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Nikki Nack

Tune-Yards

Nikki Nack

Third album from Merrill Garbus and bassist Nate Bremner, featuring contributions from the Grammy-winning vocal group Roomful of Teeth

ADM rating[?]

8.0

Label
4AD
UK Release date
05/05/2014
US Release date
06/05/2014
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  1. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    Rooted in Haitian drum patterns, schoolyard rhymes, and ’80s R&B, Nikki Nack zigs and zags with impish energy
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  2. 9.1 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Nikki Nack, the phenomenal follow-up to whokill, will only solidify the prior convictions of admirers and cynics alike
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  3. 9.0 |   All Music

    It's an oddly nourishing album that's as big a step forward for tUnE-yArDs as W H O K I L L was from Bird-Brains
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  4. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    Certainly an album that repays multiple listens and complete immersion. That immersion will pay dividends, for Merrill Garbus has produced yet another deftly thrilling listen
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  5. 9.0 |   Spin

    Although its emotional intensity is at first nearly overwhelming, Nikki Nack gets similarly crazy with hooks, which makes it more daring because it ups the stakes even higher
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  6. 9.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    She's the real thing without any hint of sarcasm, and her new full-length serves as a perfect antidote for countless pop albums that are too safe or predictable to leave a lasting impression
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  7. 8.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Garbus ticks every box with aplomb and swagger, making a record that’s confrontational, boundary-bending, enigmatic, topical and sheer fun outside the usual channels
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  8. 8.1 |   Pitchfork

    Like Dirty Projectors and St. Vincent, Garbus is an artist who lives with weird but flirts with normal
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  9. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    The main effect of pulling together the instrumentation more tightly on Nikki Nack is that the vocals become the focal point of the mix
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  10. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    A thrilling musical assault
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  11. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Rarely does an album consider life's eternal struggles in quite this way: searching for answers with its eyes wide open, and silly string in its hair
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  12. 8.0 |   NME

    The songs splatter unpredictably with little concern for cohesion, forming a whole that is emphatically unique
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  13. 8.0 |   DIY

    Despite the weight that this album carries, the overall feel is of a celebration of life itself
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  14. 8.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    ‘Nikki Nack’ is sonically a far cry from Garbus’ dictaphone-wielding beginnings, yet in a sense it really isn’t a far cry at all
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  15. 8.0 |   The Music

    There’s so much going on here that those adventurous enough to enter her world will find infinite wonders
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  16. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    It's the force of Garbus's personality that holds these clashing parts together
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  17. 8.0 |   Q

    A unique and thrilling voice forging a new folk tradition. Print edition only

  18. 8.0 |   Mojo

    A more contemplative Tune Yards, no bad thing. Print edition only

  19. 8.0 |   Clash

    This is invigorating, wilful and wildly exuberant
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  20. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    A creative mind that simply refuses to stand stil
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  21. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Socially conscious, thought-provoking work you can still have a lot of fun with
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  22. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Suggests an innovator in for the long haul
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  23. 8.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Part of Garbus’ charm is the freedom she's had to do what she likes, and thankfully the new production doesn’t dilute that too much
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  24. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    Nikki Nack contains some of Garbus' strongest work yet — if that makes Garbus the queen of quirk, then so be it
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  25. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Another singular, exciting record
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  26. 8.0 |   Beardfood

    We should embrace an artist so wildly original. Woo-Ha!
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  27. 8.0 |   State

    It’s unique, confident, catchy, danceable, descriptive and 100% pure and real in its delivery and message
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  28. 8.0 |   Uncut

    An album bursting with adventure and originality. Print edition only

  29. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    A side-step from showiness into comparative subtlety, offering rounder edges to even busier, more vivid songs
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  30. 7.5 |   Earbuddy

    Just sit back and watch the beautiful madness unfold
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  31. 7.3 |   Paste Magazine

    One of the most boldly imaginative acts today
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  32. 6.0 |   The Observer

    Garbus's voice is jostled too much amid the hectic production to allow its personality to shine through
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  33. 6.0 |   The 405

    The promise remains blindingly obvious, but the execution, for my money at least, is still missing
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  34. 5.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Parts of Nikki Nack are interesting, deeply beautiful, and insanely catchy. Other parts are painful to listen
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  35. Back to main chart

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Tune-Yards: Nikki Nack

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Find A New Way £0.89
  • 2. Water Fountain £0.89
  • 3. Time of Dark £0.89
  • 4. Real Thing £0.89
  • 5. Look Around £0.89
  • 6. Hey Life £0.89
  • 7. Sink-O £0.89
  • 8. Interlude: Why Do We Dine On The Tots? £0.89
  • 9. Stop That Man £0.89
  • 10. Wait for a Minute £0.89
  • 11. Left Behind £0.89
  • 12. Rocking Chair £0.89
  • 13. Manchild £0.89
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Latest Reviews

Fionn Regan  O AVALANCHE

Realistically, this album can only ever be consumed as one, as very few tracks are individual enough to be enjoyed in isolation. Instead, this record is one large piece of emotive sound, which is great to listen to but exists in its best form in the confines of the record Far Out

Fionn Regan  O AVALANCHE

The Co Wicklow musician’s seventh album is simply a beautiful piece of work The Irish Times

Fionn Regan  O AVALANCHE

A little bit of beautifully bottled unshine, designed to keep the winter blues far away musicOMH

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