Unknown Mortal Orchestra will be bringing their dynamic show to First Avenue on Friday, May 4th. The threads of our past never unravel, they hover like invisible webs, occasionally glistening due to a sly angle of the sun. On Multi-Love, Unknown Mortal Orchestra frontman and multiinstrumentalist Ruban Nielson reflects on relationships: airy, humid longing, loss, the geometry of desire that occurs when three people align. Where Nielson addressed the pain of being alone on II, Multi-Love takes on the complications of being together.
Multi-Love adds dimensions to the band’s already kaleidoscopic approach, with Nielson exploring a newfound appreciation for synthesizers. The new songs channel with the spirit of psych innovators without ignoring the last 40 years of music, forming a flowing, cohesive whole that reflects restless creativity. Cosmic escapes and disco rhythms speak to developing new vocabulary, while Nielson’s vocals reach powerful new heights. “It felt good to be rebelling against the typical view of what an artists is today, a curator,” he says. “It’s more about being someone who makes things happen in concrete ways. Building old synthesizers and bringing them back to life, creating sounds that aren’t quite like anyone else’s. I think that’s much more subversive.” While legions of artists show fidelity to the roots of psychedelia, Unknown Mortal Orchestra shares the rare quality that makes the genre’s touchstones so vital, constant exploration.
Makeness will be kicking off the night. It’s the contrasts which stand out in Makeness’ (aka Kyle Molleson) music. Crafting tracks which make a virtue of disparate influences, Kyle manages to pull off something difficult: making tirelessly-crafted songs which sound loose-limbed and to-the-point. He comes from a Leeds-born scene which, counting Adult Jazz and Glad Hand amongst its numbers, haven’t pegged themselves to one musical discipline. That network of like-minded friends, and the restless ethos cultivated between them, continues to shape the music Kyle makes on his own.
Tickets are still available here.
Remaining Tour Dates:
04/23 – Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
04/25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
04/26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
04/27 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
04/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
04/30 – Boston, MA @ Royale
05/01 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
05/02 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
05/03 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
05/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
05/07 – Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre
05/08 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
05/09 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
05/10 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
05/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
05/12 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s
