II

Unknown Mortal Orchestra follows up its stunning 2011 eponymous debut with a valiant sophomore album simply titled II. On first listen, there's an immediately noticeable difference in sound quality. Where UMO’s debut was fuzzed-out with the low fidelity of band like The Olivia Tremor Control, “From the Sun” opens here with a crisp mix that sounds forged in mid-'60s psychedelia. “Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)” is the perfect title for the following song, with its sleepy rhythms and a murky underwater sound that balances vintage tones with innovative songwriting (à la Tame Impala). “So Good at Being in Trouble” sets the band apart from its contemporaries with rich hints of funk and soul; the group plays with the groovy confidence of music fans who grew up with Sly Stone and Shuggie Otis records as well as those by The Beatles and Stones. And while “One at a Time” is equally funky, (if not more so), its harder attack and wah-wah pedal ushers in some of that bygone ballroom psychedelia known as acid rock. Ruban Nielson’s vocals sound like a young George Harrison here and throughout II.