Interesting things are happening on the other side of the world in New Zealand. There are various fields in which the Kiwi’s have innovated; architecture, art, theater and especially music, to mention a few. The distance between continents have served as an incubator, keeping residents away from immediate influences, thus giving birth to a new generation of artists with attractive and diverse concepts. This is the case of Ruban Nielson, vocalist and founder of the band Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
At first glance it may seem the band is in their early beginnings. The fact is they have 2 previous albums in existence. Thanks to their latest album Multi -Love, UMO have gained huge notoriety and the album could be considered a modern classic.
Their sound progression has been gradual starting with their first self-titled album, followed by their second production simply named II, and presently with the sound we hear in Multi-Love—a hypnotic and hallucinogenic style which is highly addictive (I realized this after listening to the album for a week nonstop).
Nielson’s unusual voice style blends with synthesizers, delays and rhythms that sound futuristic and ahead of its time, such so that it’s been labeled “hallucinogen-funk” by music critics. Perhaps the influence of Nielson’s father and famous jazz trumpeter Chris Nielson (which recorded all the trumpets in the album), may have also been key to the very particular sound in Multi -Love.
Not everything in UMO is about their sound, the lyrics are also a critical part in the bands approach; songs often expressing emotional disorders such as issues of love, like in the song “So Good at Being Trouble.” “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone” talks about compulsive disorder and “From the Sun”—a song about depression with devastating lines, such as: “isolation can put a gun in our hand.” Other compositions touch on subjects like polyamorous relationships, which Nielson has recently experienced, hence the idea for the name of their latest album Multi -Love.
Lately, artists like Chaz Bundick from the band Toro y Moi, are realizing the genius in UMO and are covering their songs like Multi-Love (you can find the video in YouTube).
Nowadays the band resides in Portland, Oregon and are currently preparing for the Multi-Love Tour in which they will be paying us a visit February 5th at The Lowbrow Palace in El Paso, Texas.
UMO’s evolution is a long chain of small unexplained events, and are clearly a band worth following.
Text: Rafael A. Revilla
Photo: UMO