Showing posts with label unknown mortal orchestra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unknown mortal orchestra. Show all posts
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buffaBLOG's Best of 2013: Staff Picks - Favorite Albums Part 1



Jon Krol

 David Bowie - The Next Day
Bowie disappeared for nearly a decade before returning with the best album he's released since the 70's. A dynamic, familiar-yet-still-reaching, piece of work that only adds to an already great legacy. Bowie is the representation of all things great and powerful in music. His is art, pop, love, loss, thrill and despair. This album, like Bowie's best, somehow manages to straddle the line between mainstream bubblegum and seedy-city sleaze without compromise. And "Valentine's Day" is one of the best songs he's ever released. Period.


Ryan Wolf

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
I am going to flip-flop what I said earlier in the year. Though I admire Modern Vampires of the City and Push the Sky Away about the same artistically, and both albums have resonated for me throughout 2013, I have to give a slight edge to Vampire Weekend that I granted to Nick Cave a few months ago only because of this: I listened to Modern Vampires more times. The music remains as devilishly catchy as it is profound.

 In the end, what I dub the greatest album of 2013 barely matters. But the bold existence of Modern Vampires of the City seems meaningful. Not only did the album turn a good band great, it brought spiritual questions to the forefront of the alternative and indie music scene in a playful but ultimately sincere way. Vampire Weekend did not simply name-drop biblical references for poetic cred: they dealt with contemporary religious crisis as if their very souls were on the line. When the market gets hip, the hip get hungry for something more than merely being cool.
Runners-Up: Push the Sky Away, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds; Reflektor, Arcade Fire; Perils from the Sea, Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle; AM, Arctic Monkeys


John Hugar

Janelle Monae - Electric Lady
This was not an easy choice -2013 had a ton of albums that could have taken the top honors in a lesser year, but no album in 2013 could match Monae's Electric Lady in terms of sheer ambition and creativity. Imagine if Prince, Outkast, ELO, and Funkadelic all made an album together, and you'd have a rough idea of what were dealing with. Anthems like "Q.U.E.E.N." and the title track manage to be political while not losing anything in danceability, while "Dance Apocalyptic" might be the most purely fun song since "Hey Ya." Really, though, there isn't a weak track on this album. With 19 tracks and a run-time over an hour, the album never drags or ceases to be interesting. A brilliant record from an artist who is probably just getting warmed up.



Nick Sessanna

 Pity Sex – Feast of Love
Almost all of my favorite albums are “growers…” That being said, Feast of Love is an excellent album that I really wasn’t expecting to grow attached to. Looking back, had I not given this album the chance it truly deserves, I really would have been missing out. Between the blissful shoegaze of lead single “Wind-Up” and the more subdued bass fuzz of “Keep,” this is an album truly appropriate for all moods. Call it “emogaze” if you will; it’s dirty enough to get you excited when you are happy and moody enough to satisfy any level of deep depression. The true strength of this album comes from co-lead singer Britty Drake – you’ll never hear her belting it out gospel-style, but her delivery on gems like “Hollow Body” is one of the saddest and unreasonably beautiful things I have ever heard. Recommended for fans of noisy shoegaze like My Bloody Valentine, straightforward fuzz rock like Smashing Pumpkins, or pretty much anything emotive you’d expect to hear at a basement show.



Ailsa Forlenza

 Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II 
Ever twist in circles while sitting on a swing? So tight that it seems the ropes are about to break, and then when you release, the whirred rush of the world undoes itself and perception ceases for a blissful moment. The release is what this album feels like to me. Guitar riffs that blur and swish a daydream paintbrush across a sonic page, and lyrics that push the boundaries of this album into a psychedelic realm. II lifted my subconscious and implanted a sweet reverie that I can access as soon as I hear "I wish that I could swim and sleep like a shark does/ I'd fall to the bottom and I'd hide til the end of time…"

Cliff Parks

Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe 
This debut from the Glasgow electronica is pure perfection from start to finish, a smart sugar rush of exquisitely crafted pop songs built around tasteful synths, undeniable beats, and the stunning vocals of steely Lauren Mayberry. While it wasn't a banner year for woman power and feminism in pop music, Chvrches' Mayberry proved to be a fine and much needed exception. Brilliantly sequenced and executed, this freshmen album came out of nowhere, and ended up owning me this year.



