tune-yards – Spinning Platters

Single of the Week: “Loving You (Demo)” by Wet Leg

Wet Leg are arguably one of the few bands to have a “really good pandemic.” They broke through with amazing videos and the right hooks to rise above the misery. And they have been excellent at giving back when they can, sort of thanking the world for their success. In 2021, they donated merch money to Afghan Refugee women. And now they are donating the original demo of “Loving You,” one of the most beautiful and serious tracks off their debut album, to The Brigid Alliance, an organization that helps connect women with abortion services.

“Loving You (Demo)” is the first track from Good Music To Ensure Safe Abortion Access For All, a digital compilation available TODAY and only TODAY from Bandcamp! It’s chock full of exclusive tracks from Sleater-Kinney, Bully, Ty Segall, and many more. There are also a slew of alternate takes and live versions of tracks, including a re-recording of David Byrne’s “Empire” with help from Devo, a much desired Thao & tUnE-yArDs collaboration on “Meticulous Bird,” and, really, too much more to name. Oh, and 100% of the proceeds will go to The Brigid Alliance and Noise For Now! Full tracklisting after the jump! Continue reading “Single of the Week: “Loving You (Demo)” by Wet Leg”

Single of the Week: nowhere, man by tUnE-yArDs

Merrill Garbus has kept herself incredibly busy since 2018’s I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life. She’s been producing other people’s music, as well as scoring Boots Riley’s epic film Sorry To Bother You, as well as his yet to be named TV show project. I was actually thinking that she was about ready to let tUnE-yArDs go, and then this chaotic piece of music landed on my headphones today, and, well, WOW! This is the biggest, noisiest thing that we’ve every gotten from Garbus & company, and I’m all in. She manages to keep her groove while attacking you with piano and electric guitar and feedback. So many emotions. So much happening, and it just feels like my brain right now.

“nowhere, man” can be found in all of the usual places. No word yet on whether this is from an upcoming full length, or it’s just a one off track, but it’s a good one, so enjoy!

Spinning Platters’ Guide To Noise Pop 2018

No. Not a “Bro” marathon. More like a hip music marathon?

Noise Pop is upon us again… Also known as that week where Bay Area music fans marathon as many shows as they can in a single week. And, well, not all of us can be in multiple places at once, so let’s try to limit our Noise Pop anxiety a bit!

Full schedule, full fest badges, and individual show tickets can be found here! Continue reading “Spinning Platters’ Guide To Noise Pop 2018”

Spinning Platters’ Best Of 2014: Individual Staff Lists

One of the many great records that Spinning Platters Writers enjoyed in 2014

2014 was a good year for music — you just had to lose yourself in something unsafe. – Staff Writer Jonathan Pirro.

A lot of people seemed mighty nonplussed by 2014’s recorded music output. Sure, there was a lot of somewhat generic, unimpressive stuff. However, if you did some real hunting, you’ll find that there was some incredibly impressive stuff out there. Here are Spinning Platter’s Staff’s individual lists of favorite records of 2014, starting with my own list:

Continue reading “Spinning Platters’ Best Of 2014: Individual Staff Lists”

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 12/11/14-12/17/14

We may be experiencing the biggest storm in decades in the Bay Area, however, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to rock.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 6/5/14-6/11/14

When I hear the name "Nashville Pussy," this is what I think of. Also, there's a benefit for Cat Town tonight. — When I hear the name “Nashville Pussy,” this is what I think of. Also, there’s a benefit for Cat Town tonight.

Thursday, June 5th Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 6/5/14-6/11/14”

SFIFF Review: Merrill Garbus and Ava Mendoza present Buster Keaton Shorts at The Castro Theater, 4/23/12

SFIFF55_Tuneyards_Keaton_002 — Photo by Pamela Gentile, courtesy of San Francisco Film Society

One of the great traditions of the San Francisco International Film Festival has been pairing up an indie rock band with a classic silent film. In past years these have always been classier films, such as 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea or A Page Of Madness. It seemed to be a risky move to do something as populist as the slapstick comedy of Buster Keaton. Of course, in a genius move, they called upon Merrill Garbus, the mastermind behind Oakland’s experimental pop outfit tUnE-yArDs to compose and perform an all new score for four classic Buster Keaton short films. Garbus called up local avant garde guitarist Ava Mendoza to help compose the score, which they also performed live, alongside Nate Brenner on bass, and a horns section made up of Noah Bernstein and Matt Nelson.

Continue reading “SFIFF Review: Merrill Garbus and Ava Mendoza present Buster Keaton Shorts at The Castro Theater, 4/23/12”

Show Review: St. Vincent and tUnE-yArDs with Kapowski at The Fox Oakland, 4/24/2012

If you asked someone what their favorite record by a female singer in 2011 was, odds are you would have gotten a reply that fit one of two options: 21 by Adele, or Ceremonials by Florence and the Machine. Both topped charts, and the former swept the Grammys, taking home the coveted Album Of The Year award, among others. Sadly, out of the spotlight (and off the radar for many a casual music fan) were a pair of records that rounded out Spinning Platters’ 2nd and 3rd place winners for our Album Picks of 2011, both by extraordinary women who have been captivating audiences all over the country, perhaps even the world, with their otherworldly but gorgeously eclectic brand of experimental indie rock. To pair the two together is a feat in and of itself, as the two have very different backgrounds — both in their own respective songwriting and in their own performing history — but it was, no doubt, an effective combination, as evidenced by the near sold-out crowd that arrived at Oakland’s Fox Theater on Tuesday night. The pair had skipped briefly across the country, even between two weekends at Coachella, and now were coming to the end of their trip: the Oklahoma-born, Manhattan-based Annie Clark, better known by her stage name St. Vincent, and Oakland’s own Merrill Garbus, more well known under the zanily-punctuated pseudonym of tUnE-yArDs.

Continue reading “Show Review: St. Vincent and tUnE-yArDs with Kapowski at The Fox Oakland, 4/24/2012”

The Spinning Platters Guide to the San Francisco International Film Festival 2012

This year’s edition of the San Francisco International Film Festival will transpire in theaters around the city from April 19 to May 3. Last year’s SFIFF marked the Bay Area premieres of such critically acclaimed hits as Beginners, Another Earth, and The Future. This year’s reliably diverse lineup looks just as promising, featuring new work from actors like Shirley MacLaine, Jack Black, Diane Kruger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Greta Gerwig, John Krasinski, Freida Pinto, Emily Blunt, Val Kilmer, Lili Taylor, James Franco, Susan Sarandon, and Common, filmmakers like Richard Linklater, Michael Winterbottom, Lynn Shelton, Andrea Arnold, Lena Dunham, and little-known local winemaker Francis Ford Coppola, and documentaries on subjects ranging from Diana Vreeland and Marina Abramovic to ACT UP and the epidemic of sexual violence against women in the military. The festival will also feature several events, notably tributes to Kenneth Branagh and Judy Davis (both of whom will attend), a Midnight Mass tribute to the late Ken Russell featuring a Peaches Christ-hosted screening of Tommy, and perhaps most awesomely, a program of Buster Keaton short films with live musical accompaniment by Merrill Garbus and her tUnE-yArDs crew.

After the jump, we break down the 20 films we’re most excited to see this year into three categories: World Cinema, New Directors, and Documentaries. All film descriptions are courtesy of the San Francisco Film Society.

Continue reading “The Spinning Platters Guide to the San Francisco International Film Festival 2012”

Spinning Platters Presents The Official List of the Top 10 Albums of 2011

brandt-brauer-frick-ensemble-mr.-machine-review-e1318885673689 — Finished 11th, but I really like it.

While other magazines, blogs and newspapers release their Best Albums of the Year super early, obviously before they’ve even heard some of the albums on their list, we wait until the last possible minute, sharing dozens of nominations with each other while participating in an overly complicated voting process that leads to a Top 10 that looks completely different from anyone else’s. It’s rewarding and fun, and we always find room for small albums that usually get ignored. One person’s favorite gets a real chance to get heard in our system as it becomes the favorite of many. So know, dear reader, that the albums you’re about to see listed have passed a multi-level test of quality. And now, I end my introduction by asking you to click the more tag and see our Official List of the Top 10 Albums of 2011.

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