Summary:The fourth full-length release for the Portland, Oregon-based project of Ruban Nielson was recorded in several locations including Iceland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, and Vietnam.
The reassuringly lo-fi results might not be drastically different to UMO's previous three records, but the execution is certainly impressive. [May 2018, p.37]
Showing not only progression and honing of a craft, this record goes from a hulking shredding Goliath to a reflective funk record in the space of a few minutes with wonderfully engrossing results.
Nielson is comfortable enough in his own songwriting to settle into airtight grooves--with the assistance of the clattering, shifty drums from his brother--and allow them to simmer for a few golden moments. His guitar playing is sensational, and his use of warping effects to achieve the right mix of tightness and sensitivity gets better with each UMO record.
Sex and Love is best when self-assured but not arrogant, and when Nielson offers up confidently subdued melodies which give space for his production to ring out.
Sex & Food might be reluctant to fully reveal itself, but in being the most uncompromising album in Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s discography it also feels like Nielson’s most honest musical statement to date.
Sex & Food is more grounded, focusing on such concerns as the state of the world. Yet it's all wrapped in warped, layered music as complex as the mess we're in. [May 2018, p.114]
I've been sort of obsessed with this album.. probably my favorite band at the moment. The songwriting is really beautiful-- it's very fun andI've been sort of obsessed with this album.. probably my favorite band at the moment. The songwriting is really beautiful-- it's very fun and catchy but also challenging and unexpected. The production and sounds are so creative and unique. In my head it sort of sounds like if Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead and Stevie Wonder had a baby.
I've been sort of a moderate fan of Unknown Mortal Orchestra since the beginning, but this album really came together brilliantly and drew me in... to the point where I'm starting to really appreciate their previous albums as well.…Expand
____ "Sex & Food" - became the fourth album in the discography and the most eclectic album of the group. The sound is quite diverse: in the____ "Sex & Food" - became the fourth album in the discography and the most eclectic album of the group. The sound is quite diverse: in the compositions there is a resonance between rock-n-roll, and grange, and dance, and lo-fi, and funk ... As a result, we hear 12 melodic compositions with psychedelic moods, with a guitar in the lead role, missed through the vocoder and warm memories of distant cities and travel ...
In one of the interviews, Nielson says: "I hope that my music will give people the opportunity to get rid of the chaos of the world". Аnd it seems to me that the goal is more than achieved." Sex & Food "is 43 minutes in clubs of pink smoke and an atmosphere of calm and bliss.
:
____ Now you can enjoy Food and Sex at the same time ...
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Sex & Food is like a mellow version of Tame Impala's "Currents" that, based on the title, I would imagine you ideally make love or pasta whileSex & Food is like a mellow version of Tame Impala's "Currents" that, based on the title, I would imagine you ideally make love or pasta while listening to. This album has some very interesting ups and downs, the acoustic folk interlude from Hunnybee to American Guilt is very strange, called Chronos Feasts on His Children, it doesn't really usher in the distorted guitars very well--there's no consistent mood throughout the album, it'll shift sharply from ballads to electronica and from there to folk and from there to R&B. And it's not necessarily a bad thing though I feel that's one of the things holding this record back. Sex & Food could have taken a far more organized direction and sounded just as good, while being more accessible to a new audience. Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh on the album comparing it so closely with Currents, but Sex & Food doesn't exactly venture into uncharted water. There are still some amazing songs though: American Guilt, the guitar just makes me want to jam. I love the woodsy sound of This Doomsday as well as how dark and gloomy the song is, almost like a fusion of Radiohead's "In Rainbows" with "Moon And Antarctica" era Modest Mouse. Any way you decide to cut the cake, it's par for the course--a very claustrophobic and cathartic effort from UMO, and regardless of some of the issues I have with the track order and some of the less-than-smooth transitions, I still think this is a great listen.…Expand
That's the first time that UMO disappointed me a little bit, their characteristical sound is still really present and really pleasing,That's the first time that UMO disappointed me a little bit, their characteristical sound is still really present and really pleasing, however, I don't see much going on here, some songs sounds like different versions of their older ones, others hardly push the boundaries.…Expand
Completely monotone, weak even if showing a good appeal in some of the lyrics. I would not call of an “inconsistent” record because of thisCompletely monotone, weak even if showing a good appeal in some of the lyrics. I would not call of an “inconsistent” record because of this empty environment and lack of personality. There are some tracks with a high-quality sound (American Guilty; The Internet of Love [That Way]).
The first one with a heavy harmony, great verses and the frighten vocals on pre-chorus giving a sense of vulnerability that all of sudden is broken with more confidence and boldness on chorus. The lyrics are completely original evoking social reference (I guess; in relation to Charlottesville Nazi’s protests).
Next, the illusions of being stuck with a love that is not real and heartbreaking. The track’s mood invite us to feel this sensation and navigate into a romantic scene with softy vocal and trippy chords. It is hallucinating and melodramatic as hell.
“Sex & Food” did not bring up nostalgia of offer a 90s vibes (even if the aesthetic and context concept could be different [or I am just crazy], nonetheless, it can get you tired if you are thirsty for something more enthusiastic.
Listen: American Guilty; The Internet of Love (That Way).…Expand
