| II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 February 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:25 | |||
| Label | Jagjaguwar | |||
| Producer | Ruban Nielson | |||
| Unknown Mortal Orchestra chronology | ||||
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| Singles from II | ||||
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II is the second studio album from the band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released in February 2013. [1] A 15-track Deluxe Edition was released in October, [2] along with the EP Blue Record. [3] A 10th anniversary special vinyl reissue was released on 17 November 2023. [4] [5]
The album cover is a photo of the British Wiccan high priestess author Janet Farrar taken by her husband Stewart Farrar.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10 [6] |
| Metacritic | 78/100 [7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Financial Times | [9] |
| The Guardian | [10] |
| The Irish Times | [11] |
| NME | 8/10 [1] |
| The Observer | [12] |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10 [13] |
| Q | [14] |
| Rolling Stone |  [15] |
| Uncut | 9/10 [16] |
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". [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." [8]
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." [12]
II won Best Alternative Album in the 2013 New Zealand Music Awards.
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 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Two Generations of Excess" | 7:27 |
| 12. | "Waves of Confidence [lower-alpha 1] " | 5:55 |
| Total length: | 53:47 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Swim & Sleep (Like a Shark)" (acoustic version) | 2:42 |
| 2. | "Faded in the Morning" (acoustic version) | 3:29 |
| 3. | "So Good at Being in Trouble" (acoustic version) | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Swing Lo Magellan" (Dirty Projectors cover) | 2:47 |
| 5. | "Puttin' It Down" (Beck cover) | 2:34 |
| Total length: | 15:02 | |
Source: [3]
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