II (Unknown Mortal Orchestra album)

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]

II
Studio album by
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
ReleasedFebruary 5, 2013 (2013-02-05)
Recorded2012
Genre
Length40:25
LabelJagjaguwar
ProducerRuban 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: September 18, 2012

Artwork

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

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[4]
Metacritic78/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Financial Times[7]
The Guardian[8]
The Irish Times[9]
NME8/10[1]
The Observer[10]
Pitchfork7.3/10[11]
Q[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
Uncut9/10[14]

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".[5]

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."[6]

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."[10]

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

B-sides
  • "Waves of Confidence" – B-side on the "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)" single release.

Blue Record (EP)
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
  • 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
  1. 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. "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. "II by Unknown Mortal Orchestra reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  5. "Reviews for II by Unknown Mortal Orchestra". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  6. Lymangrover, Jason. "II – Unknown Mortal Orchestra". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  7. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (1 February 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  8. Mossman, Kate (31 January 2013). "The Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  9. Carroll, Jim (1 February 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  10. Empire, Kitty (27 January 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II – review". The Observer. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  11. Cohen, Ian (5 February 2013). "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  12. "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Q (320): 110. March 2013.
  13. Dolan, Jon (5 February 2013). "II". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  14. "Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II". Uncut (190): 77. March 2013.
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