Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Multi-Love
JAGJAGUWAR
8/10
Over the last four years, Unknown Mortal Orchestra has developed a pretty fascinating and unique sound. The group’s use of sound effects, guitar pedals, and swathes of quiet melodies might put UMO in the neo-psych bracket, but there are far too many other weapons in the group’s arsenal to pigeonhole them. Namely, Ruban Neilson’s mastered ability with soul and R&B is what separates Multi-Love from its previous releases. The band’s new seven-minute jam “Puzzles” eases from sound collage to deep disco beats and back out to an ornate folk final—and not one minute is pretentious. Across the album, drums are either encased in fuzz or so solidly in the pocket, you’d think they were sampling breaks. Melodies like the one layered on the title track are buoyant and summery. While Unknown Mortal Orchestra has flirted with big moves beyond the bedroom psych realm before, this LP really transports listeners into lush zones filled with hypnotic future-funk.
