 indie rock photography by jasper coolidge     
Unknown Mortal Orchestra 04.25.11 @ Bowery Ballroom NYC The thing that Unknown Mortal Orchestra shares in similarity with other recent Kiwi exports like Cut Off Your Hands and Mint Chicks (lead man Ruban is a member) is a certain something just-off-kilter-ness, a quality you can't really put your finger on but is evident in their recordings and more so in their live shows. They all look the part as any Northern-Hemisphere born rock musicians but just as the water flows clockwise down South of the equator, these New Zealanders put their own spin on familiar forms. Luckily I went into this show not having heard anything of them, so listened with fresh ears - hearing parts and slivers of Of Montreal, Spoon, Cake, Neutral Milk Hotel and The Kinks, in unequal measure. For the most parts, their set bounced along at a gregariously friendly pace, but their last song which I hope points more the the future of the band than their past really had some zip and zing like a sped up version of Miss You, but you know, the opposite. unknownmortalorchestra.com Unknown Mortal Orchestra | How Can U Luv Me by guil-laume |
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