Ultima II Massage
by Tobacco
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
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  1. ineffable
    May 16, 2014
    9
    Every track sounds broken. Gloriously broken. I've been a fan of Tobacco/BMSR for years, and have never heard anything quite like this. It's quite good.
  2. brettrosey
    May 13, 2014
    2
    This album is the epitome of an artist that is regressing in his work. As a fan of Tobacco's previous LPs, this one doesn't live up to my expectations at all. It's a dull, lethargic, half-hearted attempt that leaves me disappointed and completely unfulfilled.
  3. JakeBomb
    Jul 24, 2019
    10
    This is the perfect Tobacco album, in a lot of ways. It's also the worst in a lot of ways. Everything in the album feels one note, but the sound is so satisfyingly brought to life and killed right in front of you that you just can't stop listening.

    The best way I could describe this album is like doing laundry, but intentionally washing pinks and reds with whites and blues on hot and    This is the perfect Tobacco album, in a lot of ways. It's also the worst in a lot of ways. Everything in the album feels one note, but the sound is so satisfyingly brought to life and killed right in front of you that you just can't stop listening.

    The best way I could describe this album is like doing laundry, but intentionally washing pinks and reds with whites and blues on hot and shoving it all into the dryer on the roughest setting without a dryer sheet. That's probably because it so perfectly encapsulates organized chaos so well that you can find the destruction overwhelmingly soothing and meditative. Every misstep, every off beat, every chord that's meant to catch you off guard feels so deliberate, so impactful and yet so improvised that it's hard to find yourself surprised when this album affixes you in a trance of it's own design. Every listen solidifies these decisions as a perfectly balanced masterpiece. This may be one of the best, most consistent albums ever made from start to finish. Some might argue it's for this reason it's one of the worst Tobacco albums. However, every decision made on every single track is literal perfection as it leads from one song to the next, as if the precipice of Thomas's work leading up to this had been holding back it's electric grime for one last moment to spew it all out at once in a Pollack-esque explosion on a scratched up tape. While I don't think there's much narrative or meaning to be garnered from this album, the uniqueness of the aesthetic sound, and the mastery of its execution is so harrowing it transcends the need.

    This album shows a technical mastery over a texture of sounds that is so terrifying that if you were to blast Streaker on your car stereo with the windows down on the highway everyone would immediately slow down, give you distance and rubberneck like a terrible accident had just happened. When I listen to this album, I am given the feeling like I'm destroying something deep within myself, and I'm doing it in the most satisfying way possible. In many ways, this album makes you hunger desperately for more, while it spends the whole time telling you you've definitely had enough. This album is garbage, and it's a masterpiece.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Uncut
    Jun 6, 2014
    70
    Ultima II Massage is ostentatiously big and frequently clever. [Jul 2014, p.83]
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    Jun 2, 2014
    70
    As an album, it’s uneven, but its stream of highlights make this a fun listen, perfect for the summer.
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  3. No Ripcord
    May 27, 2014
    70
    While few tracks rise to the level of aggression promised by its introduction, Ultima II Massage contains enough wild ideas to maintain an engaging level of oddity.
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