Whether physical or metaphorical, there are few moments in everyone’s life where they can look over a beautiful view and take in the life they’ve lived so far. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s frontman, Ruban Nielson, reveled in both the current reality and his past as the pandemic had him bouncing between tropical climates with family members. These travels provided flashbacks to his upbringing, which catapulted the sonic direction of the band’s latest album, V. Marking the first double album from the band, V puts you right next to Nielson as he pieces together a soundtrack to back this revealing time of his life. In turn, he is providing a soundtrack to the world, combining murky drums with slick guitar solos to create a spacious atmosphere with plenty of room for the listener to get comfortable. UMO has reemerged with some of their best music yet, and that’s just on disc one.
The album has an apparent influence from the tropical environments it was crafted in. Through the arrangements on the LP, Nielson incorporates the local music of Hawaii where he spent some time during the writing process. This style is known as Hapa-haole and it has always had a strong influence on UMO but it was never as prevalent as on V. Through wisping guitar progressions and subtle yet in-your-face drum patterns, UMO is able to achieve so much with so little. The term minimalism comes to mind after listening to V, although that label doesn’t scratch the surface of what was achieved sonically on the album. A song like “The Garden ” is able to switch tempos with ease due to the small lineup assembled to record the album, which featured Nielson’s brother, father, and frequent bass player Jake Portrait. Being able to work in such a small group allowed for these arrangements to stretch each element to its furthest extent, removing the need for a larger band as the masterful musicianship picks up any slack.
The disco-tinged “Meshuggah” sits comfortably next to the beautiful instrumental track “The Widow”, which plays like a jazz record giving solos to each instrument. UMO’s ability to fit so many worlds into this hour of music speaks volumes to the headspace they were in during the recording process. These loose arrangements feel freeing, their lack of complexity gives these songs a certain charm that buries into your psyche. Despite the frequent changes in tone and tempo, the album plays from front to back beautifully. The band danced in this gray area of their influences and sprinkled fragmented personal experiences in order to find the creative direction for V.
Despite the otherworldly talent displayed on the album, there is an element of humanity hidden in there. By simply relaying their life story through whooshing production and swooning melodies, UMO created their most personal yet most relatable album to date. Moments like “Guilty Pleasures” detail low points during the isolating pandemic while the saddening “In The Rear View” is the soulful cut that tells a tale of letting go of the past. While these topics may seem broad and easily relatable, once they’re filtered through the deeply personal production of the album, they become focused and serene.
