''Nikki Nack'' is the third album by American band Tune-Yards, released by

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

in May 2014. On March 3, 2014, singer Merril Garbus posted a two-and-a-half-minute megamix of tracks from the album on her website, thanking fans for "your support and patience while we cooked this chicken." A subsequent tour was announced, including a batch of international tour dates and a few festivals. The album features work with record producers John Hill and Malay. On March 18, 2014, Garbus released the first album single, "Water Fountain". On April 25, 2014,

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began streaming the album as part of its ''First Listen'' series.

Background and recording

In early 2013, Garbus took a trip to Haiti to work on the follow-up to her 2011 release ''

Whokill ''Whokill'' (stylized as ''w h o k i l l'') is the second full-length release by Merrill Garbus' project Tune-Yards. It was released on 4AD Records on April 19, 2011. It was the number one album of 2011 on '' The Village Voice's'' annual Pazz ...

''. The album features contributions from the

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

singing group Roomful of Teeth.

Touring

On April 23, Garbus embarked on a tour supporting

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...

in North America, before her own headline shows across Europe and North America, joined by a full touring band. Band members for the ''Nikki Nack'' tour were Merrill Garbus (drums, vocals, keys, ukulele), Nate Brenner (bass, synths, vocals), Haley Dekle (percussion, vocals), Jo Lampert (vocals), Dani Markham (percussion, vocals), and Abigail Nessen-Bengson (vocals).

Promotion

A music video directed by Joel Kefali was released on April 23, 2014, for "Water Fountain". Garbus also appeared on the podcast ''

Comedy Bang! Bang! ''Comedy Bang! Bang!'' (formerly ''Comedy Death-Ray Radio'') is a weekly comedy audio podcast, which originally began airing as a radio show on May 1, 2009.A Special Thing Forums:Comedy Death-Ray Radio starts today! It is hosted by writer and ...

'' alongside comedians

Jenny Slate Jenny Slate (born March 25, 1982) is an American actress, stand-up comedian, and writer. After early acting and stand-up roles on television, Slate gained recognition for her live variety shows in New York City and for co-creating the children's ...

and Jon Daly in June 2014 to promote the album. On August 6, 2015, a video created by Sarah Pupo for the song "Rocking Chair" was released. The single, "Water Fountain" featured as soundtrack in the

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game, ''

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'', along with the eight season finale of '' Shameless''

Critical reception

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, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, ''Nikki Nack'' received an average score of 83, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 34 reviews. Cian Taylor of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' described the album as pairing "non-western musical traditions with melodies fit for a playground" while combining "layers of fizzing electronics and rapid-fire wordplay" and stated that at its best, it is "easily Tune-Yards' finest work." Barry Walters of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' stated that "''Nikki Nack'' betters ''

'' by beefing up its feral ferocity with more sophisticated chops" and, in particular, complimented the power of "Garbus's magnificent yelp." At ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...

'',

Jeff Rosenstock Jeffrey Ernest Rosenstock (born September 7, 1982) is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter from Long Island, New York. He is known for his former bands Bomb the Music Industry! and The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, as wel ...

remarked on how "''Nikki Nack'' pinballs between tidy arrangements and full-blown maximalism to find catchy melodies and dance beats in the strangest places." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s Will Hermes stated that the album suggests that Garbus is "an innovator in it for the long haul."

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 2014 albums 4AD albums Tune-Yards albums Albums produced by Malay (record producer)