{"id":1499,"date":"2017-07-27T13:48:24","date_gmt":"2017-07-27T13:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-manchester-orchestra-a-black-mile-to-the\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:03:05","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:03:05","slug":"review-manchester-orchestra-a-black-mile-to-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-manchester-orchestra-a-black-mile-to-the\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Manchester Orchestra –\u00a0A Black Mile To The Surface"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Since emerging as teenagers with songwriting beyond their years, Manchester Orchestra<\/b> have always had the knack of writing compelling alternative indie rock. 2006’s ‘I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child’<\/i> and its 2009 follow-up, ‘Mean Everything to Nothing’<\/i>, set the benchmark early on for frontman Andy Hull and company. While 2011’s ‘Simple Math’<\/i> was almost on par, 2014’s ‘Cope’<\/i> saw them abandon their familiar quiet-loud dynamic in favour of a straight bold rock sound. In the intervening years between ‘Cope’<\/i> and fifth album, ‘A Black Mile to the Surface’<\/i>, Hull and guitarist Robert McDowell worked on the voice-only soundtrack for ‘Swiss Army Man’<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Having familiarised themselves within a cinematic environment, ‘A Black Mile\u2026’<\/i> sees them embrace it, not through grandeur but through a seamless collection of layered songs that explore a surreal array of characters. From the uplifting opening track, ‘The Maze’<\/i> to the brooding conclusion that is ‘The Silence’<\/i>, Manchester Orchestra<\/b> have the listener gripped throughout.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Songs such as ‘The Gold’<\/i>, ‘The Moth’<\/i> and ‘The Wolf’<\/i> are comforting in their familiarity; relying on soft verses giving way sonic soundscapes. While ‘The Mistake’<\/i> ebbs and flows hypnotically with Hull releasing the occasional “woo!” yet is underpinned by the band’s brewing intensity.<\/p>\n

‘The Alien’<\/i> is a folky intimate and evocative number with haunting vocals. When it’s expertly segued into ‘The Sunshine’<\/i> and ‘The Grocery’<\/i>, Hull’s narrative songwriting really shines, with the latter serving as an emotional release. However, it is on ‘The Parts’<\/i> where Hull seemingly bares his all. Spacious and confessional, it’s a gut-wrenching, stripped back highlight.<\/p>\n

By exploring their sonic tendencies and combining it with their exceptional songwriting prowess, ‘A Black Mile\u2026’<\/i> should, and demands to, be heard in full. It is a record that you live with for days, even weeks. With the initial aim to create a “non-Manchester” record, Manchester Orchestra<\/b> have evolved and pushed themselves to deliver a career highlight. It is truly a compelling achievement of a record.<\/p>\n

5\/5<\/p>\n

‘A Black Mile To The Surface’<\/i> by Manchester Orchestra<\/b> is released on 28th July on Loma Vista Recordings<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Manchester Orchestra<\/b> links: Website<\/a>|Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by S\u00eaan Reid (@SeanReid86<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since emerging as teenagers with songwriting beyond their years, Manchester Orchestra have always had the knack of writing compelling alternative indie rock. 2006’s ‘I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child’ and its 2009 follow-up, ‘Mean Everything to Nothing’, set the benchmark early on for frontman Andy Hull and company. While 2011’s ‘Simple Math’ was almost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[1321,826,431,12398],"class_list":["post-1499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-a-black-mile-to-the-surface","tag-loma-vista-recordings","tag-manchester-orchestra","tag-sean-reid"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nReview: Manchester Orchestra -\u00a0A Black Mile To The Surface - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Since emerging as teenagers with songwriting beyond their years, Manchester Orchestra have always had the knack of writing compelling alternative indie\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review: Manchester Orchestra -\u00a0A Black Mile To The Surface - 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