Lyric Of The Week 92: Angel Of Death

"I'm on fire, and the guilt's doing all of the thinking."

Manchester Orchestra - Angel Of Death, from the album The Million Masks Of God

Album: Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks Of God [2021]

Manchester Orchestra stunned me with their 2017 release A Black Mile To The Surface, and I was entirely intrigued by their music. After putting it on repeat too many times and figuring out the story behind the album, I decided it was time to set it aside and taste another album. The Million Masks Of God was next on my list, since it was pretty highly commended in some critics' lists, and the artwork intrigued me too.

The Million Masks Of God keeps the same kind of alt-rock palette presented to us in A Black Mile To The Surface, but uses it a lot differently. The darker aesthetics that were designed to fit the darker themes of A Black Mile To The Surface were absent here, which resulted in a brighter tone throughout most of the album. Instead of a threaded narrative, The Million Masks Of God instead tackles multiple separate topics all loosely centred around struggling with the idea of god and trying to love someone through it, something that emerges from Andy's deep spiritual and religious self, and I think the genuineness speaks for itself in the music.

Manchester Orchestra has always been excellent at building captivating soundscapes, but The Million Masks Of God goes for a more diverse soundscape throughout the record, ranging from borderline indie bedroom pop to straight up gritty electronic alt-rock. From the brilliant harmonies of Inaudible and the grandeur of the epic-like Angel Of Death, to the softness of Telepath and the melancholy sentiments of The Internet, they're covering a very large range of sounds.

I'll admit, this album did not hit as much as A Black Mile To The Surface did, but I think it's less of a testament to the quality of this album and more of a testament to the quality of their music as a whole. A Black Mile To The Surface was such a powerful album that, even though The Million Masks Of God is by all standards an amazing album, can pale a bit in comparison to it. Regardless, The Million Masks Of God is chock full of bangers, great lines and melodies, and some really solid songwriting. Angel Of Death is one of their best standalone songs in both musicality and lyrical meanings, and Bed Head has the best vocal one-liner in their recent discography.

For the most part, I perceive The Million Masks Of God to be the softer album of the two, mostly due to how much calmer the second half of the tracklist is. Outside of that, I think it actually beats A Black Mile To The Surface in sonic diversity, no longer constrained to a overarching narrative. I love the parallels as well, the sonic familiarity with their first and last track seem almost intentional. Inaudible reminded me a lot of The Maze but bolder, and The Internet reminded me a lot of The Silence but calmer. While we're here, I should mention that having listened to The Million Masks Of God after The Valley Of Vision, hearing Rear View's callback in The Internet the wrong way around was surreal. I loved it.

They definitely feel like sister albums as this point, but I think it might just be the overall new sound of Manchester Orchestra that I love so much, spearheaded by the amazing vocals and lyrical prowess of Andy Hull, and supported by some of the best instrumentation in modern alt-rock. Even though I have to say that The Million Masks Of God doesn't top A Black Mile To The Surface, I can at least say that they're both very high on my lists.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. Inaudible

2. Angel Of Death

3. Keel Timing

4. Bed Head

5. Annie

6. Telepath

7. Let It Storm

8. Dinosaur

9. Obstacle

10. Way Back

11. The Internet

Lyric Of The Week 83: Lead, SD

"It took your blood on my blood to believe."

Manchester Orchestra - Lead, SD, from the album A Black Mile To The Surface

Album: Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile To The Surface [2017]

After falling in love with The Valley Of Vision, I figured the next stop on the Manchester Orchestra train would be their critically acclaimed A Black Mile To The Surface. I've seen this album on critics' year end lists and even decade top 100 lists, and I was immensely curious to find out what was in store.

A Black Mile To The Surface immediately made it clear that it was much more diverse and powerful than The Valley Of Vision, presenting itself as a concept album, complete with thematic imagery and consistent titling. It also feels much more like a rock band, instruments taking their place at the forefront of the soundscapes. This was closer to what I expected them to sound like when I first heard of them, and now having found out that The Valley Of Vision was essentially a B-side of songs recorded in the same sessions as The Million Masks Of God, things start to make more sense.