Tom Etu

 Tomahawk - Oddfellows
A "supergroup" of musical weirdos, Tomahawk had been silent for years until throwing this rock in the faces of music lovers who like their experimental rock with a side of fucked up. Oddfellows is not the best album of 2013, but it was widely overlooked and light needed to be shed on its grotesquely deformed underbelly. The lyrics take you into the regret of a jailbird and the patience of a sniper, with a few sprinkled references to kinky sex. It almost follows a deranged plotline. Duane Denison can still rock out with his Jesus Lizard out, and Mike Patton can still roar and then croon like a gentleman quicker than you can have a heart attack. The addition of bass player extraordinaire Trevor Dunn to the line-up gives this album a slinky jazz vibe. Sexy and repulsive. 


 For Part 2, click here.
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Album Review: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Blue Record EP


Ever lose track of an idea or object, and instead of panic, let your worry drop away? Only to find, moments later, the lapse in your memory retraces its own steps and you've found the key. Moving through retrograde is tough--the resistance to re-edit or re-do a work of art we thought perfect is daunting, but that letting go places a fresh coat of paint on the piece in dire need. 

This pruning and clipping regains health, perspective. Unknown Mortal Orchestra's new EP, Blue Record, is a fifteen minute, all-acoustic rebirth of three of their previous songs and two covers. Ruban Nielson, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist spoke briefly with Stereogum about his initial resistance to the acoustic sound, much preferring an amplified, dubbed guitar, a sound Unknown Mortal Orchestra is known for. Well, it's great that he gave it a whirl, because this new batch of songs are mesmerizing. With acoustics it's easier to hear the idea singled out, the words bold and crisp. The raw, feverish passion breaks through in his voice on tracks like "So Good At Being In Trouble" and "Swim + Sleep (Like A Shark)."

The three remaining tracks on the EP are "Faded In The Morning," "Swing Lo Magellan," an original Dirty Projectors tune, and "Puttin' It Down," an original Jeff Beck number. The vocals on "Faded In The Morning" are like velvet, folding in on each other, soft against soft. In fact, the voice is what's really emphasized to me on the two covers as well. "Puttin' It Down" almost seems like they used a voice-changer to reach that low, deep timbre. The pace and volume quicken as fast as they settle down. Their cover of "Swing Lo Magellan" is a more pensive rhythm than the original with an airy voice. 

Blue Record is definitely a tease when it comes down to it. Excited to see what's next for Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and hoping that it's along these similar frets. Stream the album here, or pick up a vinyl or digital download on their website here.

Grade: A-




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Album Review: Unknown Mortal Orchestra – II



Unknown Mortal Orchestra may sound like the name of a hairy symphonic metal gang, a wristcutting emo act, or a Top 40-covering string quartet, but the New Zealanders are thankfully none of the above. Providing the group with a name that was intentionally “easy to find on Google,” frontman Ruban Nielson was recognized by the blogosphere before he even had a band to support his vision. Now on their second full length, UMO seem fixated on turning rock history into modern art, bringing depth and density to their reimagining of the British Invasion and reconfiguring of Motown.

Nielson’s voice evokes a raspier John Lennon while the rest of his crew stretch the Beatles-gone-indie approach even farther, throwing in some low-temperature Stevie Wonder funk on “So Good At Being in Trouble” and “Secret Xtians” for extra points. Employing the Led Zeppelin album titling strategy for their sophomore work, the band seems determined to be the rebirth of classic rock, slow-burning psychedelic song spinners of the highest order, modeling themselves after the greats with complexity and verve.

