| MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA - 'Simple Math' review. |
| Written by Sarah Mudgway |
| Monday, 16 May 2011 12:08 |
 "Believe me, everything is brilliant..." - When MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA lyricist, singer, and guitarist ANDY HULL sings this line in the title track of 'SIMPLE MATH' I'm not sure it was intended to be an accurate statement of the band's third full-length, but believe me, everything about 'Simple Math' is, simply put, brilliant. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, the quintet had created an incredibly high level of expectation for 'Simple Math' after being thrust into the world of commercial airplay and critical acclaim with their 2009 album 'Mean Everything To Nothing' - an album that to this day remains a solid fixture on my playlists. Describing 'Simple Math' as a concept album "about a 23-year-old who questions everything from marriage to love to religion to sex..." - Hull expresses that "this record is two duelling conversations between me and my wife, and me and my God." Sounds heavy? It is... but it's also sonically brilliant, beautifully layered, and an album that unravels the raw honesty of Hull's lyrics and the band's musical strength increasingly with every listen. The opening track 'Deer' is written as a letter-like open apology, with the strength of Hull's unique voice soaring above the soft acoustic guitar and backing vocals as he sings: "Dear everybody that has paid to see my band, it's still confusing, I'll never understand. Acted like an asshole so my albums would never burn, but I'm hungry now..." Unlike most tracks from 'Mean Everything To Nothing', 'Deer' never builds into an epic symphony of sound, however the distorted and grungy guitar opening of second track 'Mighty' courtesy of guitarist ROBERT MCDOWELL, immediately casted my mind back to the 'Mean Everything To Nothing' days, with the additional inclusion of a beautiful string section which appears in many of the album's tracks. 'Pensacola' is one of the more upbeat sounding songs on the album, embracing the use of hand-claps and horns, ending in a gang-vocal cry of "alcohol, dirty malls, Pensacola Florida bars". However, all light-heartedness takes a backseat with track five 'Pale Black Eye' - a song which builds from a slow almost country-esque guitar opening, into an intense and strings-driven emotional anthem which directly tackles the personal relationship between Hull and his wife - an issue other song-writers would only write about hidden within a maze of metaphor and imagery. Hull, however, empties his heart and lungs onto the track singing "Amy, you must be tired 'cause when you sleep, you sleep alone... I'm tired of lying, I wish I loved you like I used to..." in an almost desperate cry of emotion.  Musically, this album is everything you've grown to love about Manchester Orchestra and more. The haunting use of a children's choir on 'Virgin' creates a theatrical masterpiece which for me personally is the standout track of the album. With Hull and the chorus of children singing "we built this house with our hands, and our times, and our blood. We built this up in one day, to fall downward and rust..." against the layers of distorted guitars, hard-hitting drums and horns section, the track is a perfect sonic representation of this band's ability to be both intense, haunting, and eerily chilling all at once. In an interview ahead of the band's appearance at Lollapalooza, Hull talks about 'Virgin' as "a tri-fold story that parallels three 'firsts' for me - the loss of my virginity, the potential loss of relationship, and the realization that our band has and will change after our first album. To all of these issues, the same lyric applies: It's never gonna be the same." The very personal and never easy subject matter of miscarriage is dealt with directly in 'Apprehension' with lyrics such as: "How could I misconceive I was owed something radically radiant. The doctor came through and asked if you'd like to give it name..." - so raw and vulnerable, at times I felt like I shouldn't be listening to it. However, it is this unreserved honesty in lyrics from Hull - both poignantly powerful, and at times so raw that it feels like you're reading pages from a diary that you perhaps shouldn't have access to - that helps separate Manchester Orchestra from their contemporaries. The beauty of music lies in its ability to stir emotions, the way it acts as a cathartic release both for the performer and the listener - and for a band to match the intensity of their lyrics with instrumentation that is somehow simple yet intricate, loud yet soft, inspiring and mesmerizing all at once. MUST-LISTEN: 'Simple Math', 'Virgin', 'Deer', 'April Fool'. HEARTOMETER: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 [ out of 10 ] YOU WILL LIKE, IF YOU LIKE: Bad Books, Brand New, Thrice, The Color Revolt, Kevin Devine... and intelligent conversation. WATCH: Manchester Orchestra's 'Simple Math' music video... |
