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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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