| Unknown Mortal Orchestra | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 June 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 30:09 | |||
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| Unknown Mortal Orchestra chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Unknown Mortal Orchestra | ||||
Unknown Mortal Orchestra is the debut album by the New Zealand rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released on 21 June 2011 on Fat Possum Records.
The album won the 2012 Taite Music Prize. [3]
Ruban Nielson left The Mint Chicks in the beginning of 2010, citing a loss of interest in the group's music. Following an incident during one of the band's live performances and Nielson's subsequent departure, The Mint Chicks broke up. Nielson had already returned to Portland, Oregon, where he began working at a film production company as an illustrator. He quickly found himself wanting to write and record music again and began searching for "psychedelic records with lost tunes" for inspiration. Nielson had become very specific about what type of record he wanted to find for inspiration and, with that specificity, began making that record himself instead. [4] Once he had finished writing and recording the album's first song, Nielson uploaded it anonymously on 17 May 2010 onto Bandcamp under the name "Ffunny Ffrends". [1] Within a day, the song had received significant coverage from independent music blogs such as Pitchfork. [4] [5] [6]
Nielson maintained the band's anonymity as he was not sure what he wanted the band to be and did not want to "face up to Mint Chicks fans and to people who were looking forward to a new Mint Chicks record." [4] Nielson eventually claimed the track under the band name Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
On the subject of the album's recording subsequent to the coverage of and reception towards "Ffunny Ffrends", Nielson said: [4]
I was just trying to make it sound like all of the records I was listening to. I wanted it to sound like it was from an old archive or an unreleased album. I wanted it to be a combination of everything but not have any rules, and I wanted to sing whatever words felt appropriate for the song. I wanted to play more guitar solos and be more jammy than The Mint Chicks. Theres a lot of vintage stores in Portland so I was running around finding dictaphones from the sixties, and I found a reel-to-reel tape recorder, and so I was recording things to tape and then putting it in Pro Tools, just experimenting to see if I could make it sound like something from a different era. Like someone had gone back in time.
The album artwork is a photograph of the Monument to the uprising of the people of Kordun and Banija, a Yugoslav World War II memorial monument built on Petrovac, the highest peak of Petrova Gora, a mountain range in central Croatia. Designed by Vojin Bakić and built in 1981, the monument is one of many monuments commissioned by Josip Broz Tito, leader of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, and is dedicated to the Partisans of Kordun and Banija who were killed during World War II.
The monument was the site of one of the tragic World War II episodes, when about 300 desperate Serb peasants armed only with pitchforks, died attacking the Ustasha Militia at the top of the mountain, during breakthrough of the enemy ring in 1942. The monument is a symbol of suffering and heroic struggle for most of the Serbian population in this region, who, starting in the spring of 1941, had been the subject of Ustasha crimes and genocide. After the founding of the first Partisan units in Kordun and Banija, Croats and Serbs fought together against fascism and occupation.
On the subject of the album artwork, frontman Ruban Nielson said: [4]
Where did the album cover art come from? It’s a building in Yugoslavia. It’s called a Spomenick [ sic ], which is a Communist monument. It’s really run down now and I liked the idea of this mysterious building that you don’t know what it is or where it is but it’s from the past, built for the future, and is now in disrepair. It seemed to match the music, so we used an image of that that looked like a tourist photo.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 73/100 [7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| The A.V. Club | C+ [9] |
| BBC Music | (favorable) [10] |
| Consequence of Sound | C+ [11] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [12] |
| musicOMH |  [13] |
| NME | 8/10 [14] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10 [15] |
| PopMatters |   [16] |
| Prefix Magazine | 8.5/10 [17] |
Unknown Mortal Orchestra received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 16 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [7]
Ian Cohen of Pitchfork gave the album a favorable review, stating, "Combined with an expert use of space rare for such a lo-fi record, UMO manages a unique immersive and psychedelic quality without relying on the usual array of bong-ripping effects." [15] Neil Condron of NME praised the album, stating, "Unknown Mortal Orchestra is almost unwillingly accomplished, a scruffy blend of shuffling funk and psych nostalgia that feels a lot more right than it should. Even the Dictaphone-style production works, giving this debut a Haunted Graffiti-esque mugginess, clipping the claws of the guitar hooks. Nielson probably didn’t know what he was getting into when he started UMO and is probably still figuring it out now. If that means more sleepless nights for him, all the better for us." [14] Spin ' Nate Brennan called the record "a kaleidoscopic psych-rock gem". [18]
