Album review: Manchester Orchestra: 'Mean Everything to Nothing'

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA: 'Mean Everything to Nothing' (Canvasback)

There’s something of a buzz surrounding Manchester Orchestra; following 2006’s impressively mature debut, ‘I’m like a Virgin Losing a Child’, the Georgia five-piece have become critical dahlings, and for once, it’s wholly justified. With ‘Mean Everything to Nothing’, the band have produced their magnum opus, a superlative distillation of their quintessentially bleak, yet unquestionably anthemic, sound.

This is a far more grandiose effort than their 2006 offering, benefitting greatly from Joe Chicarrelli’s studied production. The record is fit to burst with gigantic choruses and ballsy guitar gusto, but crucially, its mood is markedly crestfallen. ‘I’ve Got Friends’ is a strong contender for hook of the year, so effortless is its chorus, but the words themselves prevent you from ever experiencing the euphoria that the melody seems to suggest. With intoxicating fragility, Andy Hill tries to rebuke those who have betrayed him, but is ultimately defeated by his pain, resigned to his fate. ‘The Only One’, meanwhile, opens the record in gorgeously poppy style, taking a leaf out of Motion City Soundtrack’s book, but before long, the dissonant, out-of-tune keyboard underscore becomes distinctly disconcerting, hinting at a more sinister nuance to the track’s apparent simplicity.

Things are as forlorn elsewhere. ‘Pride’ is a monumentally evocative funeral dirge, painting a picture of utter hopelessness is excruciating Technicolor; ‘I Can Feel A Hot One’ is a piano-led number so tender and bittersweet, it could make grown men cry; and then there are the tracks concerned with the injustices of religion (a motif carried over from their debut), which are often highly provocative: ‘The River’s insistence (to God) that ‘I’m gonna leave you the first chance I get’ and ‘I’ve Got Teeth’s facetious ‘Jesus is coming, better act our age’ are positively dripping with spite, intensifying the power of the band’s lyrics and conveying the horrors of Bell’s past without delving into mawkishness.

At times, ‘Mean Everything to Nothing’ is a difficult listen. Its despondency is initially unwelcoming and takes some time to truly appreciate, but, as with all good things, perseverance pays dividends. The album harnesses the kind of emotional gravitas and packs the same incredibly stomach-churning punch as tour mates Brand New’s phenomenal ‘The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me’ and that really is no small feat. Manchester Orchestra splatter heart, soul, blood and guts all over this record, giving you everything they’ve got, and for that, they should mean everything to everyone. (9/10)