The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
16
new
SPILL NEW MUSIC: LILY MONAGHAN EXPANDS HER RANGE ON LATEST SINGLE “SNOW IN MAY” VIA BLUE WILLOW ENTERTAINMENT
SPILL NEWS: CJ WILEY SHARES ANOTHER LIVE VIDEO FOR “SO BRAND NEW” | DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOW VIA TINY KINGDOM | TOUR DATES CONTINUE
SPILL NEWS: THEE SACRED SOULS – “WE DON’T HAVE TO BE ALONE” | TOUR DATES
SPILL NEW MUSIC: FIONN’S “BANSHEE” SCREECHING ALT-ROCK CUT OUT NOW VIA 604 RECORDS
SPILL NEW MUSIC: JIM DAN DEE – “MADMAN MONAGHAN”
SPILL FEATURE: LETTING GO – A CONVERSATION WITH SILVERSTEIN
SPILL FEATURE: IT JUST FEELS LIKE WE’RE A LITTLE MORE IN CHARGE – A CONVERSATION WITH CRISPIAN MILLS OF KULA SHAKER
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: TOM COX – “MAGNETIZED”
SPILL FEATURE: THE HEART OF A STAR – ANN MOSES REFLECTS ON BOBBY SHERMAN
SPILL CONTEST: ENTER TO WIN A GWAR PRIZE PACK INCLUDING TICKETS TO SEE THEM LIVE AT HISTORY ON JUNE 9!
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: SPACEFACE – “BE HERE FOREVER”
SPILL NEW MUSIC: KARI LYN – “HEAVY WEIGHT”
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE INCITERS – I GIVE YOU MY SOUL
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: I’M WITH HER – WILD AND CLEAR AND BLUE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BUILDINGS AND FOOD – PROVINCIAL PARK
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TETRARCH – THE UGLY SIDE OF ME
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • Track Of The Day
    • Track Of The Month
    • Books + Movies
    • About
Album Reviews
370
previous article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LUCY WISE - WINTER SUN
next article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: WYE OAK - THE LOUDER I CALL, THE FASTER IT RUNS

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA – SEX & FOOD

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Sex & Food
Jagjaguwar

It would seem that there are two ways to divide music listeners – those that like falsetto, and those that don’t. I am of the latter opinion. Ruban Nielson, lead singer of New Zealand psychedelic rock outfit, loves falsetto. Hmm. Subjectivity out the window then and when that filter is removed, here’s what’s left of the band’s most recent album release, Sex & Food – it’s noisy, it’s unconventional, it’s repetitive, it is dripping in modern R&B sensibility and all in all, it’s pretty solid.

There is so much going on from one track to the next on this album that to analyze the instrumentation in any meaningful way would be exhausting, but suffice it to say that there was a high value placed on both layering and production – this is an album that is very sonically dense. Though the guitar stands out on some tracks, especially “American Guilt”, and there is enough snare drum to satisfy any percussion enthusiast, it is the blending and sometimes immersing in of other sounds that is the true musical hallmark. Lyrically, Nielson is vague enough to keep his content suggestive, but there is an obvious cynicism to his writing that seems to focus on the fact that all is not right in the world, at least not on a socio-political front. The one major drawback of this album is in its painfully predictable structuring of songs, with the majority relying on constant repetition of lyrics and lyrical phrases. If you have something to say, great, but there’s no need to say it so many times (I’m looking at you particularly “Hunnybee”).

Beyond content, stylistically on Sex & Food, Nielsen and co. have a highly-developed knack for constructing and performing songs that lean heavily on R&B and soul influences, and yet still sound decidedly modern and vibrant.  The tempo is often slower, but it seems a very conscious effort of the band to use this structure for much of the album. When they do deviate from this structure, with “American Guilt” again the best example, the result is surprisingly effective, highlighting the band’s multiple talents as opposed to jarring the listener with the sudden shift in tone and feel.

It will not be for everyone, but similar to the 2018 album Virtue by The Voidz, with this much experimentation and ability on show, there is bound to be something on Sex & Food for the majority of listeners.



Artist Links

website_flat_2016 facebook_flat_2016 twitter_flat_2016 instagram_flat_2016

Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA – SEX & FOOD

Author

Br.