II, however, is not the savior of rock n’ roll. It does not push back the wheel of time, though it might make time's tread forward a bit more pleasant. “No Need for a Leader,” a crunchy Black Keys-style tune is chillier and artier than anything the Black Keys themselves have released, but it reveals capable songwriting chops. UMO are too detached, too cool, too interested in textures, to make their retro pop music stick to the roof of your brain like the Black Keys do. Nonetheless, their lightly experimental artisanal production (using a child's laughter as a musical instrument on “Fading from the Morning”) is more accessible than Tame Impala’s revisionist psychedelia, if not as consciousness expanding.

The sunny delivery of lines like “Isolation can put a gun in your hand,” and “Who cares what God is or a guitar is or that you were born,” make UMO the oddest and most hazily philosophical of recent classic rock throwback groups. In the end though, their progressive tendencies and Elephant Six-like quirkiness perhaps place them far outside of the more direct era-channeling of the White Stripes or the Black Keys. II is a spacey, vaguely ambitious, pop curiosity, a softly surreal and heavily stoned take on unburied legends.

Grade: B



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Top Ten February Album Releases


As you've been hibernating the past few weeks, staying cozy inside while windchill levels approached sub-zero, the music world has kept warm too, grilling up an entire month's worth of awesome new releases. Check out what February has in store for your ears!
10. Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse
When Scottish indie rock outfit Frightened Rabbit released their track and subsequent video for "State Hospital" last year I was pretty blown away. The song has the stamina and intensity of a stadium rock anthem, but wields weighty lyricism that cuts to images of suffering and hope. Overall, their EP release last year wasn't great, but just good enough to stir up a longing for their fourth studio full-length which is out today.
9. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away 
The legendary Nick Cave has stayed prolific as ever in the past few years with his Grinderman efforts and reissues with his band, and will be releasing his fifteenth studio record with The Bad Seeds on 2/18 via the band’s own label, Bad Seed Ltd. The debut single off the new record is called “Jubilee Street”. Check it out below:
8. Pissed Jeans - Honeys
Pissed Jeans are back with more of their corrosive, ear-punishing punk on their third full-length, Honeys. As Sub Pop points out: “Honeys stews on the kind of mundane, niggling things that keep you up late at night. It’s an ode to the misery and shackles of being a responsible adult, and the shame of one’s own narcissism.” That description, along with the buzzing guitar riffs of album cut “Cathouse” already have me sold. 


7. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II 
Unknown Mortal Orchestra had a pretty fast climb to prominence as their debut self-titled LP found itself at the center of a critical love fest two years ago. Reaping instant acclaim, the Portland-via-New Zealand transplants toured their asses off, and the relentlessness of that experience has been the slow-burning fuel for their latest record, II, which is out today via Jagjaguwar. With frontman Ruban Nielson’s unique lyricism and seamless guitar-playing to boot, it is interesting to see where this next record will take us, as it is almost always the case that a sophomore LP will up the ante on production value. Listen to “So Good At Being In Trouble” below:


6. Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety 
Known by friends as Arthur Ashin, this Brooklynite is fresh on the scene with his latest album Anxiety due out 2/26 via Mexican Summer. The newest single off the record is “Play By Play” and highlight’s Ashin’s dynamic renewal of 80s pop and R&B that raises eyebrows with its spellbinding percussion and Prince-like vocals. Listen below:

5. Doldrums - Lesser Evil
Canadian beat-smith Doldrums aka Airick Woodhead will release his debut record Lesser Evil on 2/25 via Arbutus. The Toronto DIY-er has released a few small EPs in the past and relies heavily on brief loops of samples and tortuous percussion. Woodhead’s high pitched hum is unmistakable, as his vocal tracks are often cut and warped to match the psychadelic vibe of his music. Listen to "Egypt" below:


