tUnE-yArDs @ Bowery Ballroom 11/18/2009 Intro / Powa / “What’s That About?” / “Move To My Hood” / Fiya / Real Live Flesh / Hatari / “Do You Want To Live?” tUnE-yArDs “Hatari” As Mike Barthel wrote last night, tUnE-yArDs’ debut album is impressive not just for its unique style and the high quality of ...

Tegan & Sara “Arrow” A lot of people can’t handle criticism of any kind, and conflate it with conflict and cruelty. That doesn’t have to be the case. The singer in this song is requesting constructive criticism and “tough love,” and though it seems to be part of a desire to change for the better, ...

Felix “You Are The One I Pick” There is a distinct Moon Pix thing happening in this song, not simply in that Lucinda Chua’s voice somewhat recalls that of Chan Marshall, but in that it evokes the same sort of sad grey emptiness. There’s no solid center to the composition, and though the melodic lines ...

Micachu and the Shapes “Golden Phone” The lyrics to “Golden Phone” are like an explanation for all of Micachu’s music: She’s fascinated by every bit of sound around her, but it’s somehow so elusive and overwhelming. The world turns, her body moves, and love comes and goes but she’s just trying to capture ...

Oh No Ono “The Wave Ballet” The singer — I’m not sure of their gender! — sounds rather like Geddy Lee, and the band makes the Arcade Fire sound like a very restrained duo. The song starts with a choral section, and builds to an arena ballad of symphonic majesty. Just so you know, that’s what you’re ...

Here are some very good songs from albums I’ve recently given so-so reviews on Pitchfork. Please click through for the full reviews. Spiral Stairs “True Love” Kannberg’s new music mostly takes its cues from Neil Young and mid-period Bob Dylan, and to a certain extent, the ragged yet expansive sound ...

Matias Aguayo “Rollerskate” The impressive thing about “Rollerskate” is that it doesn’t immediately announce itself as being basically an a cappella number, even if nearly all the sounds are in fact chopped-up bits of the human voice. Matias Aguayo’s arrangement is a slippery, bouncy thing that builds ...

Weezer “The Girl Got Hot” I like late-period Rivers Cuomo because he’s basically like Martin Short in Clifford trying to make faces like a “human boy.” He is a deeply bizarre man who is going far out of his way to be “normal” and make music for “normal” people, but his attempts at banality are so affected ...

Ghostface Killah “Stay” Ghostface rarely sounds as vulnerable as he does on “Stay.” His guard is dropped, his voice is raw. He sounds like he’s in love. He’s doing everything he can to convince this woman to stay with him, to choose him over some other dude. He doesn’t sound insecure, per se, but he’s ...

Stakk Money “Dorkin’” Would so many kids be willing to embrace nerdiness — at least on a superficial level — if “brain” was not a slang term for blowjobs? Who knows, but I love it. “Dorkin’” is about dancing and receiving oral sex, but it feels genuinely dorky. Part of that comes from the unapologetic ...