| 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Studio album by Not So Socialist | ||
| Released | November 17, 2003 | |
| Recorded | November to December 2001 at Unbelievable, Jeff! Studios, Remontadov, Viktoriyovskaya | |
| Genre | Rock, alternative rock, rap, metal, industrial metal | |
| Length | 1:07:58 | |
| Label | Tidzhomov, Personality | |
| Producer | Denis Tidzhomov and Not So Socialist | |
| Not So Socialist chronology | ||
| The Promiscuous Album (2002) |
2 (2003) |
Falling Leaves (2005) |
2 is the third studio album by Margovyan band Not So Socialist. It was released on November 17, 2003 in Margovya and the rest of South America. As of April 2005, the album has shipped 2 million copies throughout the continent.
History
The album includes six tracks artistically omitted from The Promiscuous Album. The album was originally titled The Promiscuous Album 2, but this was eventually shortened simply to 2. Maria Atolova stated in an interview with The Aggregator that they had made so many songs that they wouldn't all fit into just one album, and that they had felt that "there were some songs that just deserved to be in an album of their own."
While Not So Socialist did not actively promote the album, they built up anticipation for it through a variety of means. The first single from the album, "Pussy", premiered at the 2003 Hello! Margovya Music Awards and was subsequently released on disc. Not So Socialist's official website featured one-minute samples of six of the tracks, along with a prominent countdown clock to the release date.
Concept and music
The album contains six tracks which were omitted by the band from their previous album, The Promiscuous Album, for artistic reasons. These songs were "Pussy", "Eat Me Up", "Valley of Pleasure", "Kissing Talking Lips", "I Burnt Myself on You", and "I Love You, Bitch!". These six songs were considered too aggressive and more mature than The Promiscuous Album itself, which was why both Not So Socialist and Tidzhomov Music Records agreed to cut the tracks from the album. However, not wanting their hard work to go to waste, the band decided to make a new album revolving around these six songs, and this album would have a new and aggressive rock and metal rhythm because the band wanted to extend their experimentation into heavy and industrial metal.
There is no overarching theme in the songs in 2, but all of the songs in the album, except for the two hidden tracks, which are covers of "Bus Stop" by The Hollies and "Boys Do Fall in Love" by Robin Gibb, are classified as heavy metal or industrial metal. Some songs in the album were also influenced by Neue Deutsche Härte bands such as Oomph! and Rammstein.
The lyrics of the songs in 2 are mostly about dark, sensitive, and violent themes which are usually explored by industrial metal songs. "Pussy" is about the difficulty of soliciting sex in Margovya, while "Eat Me Up" expresses the singer's desire to be consumed alive by his love. "Kissing Talking Lips" is about a woman wanting to shut up her lover by kissing them before proceeding to commit various heinous acts that will eventually result in her lover's death, while "I Burnt Myself on You" compares the singer's feelings of betrayal to burning up and wanting to do the same, except literally, to her lover. "I Love You, Bitch!" is basically a love song filled with rude words and "not safe for work" activities and fantasies not usually found in other romantic songs.
Release and artwork
Following the tradition of their first two albums, Not So Socialist has gone for yet another simplistic style for the album cover of 2. The cover features a number 2 in flames while below, the band's name is written in bold and italicized yellow letters in Times New Roman font. The inner part of the album case features the band members posing beside their respective instruments.
Reception
Critical response
The album received mixed responses from critics, with some praising Not So Socialist for experimenting with heavy and industrial metal, while others criticized their experimentation as being too early in their career. Conrada Cortesova gave 2 three and a half stars out of five, stating that while their experimentation in heavy metal was commendable, it was a little too early in their career as a band to embark on such experiments. Nevertheless, Cortesova praised individual songs within the album such as "Pussy" and "I Burnt Myself on You" as examples of when "pushing your boundaries will result in better things for [the band]".
Commercial performance
The album sold 79,000 copies on release day, putting them on the number 25 spot on the Margovyan Top 100 Albums chart. 2 peaked at number 11 on the charts. The album did manage to make it into the top 10 charts of Paraguay and Bolivia, and the top 25 chart in Brazil and Venezuela. As of January 2016, the album has sold 8 million copies throughout South America.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pussy" | 3:48 |
| 2 | "Eat Me Up" | 4:52 |
| 3 | "Hell Is Other People" | 5:01 |
| 4 | "Valley of Pleasure" | 3:16 |
| 5 | "Kissing Talking Lips" | 4:00 |
| 6 | "Curves" | 3:59 |
| 7 | "Fallen Angels" | 3:17 |
| 8 | "I Burnt Myself on You" | 3:46 |
| 9 | "D-Cup" | 3:24 |
| 10 | "Fill My Empty Space" | 4:06 |
| 11 | "I Love You, Bitch!" | 5:20 |
| 12 | "Stick It Where the Sun Don't Shine" | 5:56 |
| 13 | "Sexy Cowboy" | 4:23 |
| 14 | "Reverse Cowgirl" | 3:55 |
| 15 | "Boys Do Fall in Love" (Cover of the song by Robin Gibb) | 3:50 |
| 16 | "Bus Stop" (Cover of the song by The Hollies) | 5:05 |
Personnel
- Not So Socialist
- Lev Arigov – lead vocals, drums, backing vocals
- Maria Atolova – lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar
- Tanya Kalinina – lead vocals, lead guitar
- Gavrina Kumilyova – lead vocals, drums, bass guitar
- Production
- Produced by Denis Tidzhomov