Album Review: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - IC-01 Hanoi
"These “songs” obviously hold some significance for the band, who recorded some if not all in Vietnam and who were impressed enough to approve its release."
The second release for 2018 from the Portland-based, Auckland-raised psych group, IC-01 Hanoi is the instrumental cousin to April’s critically lauded Sex & Food.
Spanning seven tracks in total, it could be considered less of a stand-alone album and more an accompaniment, as it was reportedly born from the jam sessions that made up the prior release. Similar in tone to what the Beastie Boys did when they released The Mix-Up, these “songs” obviously hold some significance for the band, who recorded some if not all in Vietnam and who were impressed enough to approve its release.
There are plenty of reverb-laden and delay-soaked tracks to appease fans of the group and the jam-band genre, especially those partial to the odd Ozark harp, horn section or solo saxophone. The driving opening track and the fourth track, belies what is otherwise an introspective, insightful laid-back affair. As a stand-alone record, it does enough to satisfy fans but any kind of commercial appeal will obviously be limited.
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