Unknown Mortal Orchestra typically favour electrified psych-pop, but they have stripped down their instrumentation for an acoustic EP, which will arrive this fall. Blue Record is out on October 29 through Jagjaguwar.
The short collection includes five tracks, three of which are acoustic takes of songs from this year's II. There are also cover versions of a couple of frontman Ruban Nielson favourite songs: "Swing Lo Magellan" by Dirty Projectors and "Puttin' It Down" by Beck. The tunes were recorded to tape in Nielson's basement using a single microphone.
Nielson said in a statement, "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."
The version of "Swing Lo Magellan" is streaming at the bottom of this page.
This EP will also arrive as a digital accompaniment to an expanded version of II, which will be available on blue vinyl. Prior to October 29, copies will be available from the merch booth on tour. Scroll past the Blue Record tracklist to see the schedule, which includes stops in Montreal and Toronto.
Blue Record:
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
Tour dates:
09/25 Sacramento, CA - Harlowe's
09/26 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
09/27 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
09/28 San Diego, CA - Casbah
09/29 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom
10/02 Austin, TX - The Mohawk
10/03 Little Rock, AR - Stickyz RocknRoll Chicken Shack
10/04 Nashville, TN - Exit In
10/05 Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
10/06 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
10/08 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel
10/09 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
10/11 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/14 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
10/15 Montreal, QC - Cabaret Mile End
10/16 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
10/17 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick Lounge
10/18 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
10/19 Pittsburgh, PA - Altar
10/21 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
10/22 Madison, WI - The Frequency
11//7 London, England - Electric Ballroom
11/08 Manchester, England - Academy 2
11/10 Poitiers, France - Le Confort Moderne
11/11 Paris, France - Point Ephemere
11/12 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Oudegracht
11/13 Brussels, Belgium - AB Club
11/15 Prague, Czech Republic - Chapeau Rouge
11/16 Vienna, Austria - B72
11/18 Budapest, Hungary - A38 Ship
11/20 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik
11/21 Dudingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn
11/22 Carpi, Italy - Mattatoio
11/23 Rome, Italy - Blackout
11/25 Montpellier, France - Rockstore
11/26 Barcelona, Spain - La 2
11/27 Madrid, Spain - El Sol
01/15 Shanghai, China - Yuyintang
01/16 Beijing, China - Mao Livehouse
01/18 Seoul, South Korea - Rolling Hall
01/19 Busan, South Korea - Vinyl Underground
01/21 Hong Kong, China - Grappas Cellar
01/22 Bangkok, Thailand - Sonic 01/23 Taipei, Taiwan - The Wall
The short collection includes five tracks, three of which are acoustic takes of songs from this year's II. There are also cover versions of a couple of frontman Ruban Nielson favourite songs: "Swing Lo Magellan" by Dirty Projectors and "Puttin' It Down" by Beck. The tunes were recorded to tape in Nielson's basement using a single microphone.
Nielson said in a statement, "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."
The version of "Swing Lo Magellan" is streaming at the bottom of this page.
This EP will also arrive as a digital accompaniment to an expanded version of II, which will be available on blue vinyl. Prior to October 29, copies will be available from the merch booth on tour. Scroll past the Blue Record tracklist to see the schedule, which includes stops in Montreal and Toronto.
Blue Record:
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
Tour dates:
09/25 Sacramento, CA - Harlowe's
09/26 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
09/27 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
09/28 San Diego, CA - Casbah
09/29 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom
10/02 Austin, TX - The Mohawk
10/03 Little Rock, AR - Stickyz RocknRoll Chicken Shack
10/04 Nashville, TN - Exit In
10/05 Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
10/06 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
10/08 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel
10/09 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
10/11 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/14 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
10/15 Montreal, QC - Cabaret Mile End
10/16 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
10/17 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick Lounge
10/18 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
10/19 Pittsburgh, PA - Altar
10/21 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
10/22 Madison, WI - The Frequency
11//7 London, England - Electric Ballroom
11/08 Manchester, England - Academy 2
11/10 Poitiers, France - Le Confort Moderne
11/11 Paris, France - Point Ephemere
11/12 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Oudegracht
11/13 Brussels, Belgium - AB Club
11/15 Prague, Czech Republic - Chapeau Rouge
11/16 Vienna, Austria - B72
11/18 Budapest, Hungary - A38 Ship
11/20 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik
11/21 Dudingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn
11/22 Carpi, Italy - Mattatoio
11/23 Rome, Italy - Blackout
11/25 Montpellier, France - Rockstore
11/26 Barcelona, Spain - La 2
11/27 Madrid, Spain - El Sol
01/15 Shanghai, China - Yuyintang
01/16 Beijing, China - Mao Livehouse
01/18 Seoul, South Korea - Rolling Hall
01/19 Busan, South Korea - Vinyl Underground
01/21 Hong Kong, China - Grappas Cellar
01/22 Bangkok, Thailand - Sonic 01/23 Taipei, Taiwan - The Wall
