Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
62
50 Cent
70
AFI
65
Air
70
Alice In Chains
53
Kris Allen
78
Amerie
79
Annie
76
Anti-Pop Consortium
86
The Antlers![]()
75
Arctic Monkeys
68
As Tall As Lions
82
Atlas Sound![]()
77
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
59
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
71
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness![]()
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan![]()
72
Beak>
72
Brendan Benson
84
Biffy Clyro![]()
72
The Big Pink
95
Big Star![]()
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
72
The Black Heart Procession
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
53
Bon Jovi
76
A.A. Bondy
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
83
Brother Ali![]()
72
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
77
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
78
Califone
69
Mariah Carey
81
Brandi Carlile![]()
72
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash![]()
71
Castanets
65
The Cave Singers
82
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis![]()
64
Exene Cervenka
79
Vic Chesnutt
75
Choir Of Young Believers
81
Circulatory System![]()
67
The Clean
84
The Clientele![]()
72
Cold Cave
85
Converge![]()
71
Eric Copeland
76
The Cribs
79
Cymbals Eat Guitars
62
Dashboard Confessional
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
77
Del The Funky Homosapien & Tame One
88
Destroyer![]()
73
Do Make Say Think
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
67
Bob Dylan
58
Echo & The Bunnymen
61
Electric Six
44
The Entrance Band
69
Fanfarlo
71
Jay Farrar And Benjamin Gibbard
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
66
Orenda Fink
79
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
83
Fuck Buttons![]()
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
65
Calvin Harris
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
77
Joe Henry
67
Hockey
67
Whitney Houston
80
Hudson Mohawke
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
74
Jamie T
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
68
Daniel Johnston
76
Norah Jones
77
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
75
Kid Sister
66
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
63
Mark Knopfler
73
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
85
Miranda Lambert![]()
72
Ledisi
71
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
62
Leona Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt![]()
74
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
83
Patty Loveless![]()
73
Lyle Lovett
79
Lucero
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna![]()
85
Manic Street Preachers![]()
61
Maps
73
Mario
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
62
John Mayer
67
Reba McEntire
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
75
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
75
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
66
Morrissey
85
Mount Eerie![]()
76
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
82
Nirvana![]()
96
Nirvana![]()
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
64
OneRepublic
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
78
Osso
67
Alec Ounsworth
81
Owen![]()
73
Paramore
78
Pastels And Tenniscoats
54
Sean Paul
80
Pearl Jam
69
Jemina Pearl
72
Jack Penate
65
Phish
82
Pissed Jeans![]()
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
72
Port O'Brien
79
Q-Tip
79
R.E.M.
88
Raekwon![]()
69
Rain Machine
70
Ramona Falls
75
Dizzee Rascal
74
The Raveonettes
79
Real Estate
76
Jay Reatard
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela![]()
66
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
78
Russian Circles
69
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
78
Say Anything
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
72
Six Organs Of Admittance
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
77
Speech Debelle
58
Spiral Stairs
55
Steel Panther
75
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
68
Joss Stone
83
Barbra Streisand![]()
77
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
79
The Swell Season
80
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees![]()
80
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
78
The Dutchess & The Duke
71
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
74
Them Crooked Vultures
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants![]()
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
73
Frank Turner
71
The Twilight Sad
60
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
69
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
70
Kurt Vile
65
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
73
Rufus Wainwright
78
Wale
57
Weezer
81
White Denim![]()
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts![]()
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
69
Robbie Williams
59
Andrew W.K.
65
Wolfmother
84
The xx![]()
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band![]()
52
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
II

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 22 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 12 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Drag City
Release Date: 16 May 2006
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Folk
Summary
This is the appropriately-titled second release for the Philadelphia acid-folk group.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
NOW Magazine
The main attraction is still Baird's and Weeks's haunting voices, which turn a risky experiment into a genre-defining classic.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
It’s an album that leaves you both soothed and disturbed, lulled and shaken by the group’s masterful blend of the comforting and the uncanny, slightly dazed as if returning from time travel or a knock on the head.
Read Full Review >Blender
Artfully arranged songs about planets and beasts and bittersweet harmonies recall British folk-rock combos like Fairport Convention and Pentangle without coming off as retro or twee. [Jun 2006, p.137]
Alternative Press
Though parts of the album veer a bit too close to the synthetic hippie pabulum you hear upon entering the Nature Store, there's enough dark charm on Espers II to make it essential listeing for those of us who prefer our CDs caked with actual resin. [Jul 2006, p.208]
Paste Magazine
It's part Fairport Convention and part Led Zeppelin at the band's most druidic. [Jun/Jul 2006, p.121]
Uncut
This is a terrific, sustained album. [Aug 2006, p.93]
Mojo
A bewitching record. [Aug 2006, p.96]
The Guardian
It all meanders a little, but getting lost in these songs proves to be an unexpected adventure.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
A series of back-to-the-futurescapes that are both lush and subtly unnerving. [29 Jul 2006, p.29]
Q Magazine
Music that sounds completely out of time, made by an often incredible string band. [Sep 2006, p.108]
Pitchfork
II is a perfectly balanced record, and its arrangements are so exact and delicate that it almost feels like one buzz of a doorbell or ring of a telephone could send the whole thing toppling over, splattering into useless bits.
Read Full Review >Billboard
"II" conjures a creepy but very real neo-psychedelia that is alternately paranoid, somber and reflective.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
It's a handsome downer of a record. [15 May 2006]
Under The Radar
A dense and intense descent into moodiness with absolutely stunning engineering and clarity. [Summer 2006, p.100]
Delusions of Adequacy
It’s the core songwriting beneath the band’s rich sonic layering that needs the greatest sharpening.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
II is a lovely little record, but many of its charms are scripted; even charming people get old when you are forced to spend too much time with them.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
Strip away the fug of patchouli oil and incense and you're left with little more than a shoegazing album played by Kula Shaker.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
Ultimately, the album is explicitly notable for its musicality, rather than its content.
Read Full Review >Village Voice
This is a definite step up from the all-pall-and-no-pulse feel that made Espers' 2004 self-titled album too stuffy.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
The band seem to be far too familiar with the sonic designs of The Incredible String Band and Comus. Espers II sounds more like a lovelorn impersonation of the music than a radical exploration of its possibilities.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Tony F gave it a10:
epic record in my opinion. huge step forward from their self titled debut, probably because they doubled the members from 3 to 6 and gave it themselves a much fuller sound with stronger tracks. standouts are tracks 1,2,5 and 7. get this if you like folk or psychedelic.
Steve L. gave it a10:
Definitely my favorite of 2006 so for. Absolutely, mind-numbingly, stunning. I love this album and cannot speak too highly of it. This is perfect, in every sense of the word. You can't tell the songs apart? Seriously? You aren't listening. This isn't "background" music, this is "stop everything you're doing and absorb the beautiful folk" music. This album is gorgeous; psychadelic folk done right.
Ben H gave it a5:
Starts off with a great sound, singer has a nice voice, musicians definitely have the chops, but it just never seems to go anywhere. This is the kind of CD you can put on an endless loop and never know one end from the other. I seriously doubt most people will find themselves trying to find some quiet time to give this one another listen - its background music. Yes Dave A. - it is boring.
Mickey R gave it a9:
beautiful, chilling, and hauting.
dan f gave it a10:
amazing and mesmerizing. espers have really grown as a group and put together a fantastic and haunting album. one of the best of the year.
Dave A gave it a0:
Boring.
