I briefly mentioned in a past “Favorite Things” post that I was amazed by Manchester Orchestra’s latest release, Mean Everything to Nothing. I may have been a bit hasty in saying that considering it had only been hours since I got my hands on the album, but I’m sticking to my guns. Although Mean Everything may not be as single-worthy as 2006’s I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child, you can definitely tell these guys put a hell of a lot of more work into this album. The band has and continues to follow a relatively minimalist style of songwriting, but this time around they’ve managed to pack so much more passion into the instrumentals. Manchester Orchestra has always been good at drawing from different genres, and whether they venture into folk or indie rock in a song, they do it spot on. But the greatest treat is when they decide to put their rock’n’roll hats on – when they do that, they definitely mean it. Right from the album’s get-go you’re greeted by “The Only One,” an homage to southern rock that gets the album off to an explosive start. It’s followed by “Shake it Out,” perhaps the most brutal song the band has ever written. Although I don’t mean that in a metal, melt-your-face-off kind of way, front man Andy Hull lays the beat-down to his vocal chords in ways he hasn’t before. Oh, and then comes my favorite track – “I’ve Got Friends.”
“I’ve Got Friends” is a beast of a song. Although it starts out with a cute keyboard intro, it slowly swells into a powerful breakdown in the vein of “Shake it Out.” This transition into chaos is what makes the song one of the most memorable off of Mean Everything. By the time you hear Hull and company belting out the chorus melody towards the song’s end, you’ll know exactly what I mean. The only other band I can think of that’s pulled off the same kind of thing is Brand New, when Jesse Lacey goes crazy in songs like “You Won’t Know” or “Sowing Season.” So yeah, it’s that good.
Enjoy the video for “I’ve Got Friends” below. The video’s directed by Clay Lipsky and Jason Bognacki, the duo behind “I Can Barely Breathe” and all the videos that have and will be released for Mean Everything. I’ve always found their style to be quite appealing, and the same goes for their latest effort. And it’s about a bear attack, which automatically makes it awesome in my book.
