Stream: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, ‘Multi-Love’

Michelle Shiers on June 11th, 2015

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It’s no surprise that after slowly entering into the world of polyamory with his wife and a live-in fan, Unknown Mortal Orchestra frontman Ruban Nielson would title the band’s third album “Multi-Love” — a theme that both grabs you by the hand and also peeks around the corner throughout the album. “Multi-Love” (which came out last month via Jagjaguwar) is a gorgeous sprawl of compressed synth. Produced, engineered and mixed by Nielson, it retains the funky flatness — and sometimes dryness — for which Unknown Mortal Orchestra are known and loved. The title track opens the album with an upbeat hook and Nielson’s sugary voice. As a whole, it is infused with psychedelia; sampled break beats, sitar, distorted piano and guitar solos power (but don’t overpower) the record. “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone” goes from flamenco to disco with ’70s-style grooves reminiscent of Prince. His dreamy lyrics move around the lo-fi recordings that give UMO their signature pastiche. “Extreme Wealth And Casual Cruelty” features gruffer vocals and trumpet played by Nielson’s father, whose brass talents are found throughout the recordings. Perhaps the catchiest track, “Like Acid Rain” grabs with punching la-la’s, but the most memorable tune may be “The World Is Crowded,” which hums itself into bubbling mid-tempo goodness. Considering Nielson’s mix of styles, genres, and instrumentation, the motif of “Multi-Love” spreads farther than the confines of a tangled love affair — it also exemplifies their infectious innovation.

||| Stream: “Multi-Love” and “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone”