Unknown Mortal
Orchestra
II
There’s
much to enjoy on Unknown Mortal
Orchestra’s uninventively named second record. From the ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’
tinged opener ‘From the Sun’ to the psychedelic wah wah of ‘One at a Time’,
this is heavily 60s influenced. Cue lots
of Beatles, Small Faces and Hendrix
elements: Unknown Mortal Orchestra
are self-aware throwbacks that wear their influences on their sleeves. It’s all held together by Ruban Nielson's simple but effecting guitar
and his delicate vocals. Occasionally
they move up through the gears, like on the funky ‘No Need for a Leader’, but
this is generally a calm and, at times quite spacey, trip. A great new discovery that I made right at
the start of 2013, this record has been played with at least some regularity
for the whole year. Worth investigating.
Sample track: ‘From the Sun’
Sample track: ‘From the Sun’