User:Prism/sandbox
Recording[edit]
Spanning ten months, the recording of Multi-Love was executed nocturnally; this was done in an attempt by Nielson to grapple with his insomnia.[1] His Portland home housed his personal studio and equipment, which he mastered as an autodidact.[2][3] Jagjaguwar arranged a larger budget for the development of the album, allowing for superior production.[4] Nielson's original plan of working with other producers was discarded in favour of a desired richer sound, leading to the acquisition of studio gear.[5][6] This approach was a shift from the lo-fi nature of its predecessors, recorded with inexpensive material.[5] However, the technique adopted in those albums remained virtually unaltered.[5][7]
An initially desired "airy" feel to the record was traded for a "midrange-heavy" sound.[3] Nielson intended to feature horns, strings and synthesizers into the recording, but the lack of emphasis on guitars was not deliberate.[8] He expressed his wish to emulate David Bowie's output between Young Americans (1975) and Scary Monsters (1980), incorporating digital instruments, digital delays and pitch shifters.[8] Aja (1977) and Off the Wall (1979), respectively by Steely Dan and Michael Jackson, were other touchstones cited by Nielson.[9] Selected songs were slowed down through a tape deck.[3] Due to impatience and time constraints, Nielson experimented with repairing his instruments. After learning how to deconstruct guitars, the musician began handling guitar pedals and oscillators, leading him to construct many of the synthesizers employed in the album.[10]
A greater involvement of other musicians also distinguished the album from Unknown Mortal Orchestra and II. Despite his fondness of working unattended, Nielson found that collaborating resulted in faster results.[2] After compiling miscellaneous song ideas, Nielson invited his brother and former bandmate Kody to work on them.[11][note 1] Kody spent five weeks recording drums and keyboards for the entirety of Multi-Love.[12][5] After Nielson sent him a demo of "Necessary Evil", his father recommended adding brass to it; according to Nielson, this contribution resulted in one of the song's most vital parts.[10] The band's bass player, Jake Portrait, recorded and produced vocals for the album in Brooklyn alongside Nielson.[5][13]
Composition[edit]
Release and artwork[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
In a negative assessment, Greg Beets of Austin Chronicle found Multi-Love to be "top-loaded with mildly engaging songs drawn out past the point of intrigue", unfavorably mentioning its diversion from "the psychedelic fancy that informed its predecessors.".[14]
Commercial performance[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ Ruban and Kody Nielson integrated the group The Mint Chicks.
References[edit]
- ^ Bienstock, Richard (October 21, 2015). "Inside Ruban Nielson's Heady Homegrown Pop". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Ducker, Eric (May 26, 2015). "Q&A: Ruban Nielson of Unknown Mortal Orchestra on New Album 'Multi-Love,' Prince's Influence, and Learning to Collaborate". Grantland. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ a b c Crane, Larry (September–October 2015). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Time in the basement with Ruban Nielson". Tape Op. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ Everhart, John (June 5, 2015). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra – A Multi-Faceted Journey". Under the Radar. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Rachel, T. Cole (February 5, 2015). "Q&A: Unknown Mortal Orchestra's Ruban Nielson Explains His Super-Fi, Hard-Edged Multi-Love". Stereogum. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ Jamieson, Sarah (January 8, 2015). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra on Their New Album: "It Just Doesn't Sound Like There's a Blanket Over It."". DIY. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ Reed, Ryan (May 26, 2015). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Rebirth and Multi-Love". Paste. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ a b Gluckin, Tzvi (July 6, 2015). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Ruban Nielson". Premier Guitar.
- ^ "Unknown Mortal Orchestra Talk Their New Album's "Progression" Ahead of Sound City". DIY. May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ a b Comingore, Aly (May 28, 2015). "Repurposing Love". Interview. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ Jenkin, Lydia (May 31, 2015). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: The great unknown". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ Multi-Love (Media notes). Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Jagjaguwar. 2015.
{{cite AV media notes}}:|format=requires|url=(help)CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Smith, Sarah (June 2, 2015). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra on Prince, Pitchfork and polyamory". FasterLouder. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ^ Beets, Greg (2 October 2015). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 21 April 2018.