II (Unknown Mortal Orchestra album)

2013 studio album by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Studio album by

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Released| 5 February 2013 (2013-02-05)
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)  | 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

[edit]

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

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate 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.

## Track listing

[edit]

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

Japanese edition bonus tracksNo.| Title| Length

|
|

11.| "Two Generations of Excess"| 7:27
12.| "Waves of Confidence[a]"| 5:55
Total length:| 53:47

### Blue Record (EP)

[edit]

Blue Record (and Deluxe version) cover

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]

## Personnel

[edit]

* 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

## Notes

[edit]

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

[edit]

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.

* v
* t
* e

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

* Ruban Nielson
* Jacob Portrait
* Kody Nielson

* Julien Ehrlich
* Riley Geare
* Quincy Mcrary
* Gregory Rogove

Studio albums|

* Unknown Mortal Orchestra (2011)
* II (2013)
* Multi-Love (2015)
* Sex & Food (2018)
* V (2023)

Other albums|

* IC-01 Hanoi (2018)
* IC-02 Bogotá (2025)

EPs|

* Blue Record

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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