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Image via Family PR
Unknown Mortal Orchestra gained international acclaim with the otherworldly sounds of 2013’s II. The Portland trio carved out a sound simultaneously sun-drenched and extraterrestrial, layering harmonies and quavering guitars to make a timeless album equally at home in today’s music scene as it would have been forty years ago.
Six months after II‘s release, Unknown Mortal Orchestra has released their Blue Record EP. It’s comprised of two covers and three acoustic versions of songs found on II. But don’t be fooled—all the electronic manipulation that makes II great is completely stripped away in these recordings to reveal some beautiful guitar work immediately reminiscent of Elliott Smith. They round out Blue Record by covering Beck and The Dirty Projectors.
Tender to the point of almost being tentative, Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Blue Record is a look at the other side of the band, the raw songwriting that laid the framework for all the style that makes them rockstars. Stream it in full below.
