Manchester Orchestra -Mean Everything toNothing

Mon 11th May, 2009 in Music Reviews

A lot can change in what seems like a fairly short amount of time. Deceptively American quintet Manchester Orchestra had humble beginnings as the brainchild of one Andy Hull. They released their debut record I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child in 2006, garnering a small but solid following.

The album centred on themes of belonging and introspective desperation, with Hull’s timid, unsure lyrics and vocals at the centre of the twangy indie pop. What happened in between then and now remains a mystery to anyone but the band themselves. However, what the Orchestra have returned with is, to use an old chestnut, a different kettle of fish entirely.

The second Manchester Orchestra LP Mean Everything to Nothing leaves precious little of the foundations that defined their sound previously, but leaves enough to recognise it’s the same band. Having said that, it’s a difficult task trying to envision many of these numbers as a part of the band’s past. Gone are Hull’s uneasy confessions and pleas such as “I confide in wolves at night”, “Don’t let them see you cry” and “Won’t you rescue me?”, sung quietly and unassumingly. No, sir; this time around it’s all “I am the only son of a pastor I know who does the things I do”, “I’ve got friends in all the right places” and “I need a little more…because enough is never enough”.

If you think they sound different on paper, just wait until you hear Andy singing them. Previously limited in his ability and dynamics, Mean Everything to Nothing sees his vocals keep its higher range, but loaded up with plentiful new attributes. At practically any given point on the record, he’ll be scowling, roaring and spitting his way through volatile, aggressive and demanding lyrics. They’re bold in their ideas and masterful in their execution, particularly come chorus time.

There are moments that are just plain scary in terms of how emotional Hull gets in his delivery, whether his way about it be raucously extroverted ( Shake It Out, Pride) or shockingly, contrastingly quiet and introverted ( I Can Feel A Hot One and hidden track Jimmy, He Whispers the best examples of this). These tracks are obviously deeply personal works with layers of purpose and meaning. In turn they have brought out the very best of Andy as a frontman, a singer and a writer.

He’s not alone in this serious maturing and development of sound. The rest of the Orchestra maintain the tight connectivity that kept I’m Like A Virgin consistent. This time though they’ve turned up their amps and broadened their horizons with an array of new guitar tones, chirping keyboard lines, darker-sounding licks, droning arpeggios and a drumming backbone that would make Max Weinberg proud.

There is a cohesiveness amongst the five-piece that is especially noticeable on Mean Everything. There is perhaps no better an example of that than the album’s finale, The River. On this heart-wrenching ballad, the band encapsulate their newly-realised sound at both its most hushed and at its vast, roaring loudest; complete with gorgeously arranged piano, flowing guitar picking and subtle, moving orchestration. Possibly the best demonstration of how far Manchester Orchestra have come since I’m Like a Virgin, The River is one of many highlights to be found on the record’s eleven-track entirety.

At his most vulnerable, Hull whispers a confession on The River: “I think I talk to you best when I sing.” On Mean Everything to Nothing, Manchester Orchestra have given us one hell of a conversation.

Mean Everything to Nothing is out now through Sony Music. Manchester Orchestra play Splendour In The Grass in July.