4. Beach Fossils - Clash The Truth
Back with their follow-up to 2010’s underrated surf-rock self-titled effort, Beach Fossils will release Clash The Truth on 2/19 via Captured Tracks. While the band has expanded with various members coming and going, it all started with mastermind Dustin Payseur, who recorded everything on the first record by himself, playing every instrument. As the musician received continued acclaim in the indie community, Captured Tracks took notice and brought Payseur on to record a sophomore LP. Payseur brought on some core band members for recording in a proper studio, including a feature from Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino on their track “In Vertigo”. Listen to their latest track "Generational Synthetic" below:
3. My Bloody Valentine -mbv
Remember My Blood Valentine? I don’t. Because I was two years old when their last studio record was released back in 1991. it’s been a long time coming, but in the last 22 years, after many rumors of a new material, lead singer Kevin Shields going crazy, and countless throw-outs, My Blood Valentine has finally released their follow-up to Loveless with mbv, which was released on February 2, subsequently crashing the online server that was facilitating the release. So far the album has gotten favorable reviews with The Guardian giving it a perfect 5/5 rating. Listen to the opening track below and stream the rest via YouTube.

2. Iceage - You're Nothing
Strait-up, Iceage is putting out some awesome music right now. Still riding off the coattails of 2011’s 24-minute hell-raiser, New Brigade, they’ve just released the video for the new single “Ecstacy” about a week ago. Picking up where they left off, the Danish teens let out a surge of dark energy on the track with chunky guitar riffs coating hair-raising shouts of “Pressure!” While it seems the trend has been for many current indie-punk bands to shift toward more refined, poppier territory, Iceage have committed themselves to louder and gnarlier thread of punk, one that requires cheap beer and trashed speakers. You’re Nothing is out 2/19 via Matador.

1. Atoms for Peace - Amok - 2/25
Perhaps the most anticipated album of 2013, Atoms For Peace’s Amok, is something like four years in the making. The supergroup was first concieved when Thom Yorke called Flea (bassist for Red Hot Chili Peppers), Joey Waronker (drummer for R.E.M.), Mauro Refosco, and Nigel Godrich (Radiohead producer) together to play the entirety of Yorke’s solo record The Eraser in LA in 2009. Playing at Coachella in 2010 they were simply known as “??????” Since, they've slowly come into form, officially giving the band its name, releasing their first official single “Default” last year, and another “Judge, Jury, and Executioner” last month while detailing the release of their debut album. The tracks sound quite reminiscent of Yorke’s solo record Eraser, but there is definitely a stronger reliance on drum and vocal loops giving way to nuanced and textured sound that we’ve really yet to fully experience from Yorke. Amok is out 2/26 in the US. Listen to "Judge, Jury, and Executioner" below:

Tom Dennis

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Listener's Digest: September 13 - September 20


I think it was Dylan Thomas who said, "Do not go gentle into the Friday night/pent up peeps should rage hard at close of day." Obviously, the Welsh poet was talking about going hard in the paint on a Friday. So, before you go rage at one of the many awesome things going on this weekend, here are some new great releases from the last week. 


IO Echo - "Carnation:" IO Echo teams up with Jonny Pierce, lead singer of the Drums, for this anthemic song off of their debut EP, which is set to be released later this fall. A shift from the driving Ravenettesque "When the Lillies Die," "Carnation" is a short burst of stirring guitars and vocals. 


Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark):" Unknown Mortal Orchestra, who released a single as part of the Adult Swim Singles Series earlier this summer, have put out a new track this week. Short and catchy, Unknown Mortal Orchestra's distinct style, melodic rock with distinctly out of tune guitars, is on full display here. 


Mac DeMarco - "Freaking Out The Neighborhood:" Captured Tracks seems to be on a real roll lately. Having released both Wild Nothing and DIIV's near perfect records, the label seems to have found and released some great stuff this year. If this new song from Mac DeMarco is any of how his new album, "2," will be, then the Brooklyn label has another winner. A shimmering, quick paced song, "Freak Out The Neighborhood" is reminiscent of Orange Juice and Joseph K. 


