Better Dreaming - Tune Yards: Review
Review by Lavender:
Tune-Yards is an Oakland indie-pop duo who emerged as a surprise critical darling in the first half of the 2010s with the combination of their frenetic, world music-inspired tunes and frontwoman Merrill Garbus' unique, striking vocals. Though their 4th and 5th albums weren't quite as acclaimed as projects like W H O K I L L and Nikki Nack, I certainly think both records have something of their own to offer, and I went into Better Dreaming expecting more of the same based on a strong trio of singles. But just as the album has its strokes of excellence, it also has some real head-scratching moments.
The trio of singles released in the lead-up to Better Dreaming got the record off to a really promising start. The best of the bunch is “Limelight,” an absolute fucking banger to kick the era off. It has an absolutely irresistible bassline and verbose, playful verses that just drill into my head. On the hook, it all erupts into an absolutely perfect chorus that feels like a stroke of pure genius. Speaking of genius, there's one deep cut we HAVE to talk about, the song “Get Through.” I'm obsessed with the way the inspiring lyrics start off so personal, like a mantra for Merrill overcoming her own battles as an individual. But the song slowly swells and introduces more and more instrumentation that just gathers and circles around in the whirlpool growing bigger and bigger until by the end the sing feels like an anthem for every single person in the entire fucking world. It honestly would probably crack my top 5 Tune Yards songs ever.
The second single, “Heartbreak,” is how the record begins, and it's a relative decrease in the zany and intense energy the band often deploys. Eventually, though, it shifts into an absolutely belting chorus that digs into my head with vocal layers surrounding it, reinforcing just how catchy it all is. That's followed by “Swarm,” which deploys these killer drums and clapping rhythm that gets me nodding immediately. I love the lyrical idea of the “swarm” as not just something righteous and motivating for people to join, but also a sense of comfort and community.
Speaking of lyrics, my favorite Woke Tune Yards re-emerge on the third single “How Big Is The Rainbow.” It's an anthem of acceptance that's not nearly as corny as the title may have you believe. I love the way it focuses first and foremost on creating uplifting moments and challenging shortsighted bullshit I a way that I can't help but think is a net positive. And speaking of lyrics, the closer “Sanctuary” is a sauntering little spoken word cut that gets very existential with it. I can imagine it's quite the surprise for anyone who hasn't heard the band's 2018 4th album.
Unfortunately, despite how much I enjoyed the singles, the deep cuts really do not live up to the standard, save for a few choice moments. On the first half of the album, “Never Look Back” loses me with its simplicity, getting lost in itself with vocals that feel like they have no punch. “Suspended” features some gentler instrumentation that I find incredibly boring. The only real saving grace of the track is that in the final minute, it begins to wander down a very bizarre and visceral sound that is at the very least kind of interesting.
Meanwhile, on the back half, we get songs like the title track, whose paralyzingly slow pace never allows for any momentum or excitement to be built up. It also used these garish vocal effects that completely rob Merrill of her intensity. “Perpetual Motion” has a really long chorus that just starts to sound like it's looping back into itself and starts to feel like nothing. Even when the grittier synthetic instrumentation replaces the initial acoustic strumming, I don't really care for it.
While Better Dreaming has several standout moments, it's a very inconsistent listen. Even if it's highs reach higher than the band's previous album, I'll take the depth of that tracklist any day. Despite the band being as ambitious as ever, several of these ideas don't pan out at all in ways that can be straight up unpleasant. It's a shame because some of my favorite Tune-Yards songs ever are in the mix here, and the duo's songwriting chops are on display throughout. But with a tracklist that's absolutely all over the place, Better Dreaming turns out to be less than the sum of its parts. 5.5/10
