's the way she uses them are what's interesting. In sharp contrast to her mostly straight forward, unprocessed voice, the  beats are chopped up, reversed, staggered to great effect. Tracks such as 'Killa' and 'Bizness' in particular blast through, leaving a first time listener slightly bewildered as to what's just happened.

In short, Merrill howls like a woman demented, addressing scattershots of idea over an uneven beat. And yet, these are the positives of the album. Despite the mania, it all works. The album touches on issues of race, religion, love and personal and national identity, in a way that is never less than heartfelt. On repeated plays, each song unravels ever so slightly, allowing the listener to get that bit farther into the mind of Ms. Garbus.

It may not be your traditional fare, but it's still well worth a listen.