Tim Sendra of AllMusic praised the album, stating, "It could have turned into a self-indulgent mess at some point, but Nielson never forgets that while it’s cool to make cool sounds, it’s better to write cool songs. And every song on the record is quite cool, some are even really great. The opening "Ffunny Ffriends," with its summer day, hazy sound and naggingly catchy vocal line, is one. So is the punchy "How Can You Luv Me," which comes off like a Beck jam only without the meta-cutesy vibe. Really, you could single out any song on the album for praise or inclusion on a killer summer mixtape and you wouldn't go wrong. The Mint Chicks were a decent band, but with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ruban Nielson is onto something a lot more interesting and fun." [8] Wilson McBee of Prefix Magazine gave the album a favorable review, stating, "Unknown Mortal Orchestra has produced the rare indie pop record that seizes you on the first listen but also rewards repeated playing. The former is due to the power of Nielson's hooks, and the latter to his virtuoso guitar work and intricate production. The veil in front of Nielson's identity may have been removed, but plenty of mystery and excitement awaits anyone digging into his strange, rich music." [17]
Dylan Nelson of PopMatters was more critical of the album, stating, "Unknown Mortal Orchestra is an ambitious debut, there can be no doubt about that. But too often, the careful distribution of musical allusions and sonic ambiguities devolves into perfunctory assertions of individuality. It would seem that Nielson's preoccupation with making the group sound different has made it sound unlike even itself. No matter how curious or inviting the artifacts, after too long, even record collectors’ ideal junkshop will give them toxic shock." [16] Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the album a more favorable review, stating, "Nielson’s upper-register rasp occasionally recalls that of Paul McCartney, which seems appropriate—as a mercurial experiment in home recording, Unknown Mortal Orchestra lines up nicely with the ex-Beatle's McCartney and McCartney II LPs. And like those two releases, Unknown Mortal Orchestra's idiosyncrasies and straightforward melodies portend greater, untapped potential." [9]
| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 35 [19] |
| NME | 50 Best Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 34 [20] |
| Prefix Magazine | Top Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 25 [21] |
| Stereogum | Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 42 [22] |
| Uncut | The Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 50 [23] |
All tracks are written by Ruban Nielson
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ffunny Ffrends" | 4:17 |
| 2. | "Bicycle" | 4:45 |
| 3. | "Thought Ballune" | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Jello and Juggernauts" | 3:24 |
| 5. | "How Can You Luv Me" | 3:28 |
| 6. | "Nerve Damage!" | 2:15 |
| 7. | "Little Blu House" | 3:01 |
| 8. | "Strangers Are Strange" | 2:24 |
| 9. | "Boy Witch" | 2:25 |
| Total length: | 30:09 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Rebuild the Theatres" | 2:26 |
| Total length: | 32:35 | |
Jagjaguwar is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Mint Chicks were a New Zealand noise rock and art punk group (the band began to refer to their style of music as "troublegum" and have been referred to as anything from neo-punk to schizo-pop to the only half-serious genre definition of shit-gaze. The band is originally from Auckland and relocated to Portland, Oregon, USA in 2007.
Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! is the second full-length album released by The Mint Chicks and was originally released in New Zealand on the Flying Nun label. The album was produced by singer Kody, guitarist Ruban Nielson, and their father Chris Nielson. Despite its humble beginnings the album dominated the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards 2007, earning five awards as well as achieving Gold status in the Chicks' home country of New Zealand. The album was also released in the US through Milan Records on September 9, 2008.
Fuck the Golden Youth is the first full-length album released by The Mint Chicks on the Flying Nun label. The album was produced by singer Kody and Guitarist Ruban Nielson and recorded by the band in total isolation in a house on a beach in Northland, New Zealand which was inaccessible except at low tide.
Octagon, Octagon, Octagon is the first recorded release by The Mint Chicks on Flying Nun Records, and is their first officially released CD-EP. Recorded in Chris Nielson's bedroom, the EP led to critical acclaim and the release of a follow-up, Anti-Tiger in 2004. Two of the tracks, "Licking Letters" and "Fat Gut Strut" were re-recorded for the Mint Chicks' first full-length, Fuck the Golden Youth in 2005.
