“I'm not trying to get you on the first listen, at all.” This is the ethos of Ruban Nielson, frontman and principal architect of psychedelic rock outfit Unknown Mortal Orchestra. The Portland band plays groovy but blurry rock music blending disparate influences into a trademark sound that’s instantly recognizable to anyone familiar.
Having first emerged amid the explosion of left-of-center rock bands propped up by Pitchfork and other music blogs in the aughts, UMO enjoys a quiet popularity among music obsessives and a decidedly stylish crowd. The band is five albums and a decade of touring into their story, and they’re getting a few festival appearances and one-off shows in during the lull between album cycles. This is what brings them to Chicago’s Outset, an exceedingly well-situated venue that opened only a few weeks prior to UMO coming into town.
Released last March, V was their lengthiest album to date and spurred a post-pandemic period of activity that’s seen their profile grow. This batch of tunes is very much within the lane Nielson deftly set the band on with the first few records. Keeping UMO’s intrigue seems to be a priority. There’s something frustratingly admirable about Nielson’s refusal to strip away the fuzz to uncover the catchy songwriting on display across his five albums.
There are soulful tunes beneath the haze and pedal-infused effects that Nielson seems intent on obscuring. If you can believe him, he’s challenging the listener to dip deeper to find (and understand) the polished rhythms and structures beneath the lo-fi veneer. All the juice is bubbling beneath the surface, especially groovy basslines and intricate guitar licks. For lack of a better term, it’s all vibes when you’re listening to this band.
Songs like set-closer “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone” boast disco bonafides, as does the tender “Hunnybee” which features some of the most emotive and melodic vocals Nielson has put out. Of course, these tracks are all processed through UMO’s typical filter on their records, but the tasty guitar licks and earworm material are more distinguishable when they play live.
In many ways, bands like Unknown Mortal Orchestra prove that the term ‘psychedelic’ is as nebulous (and thus nondescript) as the terms ‘indie’ or ‘alternative.’ Their tunes never devolve into spacey jams, but there are twists and turns even in their more direct arrangements. UMO never gets heavy in the way their more garage-oriented peers Ty Segall or King Gizzard do; their brand of guitar music is more aligned with Khruangbin and Toro y Moi. Like I said before, it’s all vibes.
Thursday’s set, the second of a two-night stand at Outset, drew from every album and featured plenty of crowd pleasers that first put them on the map. The band did a great job of keeping the crowd guessing, often letting songs bleed into each other and even reprising choruses of previous songs out of nowhere. Unknown Mortal Orchestra isn’t a jam band by any definition, but their live presentation invites the comparison.
There were more subdued tracks, like “Ministry of Alienation” and “Nadja” that would have felt ponderous if not for the some welcome guitar noodling. “Multi-Love” was a crowd favorite, and it’s proof that the intricate and heady arrangements of the band can still leave room for climactic moments. Pop tendencies aside, Ruban Nielson can certainly shred. Nearly every cut showcases at least some mastery of his instrument. The air-tight rhythm section set the perfect base for serpentine guitar grooves on songs like “That Life” and “The Opposite of Afternoon.”
The band does an amazing job untangling and then re-tangling their songs for an audience. Which is why their (lengthy) encore of the more straightforward jams “That Life,” “Hunnybee,” and “Can't Keep Checking My Phone” felt so gratifying. It was a one-two-three punch of some of their most popular songs, and a worthy end to their string of summer tour dates.
Much is made of Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s at-times perplexing sonic qualities, but when you get them on stage, it’s not hard to see the appeal. While Outset proved to be a sleek setting for a few nights with a popular band, UMO should be playing larger spaces. After another album cycle, a date at Salt Shed or prominent Pitchfork booking would feel appropriate.
You can listen or purchase to Unknown Mortal Orchestra latest album V here.