![]() ![]() “I’ve always had a clear perception of right and wrong around me,” says Hull, “I’ve constantly questioned my beliefs, trying to find the truth.” It’s why Alternative Press gave MO’s 2009 acclaimed Mean Everything to Nothing (which yielded the Top 10 Modern Rock hit “I’ve Got Friends”) a five-star lead review that called the album “a masterpiece of intricacy and honesty.” You can feel their passion in the power of Hull’s voice and the fury of the band’s music in every track they’ve ever laid down, a power that wraps itself around you and demands your attention as Hull’s lyrics guide you through the world as he sees it. And the lyrics, which take us firsthand through this life-changing experience, are poetic and raw, honest and passionate.īut Manchester Orchestra has always been about truth about passion. The narrative is a trip through a man’s brain, through his mistakes, regrets and realizations. The composition is emotional and complex, expertly weaving music with story. The instrumentation is big, even in its smallest moments. As Roy Shuker defines in his book Popular Music: The Key Concepts, a concept album is a record "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Simple Math is indeed unified by all of these. Recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville and mixed by Joe Chiccarelli, the band kept the same studio set-up and production team intact from their second to third records. Produced fat, tactile and beautiful by Dan Hannon, Simple Math is Hannon’s third full-length LP with the band, starting with the debut album I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child and then the follow-up Mean Everything To Nothing. But for the first time, I’m not blaming anyone but myself,” Hull says. “It’s the reaction to my marital, physical, and mental failures. Manchester Orchestra’s new album, Simple Math, is about that experience. On April 1st, 2009, Andy Hull started to put his life back together. Conceptual conceits aside, Simple Math is a fairly passionate and rocking affair filled with sprawling, if still tightly wound anthemic pop.With: Balance and Composure, Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band In that sense, the album brings to mind similar works by such artists as the Queens of the Stone Age, Tool, and, as on cuts like the new wave-esque "Pensacola," a slightly more robust take on Death Cab for Cutie's yearning pop. I killed the kingdom with one move and now it's time to move." The self-reflection and general tone of pyhrric release-turned-rock star empowerment continues throughout much of the album with such muscular, sludge rock numbers as "Mighty," and the fiery, ragingly melodic "April Fool" being particularly catchy and moving numbers. Ended up abusing even those I thought immune. He sings, "Dear everyone I ever really knew, I acted like an asshole so I could keep my edge on you. It's clear from the melancholy lead-off track, "Deer," that Hull is angry, depressed, and regretful over most everything in his life. Which, essentially, consists of the time Hull - in his twenties as the time of release - has spent with his band, which he started in high school. Manchester Orchestra's 2011 effort Simple Math is an epic, would-be concept album revolving around lead singer/songwriter Andy Hull's life to date. ![]()
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