Album review: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Multi-Love

Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Once you know the story about Unknown Mortal Orchestra frontman Ruban Nielson's experience with polyamory while this album was in creation, it's hard to forget. Except if you'd never heard about it, it's entirely possible that you could listen to Multi-Love and never have any inkling of that story, because though that experience infused Nielson's outlook and writing, and gave the album its title, this isn't an album about polyamory.

It's an album about the confusion of love and life, of emotions, endless questions, and a search for contentment.

Sure there's a sense of Nielson working through some different inner dialogues, but it sounds like the challenging experience helped him to find some new joyfulness and acceptance on the other side.

Because where II was a slightly introverted album, its guitar riffery and sweet, strong melodies tinged with loneliness and listlessness, Multi-Love is an outward-looking, hopeful collection.

From the moment the swirling title-track opens - the baroque organ parts underpinning Nielson's multi-layered crooning, the exuberant drums bursting through - even though there's a sense of lovesick bewilderment to the track, it seems Nielson's got a smile on his face.

There is less guitar and more synth overall (Nielson built his own synth collection, created his own patches and fades), fuelled by a natural instinct for strong grooves.

There's no denying the influence of Prince (Ur Life One Night is a brilliantly bent homage), or Frank Zappa, but Neilson still comes up with something wholly original, and the contributions of his brother Kody (production, drumming etc) and father Chris (horns) only add to the exuberance.

Though heavily processed, the vocals are soulful, his easy melodies phrased perfectly to fit unexpected harmonic progressions, and full of inventive rhythmic patterns. They underpin the diversity of styles that flow through the album - the amazing futuristic-jungle-disco sound of Can't Keep Checking My Phone; the burning flamenco-ish, astronomical, submerged world of Extreme Wealth and Casual Cruelty; the deep funk groove propelling The World Is Crowded; the Mint Chicks-like precociousness of Stage or Screen.

It's all brilliant stuff, and there's plenty more to uncover on every listen - such is the nature of UMO's musicality.

Artist: Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Album: Multi-Love
Label: Jagjaguwar
Verdict: Brilliant, joyful genre-mashing.

- TimeOut