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10.0
50658
10.0 |
The Fly
Far-out, fascinating, fantastic – just plain F-ing good
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9.0
50937
9.0 |
God Is In The TV
Just as immersive as UMO’s debut album yet more considered, II finds itself exempt from any real criticism
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9.0
50215
9.0 |
Tone Deaf
The first truly great album of 2013
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9.0
50403
9.0 |
Uncut
An album of sensual pleasures and magical power. Print edition only
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9.0
50517
9.0 |
Clash
2013 is unlikely to birth a more sublime shimmer of surf-pop than ‘So Good At Being In Trouble’. Gently - and gloriously - nudging perfection
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9.0
50537
9.0 |
The 405
A supremely commendable second effort
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8.5
50490
8.5 |
Beats Per Minute
Like a shark, or perhaps like time itself, II moves not out of a desire to reach a destination, but out of sheer necessity, fearing what may happen if it ever were to stop, leaving us no choice but to swim along with it
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8.4
50532
8.4 |
AltSounds
Revival rock that’s custom designed for day dreaming and offers us not just what will remain one of 2013’s finest record, but a classic album for the ages
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8.3
50212
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
Whereas their last album piqued interest with new, abnormal sounds, II builds on this intrigue but in a calming manner, still drenched in the lo-fi, fuzzy warmness solidified with a cranked up bass
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8.3
50643
8.3 |
Paste Magazine
There’s more consistent musical plasma coursing through the veins of II
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8.0
50554
8.0 |
All Music
II takes risks and achieves greatness
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8.0
50899
8.0 |
No Ripcord
An album whose songs, personality, and band-chemistry come together for something that could well outlast its own current weirdness
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8.0
50410
8.0 |
The Guardian
There's something about the production that makes this album sound as if it's being beamed in from a faraway planet
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8.0
50359
8.0 |
NME
Raw melody made Unknown Mortal Orchestra exciting two years ago; now they've matched it with attention to detail
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8.0
50210
8.0 |
BBC
Throwbacks aren’t a concern when the songs are as wonderfully complete as they are on this record
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7.5
50549
7.5 |
Under The Radar
Nielson writes great songs. They'd still be great songs in full '80s cocaine-and-gated-reverb regalia, '90s purist indie rock production, or any other treatment
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7.5
51143
7.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Frustratingly muted but nevertheless enthralling
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7.3
50529
7.3 |
Pitchfork
II starts and finishes on strong notes, making it easy to revisit, and leaving the midsection as an isolated affair that might grow on you
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7.1
50717
7.1 |
Bowlegs
While much of this records verges on the derivative – its quirky, super warm production and melodies save it more often than not
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7.0
50774
7.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
While II doesn’t kick around quite the same as its predecessor, it makes up for that with subtleties
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7.0
50896
7.0 |
musicOMH
Overall, while II is a success, it’s just not quite the great record it should have been
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7.0
51366
7.0 |
PopMatters
A tight, enjoyable sophomore album that solidifies their sound and sets them apart from their peers and musical ancestors
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7.0
50545
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
The Portland trio make decaying states of consciousness seem like heaven with psychedelic guitar-pop that's alluringly out of focus
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7.0
50363
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Beneath the isolation blues, II is buoyant and visceral enough to suffuse its existential cloud with a redemptive joie de vivre
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6.0
50439
6.0 |
The Irish Times
First time out, Unknown Mortal Orchestra hit the right groove with their fuzzy, nostalgic wig-outs and there’s really little change for the second album
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6.0
50208
6.0 |
The Observer
There are longueurs where Nielson can get a little vague and inward-directed. Unknown Mortal's secret weapon, though, is a kind of fried funk that grounds even Nielson's most whimsical passages
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6.0
50243
6.0 |
Q
A murkily enveloping record, but one that occasionally misses its predecessor's gonzo sense of fun. Print edition only
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6.0
50868
6.0 |
Art Rocker
They have been able to broaden their sound if only ever so slightly
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6.0
50710
6.0 |
State
It’s far from fulfilling their potential – instead a semi-consistent LP of extravagantly endearing psychedelic-soul and sturdily put-together lo-fi rock
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