First off, why can't we folks in the good ol' US embrace a show like Live With Jools Holland? I know they've tried to export it in the past and it didn't take, but, dammit, that doesn't mean you stop trying. Yeah, I realize the show currently airs on these shores via Palladia, but, quite frankly, that's just not good enough. It should be on one of the big broadcast networks...perhaps in place of "The Voice" or "America's Got Talent".
Anyhoo, a couple nights ago, tUnE yArDs appeared on his show and dammit if they weren't the most inspiring thing to hit the telly in a good long while. Granted, maybe they're not exactly your cup o' tea, but you have to admire the ingenuity and genuine love they seem to have for their artistry, and for their fans.
For all her success Taylor Swift, by comparison, doesn't give a flying fuck about her fans, who, last time I checked, were about nine years old. Those who may not physically be the age of nine are most certainly no older than that mentally. How else to explain being at all attracted to her self-absorbed caterwauling about this week's break-up. Taylor, baby, maybe it's you.
The group's singer and main clapper, Merrill Garbus, reminds me of a more indie-rock Tracey Ullman for some reason that I cannot put into words; maybe it's something to do with the fact that she's a great improvisational performer and has a great knack for crafting melodies that aren't so bone simple that only a nine-year-old can appreciate them.
And the lyrics, while seemingly random, maybe even gibberish, reveal unexpected depth with repeated listens.