Following the release of their latest LP, II, psych-rock outfit Unknown Mortal Orchestra are dropping a new EP, Blue Record, which will be released by Jagjaguwar on October 29th. The EP will also be included as part of the Expanded Version of II (on sure-to-be-trippy blue vinyl).
Frontman Ruban Nielson issued the following statement in a press release:
“I only started playing the acoustic guitar last year. I’d always preferred the idea that the guitar converts a sound into voltage and then becomes really loud. I thought the acoustic guitar was a little bit too twee for me or something. But after being offered some opportunities to play various acoustic sessions to promote the new record, in situations where it wasn’t possible to record the whole band, I decided to treat it like a challenge to try and play acoustic and not have it be lame. After all I was really into Arthur Lee’s ability with an acoustic and started wondering if I could make it sound convincing. Anyway, after being somewhat forced to develop some skill on the acoustic through these various radio sessions and things like that I decided to record some songs acoustically and release them since people seemed to be liking the way I was doing it. Everything was recorded straight to tape in my basement with a one mic set up.”
Here’s the full tracklist:
1. Swim & Sleep (Like A Shark) (Acoustic Version)
2. Faded In The Morning (Acoustic Version)
3. So Good at Being in Trouble (Acoustic Version)
4. Swing Lo Magellan
5. Puttin’ It Down
UMO have also unveiled some new tour dates, located below:
Sep-25 Sacramento, CA – Harlowe’s
Sep-26 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
Sep-27 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
Sep-28 San Diego, CA – Casbah
Sep-29 Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom
Oct-2 Austin, TX – The Mohawk
Oct-3 Little Rock, AR – Stickyz RocknRoll Chicken Shack
Oct-4 Nashville, TN – Exit In
Oct-5 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
Oct-6 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Oct-8 Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel
Oct-9 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
Oct-11 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Oct-14 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
Oct-15 Montreal, Canada – Cabaret Mile End
Oct-16 Toronto, Canada – Lee’s Palace
Oct-17 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick Lounge
Oct-18 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
Oct-19 Pittsburgh, PA – Altar
Oct-21 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Oct-22 Madison, WI – The Frequency
Nov-7 London, England – Electric Ballroom
Nov-8 Manchester, England – Academy 2
Nov-10 Poitiers, France – Le Confort Moderne
Nov-11 Paris, France – Point Ephemere
Nov-12 Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli Oudegracht
Nov-13 Brussels, Belgium – AB Club
Nov-15 Prague, Czech Republic – Chapeau Rouge
Nov-16 Vienna, Austria – B72
Nov-18 Budapest, Hungary – A38 Ship
Nov-20 Zurich, Switzerland – Rote Fabrik
Nov-21 Dudingen, Switzerland – Bad Bonn
Nov-22 Carpi, Italy – Mattatoio
Nov-23 Rome, Italy – Blackout
Nov-25 Montpellier, France – Rockstore
Nov-26 Barcelona, Spain – La 2
Nov-27 Madrid, Spain – El Sol
Jan-15 Shanghai, China – Yuyintang
Jan-16 Beijing, China – Mao Livehouse
Jan-18 Seoul, South Korea – Rolling Hall
Jan-19 Busan, South Korea – Vinyl Underground
Jan-21 Hong Kong – Grappas Cellar
Jan-22 Bangkok, Thailand – Sonic
Jan-23 Taipei – The Wall
Check out their cover of The Dirty Projectors’ “Swing Lo Magellan”:
