II (Unknown Mortal Orchestra album)
II | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 5, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2012 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:25 | |||
Label | Jagjaguwar | |||
Producer | Ruban Nielson | |||
Unknown Mortal Orchestra chronology | ||||
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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
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10[2] |
Metacritic | 78/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Financial Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Irish Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 8/10[1] |
The Observer | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 7.3/10[9] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | 9/10[12] |
II received 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".[3]
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."[4]
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."[8]
II won Best Alternative Album in the 2013 New Zealand Music Awards.
Track listing
All tracks are 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
- Ruban Nielson – performance, recording; drums (tracks 3, 10)
- Chris Nielson – horns (track 4)
- Jacob Portrait – bass (track 6)
- Gregory Rogove – drums (track 7)
- Kody Nielson – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 9)
- Joe Lambert – mastering
- Stewart Farrar – cover photo of Janet Farrar
References
- ^ a b c Sheffield, Hazel (31 January 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra – 'II'". NME. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ "II by Unknown Mortal Orchestra reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews for II by Unknown Mortal Orchestra". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ^ a b Lymangrover, Jason. "II – Unknown Mortal Orchestra". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (1 February 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ Mossman, Kate (31 January 2013). "The Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ Carroll, Jim (1 February 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ a b Empire, Kitty (27 January 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II – review". The Observer. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ^ Cohen, Ian (5 February 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ^ "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Q (320): 110. March 2013.
- ^ Dolan, Jon (5 February 2013). "II". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Uncut (190): 77. March 2013.