Unknown Mortal Orchestra live up to their name – they are not only known for their studio albums, but also for their instrumental excursions in the form of extended recording sessions. A special highlight for fans is the album »IC-01 Hanoi«, which was released in 2018. The American-New Zealand psych-funk project led by Ruban Nielson follows up with its latest release »IC-02 Bogotá«, which contains a total of eight tracks and was released on Jagjaguwar.
The album opens with the ten-minute track »Earth 1«. The conceptual structure of the album is particularly exciting: the first four tracks are entitled »Earth«, followed by »Heaven« and three more tracks entitled »Underworld«. It almost seems as if the work outlines a journey through life and the afterlife – with a focus on the underworld, which takes up considerably more space than the heavens. It remains unclear why this is the case – but that doesn’t take away from the enjoyment, because it’s the listener’s own interpretation that’s most enjoyable.
»Earth 1« is a symbiosis of experimental jazz melodies and traditional cumbia elements, which manifest themselves in driving drums and dance-like panpipe solos. In contrast, »Earth 2« with its funky orientation is more reminiscent of the band’s studio albums. The melody of »Heaven« floats gently along, matching the weightlessness of the universe, and the Underworld tracks are, as you would expect, a little darker.
