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Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Funky psych-rock on the much-anticipated debut from the Oregon-based trio led by New Zealander Ruban Nielson

ADM rating[?]

7.3

Label
Fat Possum
UK Release date
20/06/2011
US Release date
21/06/2011
  1. 9.0 |   Blurt

    A steady diet of funky break beats and lo-fi psych-garage pop
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  2. 8.5 |   The AU Review

    A unique beast; very dance-floor friendly and burgeoning with contagious melody
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  3. 8.5 |   Prefix

    Strange, rich music
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  4. 8.1 |   Pitchfork

    Simple and catchy melodies lovingly marooned in a raw, buzzcut production that puts an emphasis on the beats
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  5. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    A rather unique endeavor that packs plentiful guitar riffs and sample-based techniques befitting of the funk tag
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  6. 8.0 |   Bowlegs

    How all pop music should sound
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  7. 8.0 |   BBC

    A compact and incredibly gratifying introduction to the world of Unknown Mortal Orchestra
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  8. 8.0 |   NME

    A scruffy blend of shuffling funk and psych nostalgia. Print edition only

  9. 8.0 |   NME

    A scruffy blend of shuffling funk and psych nostalgia
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  10. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    A big ol' hit, from start to finish
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  11. 8.0 |   The Fly

    Unknown Mortal Orchestra prove that bonkers is brilliant
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  12. 7.2 |   Beats Per Minute

    These are musicians having fun with their craft; their songs offer a relaxing escape that’s perfect for the summer
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  13. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Revelling in its gloriously fuzzy and lo-fi sound, Unknown Mortal Orchestra's debut album is a short but sweet journey
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  14. 7.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    In nine tracks, they’ve managed to encapsulate the best parts of rock and soul and punk and psychedelic music and still make it fresh and enjoyable
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  15. 7.0 |   Rave Magazine

    How Can U Luv Me? applies so much flange to every instrument that it sounds like an oscillating transmission from a distant star, and Nerve Damage! is a blistering slice of punk-infused paisley haze
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  16. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Will you like it? Take the Zappa test. If you don't like Zappa, you're likely to hate this album. If you pretend to like Zappa, you'll probably pretend to like this album. If you love Zappa, Unknown Mortal Orchestra could be your artist of the year
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  17. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Not life changing album, maybe, but certainly one worth the time
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  18. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    Every track here, when put through its most pure function, is there to be an alternative pop hit in the making
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  19. 7.0 |   God Is In The TV

    If you’re after a hazy nostalgia pop trip then Unknown Mortal Orchestra is for now one of the strongest of the bunch
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  20. 6.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    It recalls MGMT before the wheels came off. Which is no bad thing
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  21. 6.0 |   State

    While the quality is a constant, the sounds are scattershot with little carrying from track to track
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  22. 5.8 |   A.V. Club

    When all the pieces are working together ... it’s a quirky vision of a pop canon that never was; when the songs confuse a rut for a groove, their hypnotic qualities lapse into repetition
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  23. 5.0 |   PopMatters

    An ambitious debut, there can be no doubt about that. But too often, the careful distribution of musical allusions and sonic ambiguities devolves into perfunctory assertions of individuality
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Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Unknown Mortal Orchestra

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