Screens is the third and final studio album from Auckland-based "troublegum" group The Mint Chicks and thus far the only Mint Chicks release not to feature bassist Michael Logie. It was released on March 16, 2009 in New Zealand, The Mint Chicks' homeland on Flying Nun Records. It was mixed in Portland, Oregon by the Nielson brothers and Jacob Portrait, with additional mixing by Chris Nielson in Auckland, New Zealand.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO) is a New Zealand psychedelic rock band formed in Auckland, primarily composed of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ruban Nielson, and bassist Jacob Portrait. The band is based in Portland, Oregon, US. Nielson started the band in 2009. The band's first album was released in 2011 on Fat Possum Records; four subsequent studio albums have been released on Jagjaguwar, the most recent being V (2023).
The Taite Music Prize is an annual New Zealand music award event. It features the same-named prize awarded for the best album from New Zealand.
The Adults is a "collaborative name" used for two different recording projects led by New Zealand musician and Shihad frontman Jon Toogood. The first iteration of the Adults was a New Zealand rock supergroup that released a self-titled album in 2011. In 2018 a completely different set of musicians performed on Haja, an album that blended Aghani Al-Banat with New Zealand hip hop.
II is the second studio album from the band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released in February 2013. A 15-track Deluxe Edition was released in October, along with the EP Blue Record. A 10th anniversary special vinyl reissue was released on 17 November 2023.
The 2011 APRA Silver Scroll Awards were held on Tuesday 13 September 2011 at the Auckland Town Hall, celebrating excellence in New Zealand songwriting. The Silver Scroll Award was presented to Dave Baxter of Avalanche City for the song "Love Love Love", and pop-rock band Hello Sailor were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.
The Monument to the Uprising of the People of Kordun and Banija is a World War II monument built on Veliki Petrovac, the highest peak of Petrova Gora (English: Peter's Mountain), a mountain range in central Croatia. The site of the monument is shared between three municipalities: Gvozd and Topusko, in Sisak-Moslavina County and Vojnić, in Karlovac County.
Multi-Love is the third studio album from the New Zealand band Unknown Mortal Orchestra. It was released on 26 May 2015. Frontman and primary contributor Ruban Nielson produced, mixed, and engineered the entirety of Multi-Love. He explored themes such as euphoria, loneliness, existentialism and emotional exhaustion. The title Multi-Love is a reference to the intense polyamorous relationship which Ruban Nielson had with his wife and a younger woman for a year, before her visa expired and the relationship ended. The topic is a prevalent theme in the album's lyrics, and Nielson has won acclaim for how he made such topics into music form, and portraying sexual experimentation in a positive light. The fallout from the relationship and subsequent personal transformations for Ruban, his wife Jenny, and the younger woman is the basis of the album's existential themes, and contributes to an eventual catharsis and reckoning with the past Ruban had, once he could finally let go from his bygone "multi-love".
Ruban Nielson is a New Zealand-American musician, singer and songwriter, and the frontman of the psychedelic rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra. He has won two Aotearoa Music Awards and an APRA Silver Scroll, over the course of his band's five studio albums and one extended play.
Jacob Martin Portrait is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He is the bassist of the New Zealand psychedelic rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and a current member of the Portland-based alternative rock band Blouse.
Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide is the debut album by American rapper Hodgy. It was released on December 9, 2016, by Odd Future Records and Columbia Records. It features guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, and Salomon Faye. It is supported by three singles, "Barbell", "Final Hour" and "Glory."
Sex & Food is the fourth studio album by New Zealand band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released on 6 April 2018 through Jagjaguwar. According to leader of UMO Ruban Nielson, the album features a more expansive and eclectic sound than previous records, inspired by the international locations where it was recorded, including Mexico City, Seoul, Hanoi and Reykjavík, as well as Nielson's native Auckland and home Portland.
IC-01 Hanoi is an instrumental album by New Zealand band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released on 26 October 2018 through Jagjaguwar. It is the group's second album of 2018 after Sex & Food, released in April, and their first instrumental album. The album was recorded entirely in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam, and originated from sessions for Sex & Food, with frontman Ruban Nielson's father, Chris Nielson, also contributing instrumentation to the record.
Divide and Dissolve is an instrumental doom metal band based in Melbourne, Australia. The band was founded by saxophone and guitarist Takiaya Reed, who is of Tsalagi and African-American heritage. From 2017 to 2022, its other member was percussionist Sylvie Nehill, who is of Māori and White-Australian heritage.
V is the fifth studio album by New Zealand band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released on 17 March 2023 through Jagjaguwar. It is a double album.
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