Photo by Neil Krug
Birthed out of bedroom recording sessions, Ruban Nielson, frontman and mastermind behind the Portland- based, New Zealand psychedelic rock group, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, took the music world by surprise in late 2010.
Nielson uploaded a song “Ffunny Ffrends” to a Bandcamp profile on May 17, 2010 with little to no information or context. Soon, music platforms picked the song up and Nielson unveiled the Unknown Mortal Orchestra name and was quickly signed to Fat Possum Records for the release of the debut self-titled LP.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra provides a depth of sound, with a psychedelic blend drawing inspiration from dreamy pink hued disco vibes of the 70s with a twist of post punk sounds of Nielson’s youth from bands like Killing Joke and Public Image Limited. To say the least, there is a lot going on, but it works.
Nielson is a daring and innovative song writer whose genius shines in the latest release, 2017’s Sex & Food. Songs like the infectious R&B thump of “Hunnybee” or shiny guitar tones that carry “Ministry of Alienation,” a song in which Nielson highlights modern day paranoia of human reliance on technology, “My thinking is done by your machine/ Can’t escape the 20th century,” showcase Nielson’s breadth as a guitarist and vocalist.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra- Hunnybee (Live on KEXP)
The recording of Sex and Food was a period of reflection and exploration for Nielson, some of the album was recorded at his home studio in Portland, Oregon but time was spent in across the globe for Reykjavik to Mexico City, to the Vietnamese city of Hanoi.
“At first, I thought that was going to be a sad record, like II,” Nielson says. “” I was influenced enough by my own early stuff that I went into it thinking, ‘If I was a fan, how would I want to bring some of that back into what I am doing?’”
You can check out Nielson and company on stage live at The Columbus Athenaeum presented by CD102.5, Tuesday June 18 with special guest Emily Edrosa.
Click here for tickets.
Rocco Falleti is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com
