II (Unknown Mortal Orchestra album)
| II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Unknown Mortal Orchestra | ||||
| Released | February 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:25 | |||
| Label | Jagjaguwar | |||
| Producer | Ruban Nielson | |||
| Unknown Mortal Orchestra chronology | ||||
| ||||
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 | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Hot Press | 8/10[4] |
| NME | [1] |
| The Observer | [5] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.3/10[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
- Ruban Nielson – vocals, guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, sitar; drums (tracks 3 and 10)
- Chris Neilson – horns (track 4)
- Kody Nielson – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9)
- Jacob Portrait – bass (track 6)
- Gregory Rogove – drums (track 7)
- Technical personnel
- Joe Lambert – mastering
References
- 1 2 3 Sheffield, Haze (January 31, 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra - 'II'". New Musical Express. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ↑ Metacritic score
- 1 2 Lymangrover, Jason. "II - Unknown Mortal Orchestra : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ↑ Jones, Chris (1 March 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II.". Hot Press. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- 1 2 Empire, Kitty (January 27, 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II – review". The Observer.
- ↑ Cohen, Ian (February 5, 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ↑ "II – Unknown Mortal Orchestra". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 11, 2015.