II (Unknown Mortal Orchestra album)

Last updated

II
Unknown Mortall Orchestra II.jpg
Studio album by
Released5 February 2013 (2013-02-05)
Recorded2012
Genre
Length40:25
Label Jagjaguwar
Producer Ruban Nielson
Unknown Mortal Orchestra chronology
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
(2011)
II
(2013)
Multi-Love
(2015)
Singles from II
  1. "Swim And Sleep (Like A Shark)"
    Released: 18 September 2012

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]

Contents

Artwork

The album cover is a photo of the British Wiccan high priestess author Janet Farrar taken by her husband Stewart Farrar.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10 [6]
Metacritic 78/100 [7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Financial Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Irish Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
NME 8/10 [1]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Pitchfork 7.3/10 [13]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [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.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ruban Nielson

No.TitleLength
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
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Two Generations of Excess"7:27
12."Waves of Confidence [a] "5:55
Total length:53:47

Blue Record (EP)

Blue Record (and Deluxe version) cover Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Blue Record.jpg
Blue Record (and Deluxe version) cover
No.TitleLength
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]

Personnel

Notes

  1. "Waves of Confidence" was previously included as the B-side on the "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)" tour-only 7" and later single release. [17]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Sheffield, Hazel (31 January 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra – 'II'". NME . Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  2. "II (Deluxe Edition), by Unknown Mortal Orchestra". Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
  3. 1 2 "ALBUM ANNOUNCE // Unknown Mortal Orchestra Announces Acoustic 'Blue Record' EP, Out 10/29 Blog :: JAGJAUWAR". Jagjaguwar . Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  4. Minsker, Evan (19 September 2023). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra Announce 10th Anniversary II Reissue With Bonus Tracks". Pitchfork . Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  5. Petrosian, Nika (19 September 2023). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra Announce 'II' 10th Anniversary Reissue". Exclaim! . Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  6. "II by Unknown Mortal Orchestra reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Reviews for II by Unknown Mortal Orchestra". Metacritic . Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  8. 1 2 Lymangrover, Jason. "II – Unknown Mortal Orchestra". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  9. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (1 February 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II" . Financial Times . Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  10. Mossman, Kate (31 January 2013). "The Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II – review". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  11. Carroll, Jim (1 February 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra". The Irish Times . Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  12. 1 2 Empire, Kitty (27 January 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II – review". The Observer . Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  13. Cohen, Ian (5 February 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Pitchfork . Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  14. "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Q (320): 110. March 2013.
  15. Dolan, Jon (5 February 2013). "II". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  16. "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Uncut (190): 77. March 2013.
  17. Fitzmaurice, Larry (18 September 2012). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)" Track Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 18 November 2023.