In March 2013, Unknown Mortal Orchestra was named one of Fuse TV's 30 must-see artists at SXSW. The band then toured extensively throughout North America with opener Foxygen. The tour started off with shows in Australia, and hometown shows in New Zealand, followed by several stops in Europe. ĭuring the winter of 2012, Unknown Mortal Orchestra capitalized on the success of II and embarked on a world tour. Clash Music gave the album a 9 out of 10, saying "from opener 'From The Sun', which recalls George Harrison-psychedelia, to the tender Family Stone shuffle of the closing of 'Secret Xtians', 'II' displays both a glowing warmth in its production and a deft use of space that illuminate Nielson's superbly crafted compositions." Paste magazine called the album "a modern, beat-heavy take on '60s psych, with plenty of hooks and fuzz to get you hooked and feeling fuzzy." NME praised Ruban's ability to turn his songs into "works of warm, fuzzy beauty". II was nominated for the Taite Music Prize 2014, an annual music prize awarded for the best album from New Zealand. In November 2013 it won Best Alternative Album at the New Zealand Music Awards.
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.II has received widespread critical acclaim. Instead, it provides a sense of movement that allows Nielson to show off his guitar playing, which is never showy but is extremely clever rotating from apt funk riffs, to prog scales, to fingerpicking. Hip-hop breakbeats acted as the backbone for nearly all of the early material, so adding live drums changes the dynamic, but never seems to complicate matters. This is especially impressive considering that on this album, Unknown Mortal Orchestra use a wider spread of sounds, and additional instrumentation is added by members of the touring band. Each song is carefully and imaginatively put together, with nothing excessive to tarnish the clean lines of the songwriting or arrangements. It's reassuring to find that even after signing to Jagjaguwar, the album still feels like a bedroom studio creation, because his most endearing quality is his creative craftsmanship, and it shines. Even if II is not as sunny, fun, or simple, Nielson wears the badge of maturity well and doesn't fall prey to typical sophomore pitfalls or lose track of his original psychedelic vision. There are hooks, but they are not quite as obvious.
Like on Nielson's first outing, the songs are a hodgepodge of collaged headphone candy, revolving around his childlike vocals, wonder, and multi-layered production, but here, lighthearted pop melodies are obscured by a melancholy tone.
For his dense, mellow second album, Ruban Nielson continues to challenge himself and his audience by working within the detailed sonic framework crafted on Unknown Mortal Orchestra's 2011 debut.
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