tUnE-yArDs

Like Colin Stetson's recent New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges album, Whokill is the kind of sophomore album that makes you wonder how you slept on the first. Not that tUnE-yArDs was ignored exactly, but this release will bring her an entirely new fan base. Whokill blows away the lo-fi bIrD bRaInS and replaces it with a fierce Afrobeat-infused fantasia of looped vocals, horns, lacerating guitars and so much dub. Uniting it all is the voice of Merrill Garbus, which bounces from the sweet and sing-song-y to Bon Scott-raspy at a moment's notice. Garbus uses vocalizations to build percussive and atmospheric accompaniments that are subsequently deconstructed by oft-dizzying shifts in the mix. One of the best singles so far this year, "Bizness" blends an mbira-like vocal loop with triumphant horns and a punchy chorus, to dizzying effect. More restrained are the reggae harmony-driven "Doorstep" and the dub-wise "Powa," which ride Nate Brenner's deep, post-punk-y bass. Even amidst of free-jazz sonic smears and jump cuts, the album rocks out. Only "Wooly Wooly Gong" retains the previous album's approach, feeling a bit out of place, but its intimacy is a nice break in the action.