II (Unknown Mortal Orchestra album)

II
Studio album by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Released February 2013
Recorded 2012
Genre Indie rock, psychedelic rock, lo-fi
Length 40:25
Label Jagjaguwar
Producer Ruban Nielson
Unknown Mortal Orchestra chronology

Unknown Mortal Orchestra
(2011)		 II
(2013)		 Blue Record
(2013)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
NME [2]
The Observer [3]
Pitchfork 7.3/10[4]

II is the second studio album from the band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released in February 2013.[2][5]

Reception

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."[1]

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."[2]

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."[3]

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

Track listing

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

Sources:[5][6]

Cover

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

Personnel

Performers
Technical personnel

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lymangrover, Jason. "II - Unknown Mortal Orchestra : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sheffield, Haze (January 31, 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra - 'II'". New Musical Express. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Empire, Kitty (January 27, 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II – review". The Observer.
  4. ↑ Cohen, Ian (February 5, 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Minsker, Evan (October 11, 2012). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra Announce New Album". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 10, 2013.
  6. ↑ "II". iTunes. Retrieved July 10, 2013.