II
Studio album by
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Released5 February 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: 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]

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]
Metacritic78/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Financial Times[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Irish Times[11]
NME8/10[1]
The Observer[12]
Pitchfork7.3/10[13]
Q[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
Uncut9/10[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
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]

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "II (Deluxe Edition), by Unknown Mortal Orchestra". Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
  3. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "Reviews for II by Unknown Mortal Orchestra". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  8. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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.
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