Two is the second studio album by Australian recording artist Lenka. It was released on 28 February 2011 in Singapore through Epic Records.
The album was Lenka's second solo album after having been a member of the group Decoder Ring. The first single from the album, "Heart Skips a Beat", was released on 11 February 2011 to little commercial success. Because of this lack of success, Two failed to chart as well as its predecessor, Lenka (2008).
Singles and promotional singles "Heart Skips a Beat" was the lead single of Two; it was released on the 11 February 2011. A music video for the song was revealed on 17 March, through Vevo. The album's title track, "Two", served as the second single. Its music video was premiered on 30 June on YouTube. "Roll with the Punches" was released on 8 November 2010, as the first promotional single of the album. "Everything at Once" was released as the second promotional single through iTunes Store. Lenka performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! along with "Heart Skips a Beat". It was used in a TV advertisement for Windows 8 in 2012, leading to its release as the third single on 4 November 2012. "Everything at Once" was a commercial success, being Lenka's second most successful single after her 2008 single, "The Show".
Critical reception
Two was well received by most critics, earning 4 stars out of 5 from AllMusic. AllMusic described the album as maintaining Lenka's bright and melodic style while incorporating a more modern sound, shifting from orchestral arrangements to a minimalistic approach with some electro-pop elements. The review highlighted tracks like "Roll with the Punches" for its sing-song style and "Two" for its rhythmic, stripped-down production.
Track listing
Personnel Credits were adapted from the liner notes and AllMusic.
Recording locations Modern Dirt Studios; London (1, 7) Distortion Tank Studios; Woodstock, NY (1, 7) Frou Frou East; London (2, 8–9) Maze Studios; Atlanta, GA (3) Mushroom Stamp; Culver City, CA (3) Konk Studios; London (4–6) Muttley Ranch Studios; London (4–6) PapPap's Palace; Culver City, CA (10–11)
Personnel
Lenka – vocals, autoharp, Fender Rhodes, keyboards, Mellotron, organ, percussion, piano, synthesizer Ben H. Allen – mixing, piano, production (3) Ian Archer – guitar Guy Aroch – photography Adam Ayan – mastering Sigurdur Birkis – drums Lukas Burton – A&R Jason Cooper – drums Danny T. Levin – horn Samuel Dixon – bass guitar Mike DuClos – bass Chris Elms – engineer, guitar, mixing, programming Rob Gardner – engineer James Gulliver Hancock – artwork, design Robby Handley – bass guitar Joe Hegleman – management Danny Kalb – mixing Erik Kertes – bass guitar David Kosten – engineer, keyboards, mixing, percussion, production (4–7), programming Sunny Levine – drums, engineer, production (10–11), programming Dougal Lott – engineer Andy Page – engineer, guitar, mixing, programming Eamon Ryland – guitar, Mellotron, pedal steel Kevin Salem – additional production (7), bass, engineer, guitar, mixing Ron Shapiro – management Guy Sigsworth – keyboards, production (8–9), strings Eg White – drums, engineer, guitar, keyboards, producer David Wrench – engineer Amir Yaghmai – guitar, violin
Charts + List of chart performance Chart (2011) Peakposition South Korean Albums (Circle) 26 South Korean International Albums (Circle) 2 US Billboard 200 196 US Top Heatseekers (Billboard) 5
Release history + Release dates and formats Region Date Format(s) Label Singapore 28 February 2011 Epic United States 19 April 2011
References