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
10
7.0
Total Spill Rating
10
Total Fan Rating
1 rating
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewseveryone acts crazy nowadaysjagjaguwarruban nielsonsex & foodunknown mortal orchestra
album reviews, everyone acts crazy nowadays, jagjaguwar, ruban nielson, sex & food, unknown mortal orchestra
About the Author
Br.
Br. lives in southern Ontario, grew up on The Beatles and The Journeymen, spent his adolescence immersed in grunge, and his adulthood in British alternative. His greatest joy is seeing his son dance and grow into his own appreciation of the indescribable joy of music...
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewseveryone acts crazy nowadaysjagjaguwar
 
7.0
The Inciters

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE INCITERS – I GIVE YOU MY SOUL

by Gerrod Harris on May 9, 2025
THE INCITERS I GIVE YOU MY SOUL PIRATES PRESS RECORDS The Inciters have returned with their first release since 2023’s full length album, Bring Back The Weekend. Their latest EP, I Give You My Soul, also follows a special vinyl release, BBTW, [...]
 
9.0
I'm With Her

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: I’M WITH HER – WILD AND CLEAR AND BLUE

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on May 9, 2025
I’M WITH HER WILD AND CLEAR AND BLUE ROUNDER RECORDS When great vocal harmonies align, magic sparks fly through aural space, and it doesn’t matter what genre of music is involved, although, very often, those harmonies are rooted in [...]
 
8.0
Buildings And Food

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BUILDINGS AND FOOD – PROVINCIAL PARK

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on May 9, 2025
BUILDINGS AND FOOD PROVINCIAL PARK INDEPENDENT Can you make a direct connection with nature through electronic music (ambient or otherwise)? Well, Jen K. Wilson, aka Buildings and Food, thinks that is possible and she keeps on making that [...]
 
9.0
Tetrarch

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TETRARCH – THE UGLY SIDE OF ME

by Melinda Welsh on May 9, 2025
TETRARCH THE UGLY SIDE OF ME NAPALM RECORDS Tetrarch have come a long way since their 2017 debut album Freak. The aggressive follow-up Unstable in 2021 really showed the band’s ability to push the limits of nu metal. They have returned after [...]
 
8.0
Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARK PRITCHARD & THOM YORKE – TALL TALES

by Joseph Mastel on May 9, 2025
MARK PRITCHARD & THOM YORKE TALL TALES WARP RECORDS Electronic musician and producer Mark Pritchard and Radiohead and The Smile frontman Thom Yorke have teamed up to release Tall Tales. When two big-name and innovative creatives join forces [...]

Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE INCITERS – I GIVE YOU MY SOUL
7.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: I’M WITH HER – WILD AND CLEAR AND BLUE
9.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BUILDINGS AND FOOD – PROVINCIAL PARK
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TETRARCH – THE UGLY SIDE OF ME
9.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARK PRITCHARD & THOM YORKE – TALL T...
8.0

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Newsletter
  • Premieres
  • SPILL RETRO REVIEWS
  • Track Of The Month
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2024 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE ACTORS AT LEE’S PALACE ON MAY 3!
507
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MUMFORD & SONS – RUSHMERE
472
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BRYAN FERRY & AMELIA BARRATT – LOOSE TALK
470
 
SPILL FEATURE: A NEW ERA OF CAR SEAT – A CONVERSATION WITH SETH DALBY, ETHAN IVES & ANDREW KATZ OF CAR SEAT HEADREST
425
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JETHRO TULL – CURIOUS RUMINANT
396
 
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: FATHER JOHN MISTY w/ DESTROYER @ MASSEY HALL, TORONTO
394
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A MEET-AND-GREET PACKAGE TO SEE ALESSIA CARA AT ROY THOMSON HALL ON MAY 15!
390
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JIMMY PAGE & THE BLACK CROWES – LIVE AT THE GREEK (25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)
366
 
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: SLAMDINISTAS – “WHERE I BELONG”
357
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE EBO TAYLOR AT THE CONCERT HALL ON APRIL 13!
341
 
SPILL FEATURE: IN THE MEANTIME – A CONVERSATION WITH JONNY CRAGG OF SPACEHOG
316
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD ON MARCH 21 AT LEE’S PALACE!
302
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE CHILLS – SPRING BOARD: THE EARLY UNRECORDED SONGS
272
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES