The anonymity trick may have helped Unknown Mortal Orchestra gain notoriety at the outset, but it soon became the least interesting thing about them. Their self-titled debut was a wonderful record that lived up to the promise of early singles ”Ffunny Ffriends” and “How Can U Luv Me”. And the more we got to know Ruban Nielson, the more compelling he became; an outspoken, opinionated frontman, and, even rarer in the indie rock realm, a truly badass guitar player as well. The overall picture ended up leaving more to the imagination than secrecy: How would UMO sound with a bigger production budget? Would Nielson devote more attention to his guitar heroism than his songwriting? While there’s no need for those two qualities to be in conflict, II eschews the greatness within its grasp whenever it pits them against one another. The result is a record that’s equally remarkable and frustrating, split between incredible pop songs and turgid guitar noodling with very little middle ground.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II
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