What does an acid trip through an ancient forest sound like? The spaced-out lads of Unknown Mortal Orchestra provide the answer to that question in spades.
Unknown Mortal’s self-titled album, released on June 21, is a solid jumping-off point for a band with an incredible amount of talent and potential.
Let’s get one thing straight right from the get-go: This is a good album. It may take a few listens to really understand the album’s unique sound, but it’s still very solid regardless. Sure, it’s not pushing any boundaries per se, and it treads on the path of the raw psychedelic carved by contemporaries such as Black Moth Super Rainbow and more recently, Cults. But what this album does, and does very well, is constantly challenge the listener.
It dares you to release your inhibitions. It dares you to unwind. It even dares you to dance around your bedroom playing air drums. The main focus here is what can only be described as a mixture of gelatinous and nimble guitar lines with flanged, arena-sized drum beats. The result is an album that is both melodic and amorphous at the same time.
The vintage sound provides the perfect backdrop for the cryptic lyrics which, on this album, will be a point of polarization. Lines such as “Don’t be surprised if we shine as big white / Well love is much more than good advice” from the album opener “Ffunny Ffrends” are mysterious and brilliant. While others, such as the repeated hook on “Thought Ballune,” are borderline absurd (something about a smiling alligator — fun, but utterly baffling).
But the words don’t really matter given that, at times, the vocals are distorted and processed beyond recognition. Yet this is strangely fitting because this album sounds not of this earth and could very well have been recorded by a bunch of hipster Martians.
This album flows as a fully intact, fluid whole. The funk-tinged basslines in songs such as “How Can You Luv Me” would lose their punch if it wasn’t for the kick-drum heavy beats that drive them. Likewise, the pointed guitar leads would fall short if it wasn’t for the solid rhythm section. Each instrument complements the other in a way that makes the album sound very cohesive and yes, even groovy.
Perhaps most important, and the reason why this album in particular transcends the work of most other artists in the same genre, is the catchy vocal lines. UMO’s lead vocalist, Ruban Nielson, attacks his lines with a pure, melodic approach that truly binds each song together. It’s exactly for this reason that the album stands out, with tracks such as “Little Blu House,” “Thought Ballune,” “How Can You Luv Me” and the psychedelic assault of album closer “Boy Witch” permanently drilled into the psyche.
The majority of the songs on this album capitalize on repetition to put the listener in a trance. Unfortunately, this isn’t always a good thing.
If there is one gripe that is to be had with this album, it is that the songs are repetitive. An otherwise fun song, such as “Strangers Are Strange,” may start with an infectious guitar riff or complex drum beat, but each gets repeated over and over until the song has lost its flavor and originality. While some would argue that this is the point of the album, to put the listener under its magic spell, the concept could be lost on more casual listeners.
With all this said, Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s album is still a phenomenal debut from a band with an obvious ear for catchy songs.
It does exactly what it strives to do — that is to urge listeners to free their minds and lose themselves in the walls of sound. With obese basslines, hazy vocals, huge drums tracks and moments of sheer guitar heroics, UMO set themselves apart and make other modern day psychedelic bands look like amateurs — definitely a band to watch for in the near future.