Unknown Mortal Orchestra are comprised of singer, guitarist and songwriter Ruban Nielson (formerly of The Mint Chicks), bassist Jake Portrait and Riley Geare. After releasing ‘Ffunny Ffrends’ on Ruban’s Bandcamp profile with no information on who the song is credited to, bloggers attempted to find out the songs creator, and Ruban claimed it as Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Their third album, Multi-Love contemplates relationships; “airy, humid longing, loss, the geometry of desire that occurs when three people align”. Previous albums reflects the pain of being alone, whereas Multi-Love addresses the complexities of being together.

 
The album begins in brilliant fashion with a minimal start to the self-titled track. The keyboard with changing reverb and Ruban Neilson’s soft falsetto vocals introduces the subject matter of the album – Ruban and his wife both falling in love with another woman, and the confusion and heartbreak that goes with it. The first single off the album is perhaps the best on the album, having said that, the second single ‘Can’t Keep Checking My Phone’ is possibly my favourite song of the year so far. For me, there is so much to like; a cinematic intro full of classic sounding guitars and horns, a beat that you would be just as happy dancing to or relaxing to, an effortless layered sound that merges disco/funk/house ideas into a spacy futuristic pop, and vocals about the struggles of a polyamorous relationship that make you want to sing along (even if you can’t understand what is being said).
 
Unknown Mortal Orchestra have undoubtedly been inspired by a retro sound. The psychedelic synths pop in ‘Like Acid Rain’ takes influence in 80s funk/pop sound with choppy sharp drumming and punchy bass, the dated sound of a talk box guitar and drum machine in ‘Ur Life One Night’ that has a strangely futuristic effect, or the more mellow tone in ‘The World Is Crowded’ that takes influence from the smooth sounds of 70s soul and take the monophonic ideas of yesteryear into a futuristic modern day.
 
The album comes to a close in the same fine form it began in. The questioning tone in ‘Necessary Evil’ comes through in the endlessly smooth and melodic instrumentation as well as the lyrics; “I wanna be your friend but don’t have the self-control / We’re in love / But I don’t get what you see in me / …… / We’re in love / But she don’t get what I see in her”. This song champions Rubin’s clever mind for putting a song together and his unparalleled confidence to make meticulous intricate choices which makes Unknown Mortal Orchestra sound so likable. ‘Puzzles’ is really a puzzle of a track, and an intriguing way to finish the album. It starts with a cinematic soundscape featuring the sound of crunching broken glass, which goes into the alternative indie sound of an acoustic guitar and strings section, then to Prince-esquqe rock chorus, finishing with a long dramatic phase that has an almost classical Japanese feel. For a seven minuet song, only three minutes has lyrics which is all Rubin needed to put across his poignant message; “America, open up your door. / Is it right to always fight against “the other?" / What is a “person of colour?" / Is it wrong to have zone that isn’t monochrome?”.
 
Some extremely interesting ideas come through in an album that deals with such a compelling subject matter, making the album sit as a unique pop masterpiece. Unfortunately each track never quite hits the same level as the single releases – but I do feel it growing on me more and more with each listen.
 
On the release date of the album, Rubin wrote on his website to set the record straight what Multi-Love is about; “…this isn’t a chronicle of my life during last year (when the album was recorded). This album is about love and music and the world we live in right now. I wrote these songs about you, not about me. It’s not really a navel gazing record, it’s a psychic role to play in some kind of revolution and I’m convinced the ruling class isn’t scared of things like terrorism or fundamentalism, they’re scared of things like unity and empathy and lateral thinking. And that’s what I wanted to make an album about.”
Iain Lauder
 
Website: jagjaguwar.com