Unknown Mortal Orchestra (sometimes known as UMO ) is one of those mysterious bands who seem to burst out of nowhere . One track appears on a blog and suddenly everyone wants more music. This is the situation that UMO songwriter Ruban Nielson found himself in. Weird thing is... Ruban had given up making music. I called Ruban one late night and he told me the incredible story of how he went from being an ex-punk rocker, turned film intern at an Oregon production [...]
According to iTunes, since last Tuesday, I have listened to The Mint Chicks' "Stolen Hill" 89 times. It's probably more though. I listened to it while commuting a bunch, and rewound it to focus on ... read more
I like Portland. I liked the Mint Chicks . I love New Zealand. I dig noisy pop music. But as much as I like these things it doesn't necessarily mean I'd like Unknown Mortal Orchestra. I'm easy, but I'm not that easy. But I do like Unknown Mortal Orchestra . That's because Ruban Nielson writes good songs. The PDX by way of NZ musician surprised a lot of people (including himself) in 2010 when he posted the song "Ffunny Ffriends" on his Bandcamp page. Blogs ate it up before they [...]
Indulging in the retrograde pastime that is the immaculate indie scurry of The Beatles' back catalogue is easier flippantly disregarded than it is done over the www. though momentarily, something or other will come up on SoundCloud before it's snappily hauled back down again. And since the inauguration of the newfangled site's newly injected and seemingly random continuous play feature, there have been a couple instances of late in which I've done some proverbial rubbing of disbelieving ears at there being something as winsomely refined as a jaunty '60s Scouse ditty out there, only to find it to have in [...]
UNKOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA has been pretty quiet since the release of their self-titled debut album in 2011. The band fronted by Ruban Nielson an ex- Mint Chick, has been pretty much off the radar for most of 2012, until now that is. The band will be releasing their second LP in early 2013 through their new label Jagjaguwar . The album is untitled at the moment, but I’m sure no matter what it’s called, the album will be brilliant. UNKOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA haven’t told us much [...]
New Zealand three-piece Opossom 's debut album is aurally pleasing, but lacks depth and ultimately falls victim to its overly ambitious layered sound. Opossum was formed by former Mint Chicks frontman Kody Neilson, and Electric Hawaii is clearly a labour of love. The album features pop singer Bic Runga (whom every Australian or New Zealander worth their salt will recall from her 90s hit single "Sway," a song eternally remembered on commercial radio), but even her [...]
You may have heard about a new band called Opossom... or Opossum? Wait, let's not get confused. Opossum, noun; american prehensile-tailed marsupial from the Didelphidae family, of the eastern US. Opossom, band; new project from New Zeland by Mint Chicks’s previous member Kody Nielson. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. After eight years ...
Opossom features two of the now defunct Mint Chicks and New Zealand star Bic Runga. The trio are releasing their debut project ' Electric Hawaii ' under the moniker on June 1st. Latest single 'Blue Meanies' is below, we suggest you play this at high levels and imagine how awesome your Summer is going to be.
Visit Indie Shuffle to download. Sounds like: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ariel Pink, The Mint Chicks, Animal Collective Song: Opossom - Getaway Tonight [download here ] What's so good? [...]
It's no easy task to take the Ghosts of Music Past and turn them into something new. But Unknown Mortal Orchestra have cobbled together a mass of junky sounds and flesh and bone), and have created a true Frankenstein's monster (or The Modern Prometheus if you wanna get all snooty about it). Unknown Mortal Orchestra is a somewhat unknown, about-to-be extremely well-known trio from Portland, Ore., led by NZ-PDX resident and Mint Chick Ruban Nielson . And it's really ( reeeallly ) good. The band just released their self-titled debut on Fat [...]
Initial exposure of electronic acts Burial and Neon Indian went beyond their infectious music and distinctive methods. While William Bevan (Burial) and Alan Palomo (Neon Indian) revealed personal facts about their projects as time went on, initial speculation regarding their work ranged from the fascinating to humorous. Burial’s emergence coincided with speculation that it was [...]
Anyone else find the term chillwave completely nauseating? Not that The Mint Chicks are even remotely related musically to the four or so bands that make up that, um, scene. I just find it criminal that people cream themselves over drab synth wallpaper when fucked-up genius like Bad Buzz faces near-violent indifference, at least in the UK. OK, so The Mint Chicks have won every conceivable accolade in their native New Zealand, but while people up on this side of the globe think NZ is a cracking vacation spot, when it comes to music in the northern hemisphere, [...]
Well, I'd hardly qualify a few words on The Days of Lore as "buzz." But I do think buzz is an interesting word-its different meanings, the way it looks ... buzz. OK, one more time-buzz. New Zealand/Portland four-piece the Mint Chicks received a fair share of buzz upon the release of their second Flying Nun LP Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! (including some love buzz from TDoL ), a record that combined hooks with with jittery experimental noise (a style the band has dubbed "troublegum"). It finally hit [...]
The Mint Chicks - Hot On Your Heels Something unprecedented happened over the past five years to significantly alter the way we consume music. End of story. Music journalist Chris Dahlen sums it up best : "[My friend and I] love to fight about new music. I’ll condense his argument for the sake of space: he hates it. It’s too hyped and too derivative, there are too many artists choking the stuff out and slapping it on MySpace, and the Internet – and especially publications like Pitchfork [...]
Caught Sean Hayes for the first time last night at the Mystic in Petaluma. We were pretty damn impressed. Highly recommend the trek up when he returns April 11 . For now, hear his latest below. Along with other tasty tunes that've been circling the Ümlaut this week. Thanks for the Local Natives tip, Dylan ! • • • • Sean Hayes “When We Fall In” from Run Wolves Run The Morning Benders “Excuses” from Big Echo [...]
Jú, ég er enn að synda í gegnum og reyna að halda mér á floti í þeim öldum og stórsjó af eðal tónlist sem skellur á ströndum landsins. Eða eitthvað í þá áttina. Kannski óþarfa háfleygt orðaval til að lýsa því að maður sé að drukkna í tónlist? Veit ekki. Eflaust. Hérna eru allavega nokkur lög til að hlust...drekkja sér í. Vonandi verðið þið ykkur ekki að voða. Tessitura - Nervous Tessitura - Nervous The Kissaway Trail - SDP [...]
Anybody else love it when visionary bands give fans a chance to voice their devotion through creativity? What I mean is, WHO DOESN'T LOVE A CONTEST?! New Zealand's Mint Chicks is providing you a chance to make their video for their new single "Bad Buzz" . If cinematography is not your forte, then maybe design them a t-shirt? So you're not an artist and you don't have a video camera? Remix "Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!" , or if you're more of a musician than a DJ, cover [...]
Been a while since I've put up a Friday Finds, and since I've got too much music on my hands and not enough time to write anything substantive about it (and anyway most people just want music, and a lot of it) so here you go. Lots of gems on this one. Caravan - Silver Strings Sonny And The Sunsets - Too Young To Burn Beautiful Swimmers - Swimmers Groove (final) [...]
Winnie Cooper
The FADER
The Days of Lore
Dots & Dashes
Purple Sneakers
Listen Before You Buy
The Daily Rind
The Maroon Cafe
indie shuffle
Obscure Sound
A Town Full of Losers
Hell's Belles
The Pop Filter
Unnecessary Umlaut
Rjominn
::: Off the Radar :::
sunday is for sounds
Super 45
Kanye West - [Album]
Blondie returning with a new album and a show at the Keswick in October
