II marks a bit of a shift in The Courtneys' nineties indie rock/pop sound with a more matured, pointed approach which sacrifices some of the charm and natural feeling of what made the self-titled debut great. Much of the dropoff comes in a different vocal approach, increased production efforts and overall composition. The vocals come off as a bit too lax and they do not command as much attention as on the self-titled. The production places the vocals at a distance and adds a fuzziness to the guitars which makes The Courtneys sound a lot more like many of their contemporaries on II. These effects could be strong when used sparingly but they are utilized in every single track. Also, the vocals and guitars aren't as gripping as they were on the debut and it exposes the underlying composition which has many of the riffs sounding similar throughout II. There are some gems here like Mars Attacks and Silver Velvet, and on the whole The Courtneys present a solid, re-playable 38 minutes of tracks but lose some of the natural, bratty feel which made their self-titled fun.
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