Diplo feat. Jahan Lennon - "About That Life:" An interesting mellow track from Diplo. This heady psychedelic song featuring vocals from Jahan Lennon seems like a distinct shift from  the seemingly ubiquitous artist's previous work. Then again, it comes off as being a response to the sentiments expressed in the Major Lazer song (one of the year's best singles by the way), "Get Free." Apparently, we're free now and spacing out...or something, I am still in an office wearing a tie. 


AC Newman - "Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns:" A new tightly crafted power pop song from AC Newman. This is, of course, nothing new or a shocking change of direction as Newman, whether solo or with the New Pornographers, has been releasing great pop rock tracks for years now. Still, another excellent song from AC Newman is always welcome. This is off his soon to be released album, Shut Down the Streets. 

Michael Torsell
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Pitchfork Festival After Shows: What to do after the fesitval



Just over a week until James, Tom, and myself head west to Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park, and we have been quite busy trying to figure out a schedule for ourselves during the three day weekend.  Some tricky conflicts have already arisen for each day.  Friday may split the group as both Feist and Purity Ring close the first evening at 8:20, both acts following what should me a packed set for Dirty Projectors at 7:20, especially after the band's upcoming album Swing Low Magellan streamed yesterday.  Saturday posts a similar conflict as Cults and Youth Lagoon look to overlap at some point in the afternoon, followed by Chromatics and Brit dance kings Hot Chip later that evening. Don't even get us started on Sunday which has left us dizzy just thinking about as Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, The Men, and Real Estate all play withing 2 hour block.


As with most festivals though, the fun does not end simply when the headliner closes for the night.  With all of our day planning still coming together, the next step is to plan our evenings.  Luckily, a handful of after parties, both official festival shows and non, and popped up over the last couple weeks.  One that immediately caught our eye was one of the music blog's official after parties at Lincoln Hall(2424 N Lincoln Ave), featuring indie electronic act Chromatics.  The band released Kill for Love, one of Pitchfork and buffaBLOG's best reviewed albums of the year, their first since 2007's Night Drive.  This after party could conveniently eliminate that Saturday conflict with Hot Chip so this could be right up our alley.  Tickets for the party, which features Chris Baio of Sunday headliners Vampire Weekend, can be purchased here.

A second party that we may find ourselves at is Sunday night's show at Schuba's (3159 N. Southport).  Both the retro low fi surf rocker Dirty Beaches and the Kiwi born psych funkers Unknown Mortal Orchestra will be playing the show, in addition to earlier that day at the festival.  Tickets for the show can be purchase here, and like most after parties, come at a discount if you show your Pitchfork bracelet, so don't get rid of that thing when you leave the park. It's more valuable than you may think.

If you happen to be heading to the festival yourself, check out this unoffical after party guide that includes shows from Tanlines, Father John Misty, Dent May, and a curious Talking Heads cover band, we stumbled across to help plan your weekend, and if you like, shoot us a tweet and maybe we can meet up.



mac mcguire
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Tonight: Unknown Mortal Orchestra



Mohawk Place will be buzzing with the lo-fi fuzz of Unknown Mortal Orchestra tonight as the group makes a stop in Buffalo with openers Gauntlet Hair and the birD day. Considering the group is touring behind its self-titled debut LP, expect to hear favorites like "Ffunny Ffriends" and "How Can You Luv Me?" that helped launch Unknown Mortal Orchestra from tracks on a page to a legitimate band on tour.

Anchored by New Zealand native Ruban Nielson who is joined by bassist/producer Jake Portrait and drummer Julien Ehrich, Unknown Mortal Orchestra got its start when Nielson moved to Portland with his band Mint Chicks only to stray from the group to create his own side project. What started as a one-man bandcamp page has grown into a three-piece playing live shows. The group's first full-length, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, was released in June 2011 gaining hype from Pitchfork, Das Racist and even ?uestlove for its infectiously catchy throwback tracks. Since the release, the band has toured with the likes of Yuck and Toro Y Moi across North America with plans to travel to the UK and Europe beginning in November.

Tonight's show starts at 7 p.m. when the doors open. Tickets are $13.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra-FFunny Frendss by josiahmfilm

Brianne Galli
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