Written largely on tour, Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s second album, II, deals mostly with the isolation and restlessness felt by main songwriter Ruban Nielson. Yet, on this weird and wonderful adventure, the band sound more comfortable than ever.

Nielson’s writing continues to owe much to the retro sounds of 60s psychedelic rock, and on this second effort he draws even more heavily from his lithe funk and R’n’B influences, particularly on single and standout track ‘So Good At Being In Trouble’, which grooves like nothing the band has produced before.

Fans of the trio’s past work will find the sounds here largely familiar – the band has stuck with the hazy fuzziness and lo-fi drums that characterised UMO’s self-titled debut in 2011. However the production values have clearly been stepped up – a sleeker, reverb-y sound has replaced the scratchiness of Nielson’s home recordings.

What’s more, coming through the funky stomp of ‘One At a Time’ horns can be heard adding extra meatiness, marking a significant progression from the spritely guitar – bass – drums template from which UMO had, up till now, rarely deviated.

The only thing missing here are the instantly loveable earworm pop melodies of ‘Ffunny Ffriends’ or ‘How Can You Luv Me’, early singles which caught the attention of many two years ago. That being said, II shakes off a reliance on repeated pop hooks in favour of songwriting with greater depth, meaning this is a record which can be played over and over without getting old.

8/10

Label: Jagjaguwar

 

 

Words: Jake Maiden