II (Unknown Mortal Orchestra album)

II
Studio album by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Released February 2013 (2013-02)
Recorded 2012
Genre
Length 40:25
Label Jagjaguwar
Producer Ruban Nielson
Unknown Mortal Orchestra chronology
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
(2011)
II
(2013)
Blue Record
(2013)

II is the second studio album from the band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released in February 2013.[1]

Artwork

The album cover is a photo of British author Janet Farrar taken by husband Stewart Farrar.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Hot Press8/10[4]
NME[1]
The Observer[5]
Pitchfork Media7.3/10[6]

II received critical acclaim from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 27 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[7]

AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, saying "from the opening moments of the trippy, lo-fi intro 'From the Sun' all the way to the funky-as-a-Hendrix-ballad closer 'Secret Xtians,' II takes risks and achieves greatness."[3]

NME gave the album eight out of ten, saying "raw melody made Unknown Mortal Orchestra exciting two years ago; now they’ve matched it with attention to detail."[1]

The Observer gave the album three out of five stars, described "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)" as "conjoin[ing] sleep, prettiness and unease", and the album as having "longueurs where Nielson can get a little vague and inward-directed."[5]

II won Best Alternative Album in the 2013 New Zealand Music Awards.

Track listing

All tracks written by Ruban Nielson. 

No. Title Length
1. "From the Sun"   4:43
2. "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)"   2:45
3. "So Good at Being in Trouble"   3:50
4. "One at a Time"   2:28
5. "The Opposite of Afternoon"   5:25
6. "No Need for a Leader"   5:44
7. "Monki"   7:18
8. "Dawn"   1:08
9. "Faded in the Morning"   4:21
10. "Secret Xtians"   2:43
Total length:
40:25

Personnel

Performers
Technical personnel

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sheffield, Haze (January 31, 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra - 'II'". New Musical Express. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  2. Metacritic score
  3. 1 2 Lymangrover, Jason. "II - Unknown Mortal Orchestra : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  4. Jones, Chris (1 March 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II.". Hot Press. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  5. 1 2 Empire, Kitty (January 27, 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II – review". The Observer.
  6. Cohen, Ian (February 5, 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  7. "II – Unknown Mortal Orchestra". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
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