Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Unknown Mortal Orchestra is the project of New Zealand-via-Portland, Ore. resident Ruban Nielson. By the time you read this, Nielson may have been forced to drop the "Unknown" from his band's moniker, as, well, his songs are the sort that might make him famous. When the first tune on your blog-hypes EP comes on like a mercurial four-minute Cee-Lo psych-pop banger, it's only a matter of time before you're signed to Fat Possum and playing some sweet bills. Yes indeed, UMO is set to drop its debut LP on the tastemaker label in June.

In no way does the band's self-titled seven-inch EP settle on the sugary side of the first tune. The phaser-pedal intro to "Nerve Damage!" whip-cracks into a fit of anthemic, filthy surf-rock. Nielson, who's voice sits up there somewhere near Alex Chilton Land, has the enviable knack for making this kind of thing sound fresh in the way that King Kahn and Black Lips both do. While making immediate contemporaries of new vintage psych bands like Tame Impala and maybe even Dungen, UMO also packs an obvious urban edge—beats that would make them quite cozy with the Stones Throw roster. The English-psych guitar line of "Thought Ballune" is followed by the would-be Dilla ripper "FFriends”—the latter of which just went into my eternal ITunes folder.

Nielson told his local indie rag, Willamette Week, in February that the genesis of Uknown Mortal Orchestra came in the wake of his former band, The Mint Chicks. While looking for work, Nielson recorded the songs on the EP in apartments and basements, posting on Bandcamp in hopes others would simply connect with the music. In a matter of months, it became the focus of an indie bidding battle. Live, Nielson recruits guitarist Jake Portrait and drummer Julian Erhlich to bring his basement recordings to the throbbing masses. Expect this orchestra to grow quickly. —Eric Deines