Jagjaguwar Welcomes Newest Signee – Unknown Mortal Orchestra

The glammed-up, psychedelic, soulful, punked-out Unknown Mortal Orchestra is the brainchild of Oregon (via New Zealand) resident Ruban Nielson, a former Mint Chicks guitarist who mentions Captain Beefheart, Sly Stone, and RZA in the same breath. UMO’s self-titled debut full-length sounds like funkier Ween tackling Elephant 6, blending New Age ’70s recording techniques with that recent lava lamp/black-lit bedroom aesthetic (see Ariel Pink). It makes sense Nielson and his live band’s playing shows with Fat Possum labelmates Smith Westerns, sure. At the same time, you’ll think he might want to find a time machine and do a gig or two with Syd Barrett, the Kinks, or some private-press loner dude destined to be reissued and distributed via Forced Exposure. The music’s playful, but accomplished; familiar, but ambitiously charting its own collaged course.