This album has a much more cohesive and expansive sound design which I love. Layers upon layers of intricate intimacy woven into each and every section, so full of life and yet sounding unreal. I love the energy they decided to go with for this record, it has this subtle, uneasy darkness to it that contrasts the overall sentimental and profound ramblings. Their climactic moments can get pretty powerful, reminiscent of how they ended Rear View but way stronger.

The vocals play a huge part in how the overall album feels. Andy's command of melodic intricacies is not to be reckoned with, but it really is their work with vocal layering, harmonies and background details that really makes the soundscape. A lot of what contributes to the atmosphere and vibe of this record is how present the vocals are in the front and the back, whether it's the main melody or the oohs and aahs in the background.

The instrumentation is surprisingly vibrant, I'm amazed at how expressive it is. Their production work is on point, making just the right additions to each track to make them come to life. Whether it's the calm and relaxing pace of The Alien, the bold and bothered energy of Lead, SD, the rough and confessional fire of The Wolf or the poetic and powerful journey of a song that is The Silence, they're all crafted with so much love and patience, perfecting every detail within.

A Black Mile To The Surface has become akin to a spiritual musical experience, regardless of the listener's affinity to spirituality. Amidst the vast intricacies and countless details of the album, it has become an experience well worth diving into, again and again. There's something truly remarkable about the way they piece together such profound material into a cohesive package that has completely stunned me.

It has to be commended how deep the story is, there is so much dark and human weight to the lyrics and meaning of the album as a whole. Few albums reach such a state of narrative potence but A Black Mile To The Surface has such an intricate and substantial story woven throughout each and every line, one that touches me deeply and shocks me in such a revelatory way that I cannot help but be impressed.

I now understand why Manchester Orchestra has such a reputation, and honestly, I'm now disappointed that they aren't more well known. Not just as a matter of quality, their music is at most pop-adjacent but a majority of it could fit snugly into the pop genre, and it's slightly saddening to see a pop artist's rendition of their work get more plays than the band itself. That aside, I'm ecstatic to have finally found out what Manchester Orchestra is really made of, and I have absolutely no regrets. As I look forward to diving into their older catalogue, I also hope that I'll be able to see new material drop in the near future.

Rating: 10/10

Tracklist:

1. The Maze

2. The Gold

3. The Moth

4. Lead, SD

5. The Alien

6. The Sunshine

7. The Grocery

8. The Wolf

9. The Mistake

10. The Parts

11. The Silence

EP: Manchester Orchestra - The Valley Of Vision [2023]

Manchester Orchestra has been a name that I've been seeing around the rock and metal scene for a while now, on critics' top albums lists and as features on other bands' songs. I never really found the time to listen to their existing catalogue, but when I saw that they were releasing an EP, I figured I might as well take the chance to find out what they sound like.

Contrary to their name, they're actually a rock band and not an orchestra, but I was a bit surprised to find them leaning towards the soft side of alternative rock, I figured with where they were in the scene they might've been at least a bit louder. Still, I was pleasantly surprised to find that their music was not only subverting my expectations, but also exceeding it entirely.

Capital Karma starts off this EP, taking a slow and steady route of easing the listener into the experience. Andy's calming vocals are put against an elegant backdrop of soft keys and beats, never picking up the pace for most of the track. In the last minute, they switch it up and things start to get stronger, rolling with a faster vocal melody and throwing in some big harmonies, although the instrumentals remain largely the same. Going out with some "oohs", it's a great starting track with immense atmospheric calm, which sets up the EP's expectations quite nicely.

The Way is the popular track of the EP. It sounds like it could pass off as a pop song, only it's pretty obvious that the songwriting and sound design far surpasses the average quality of pop music these days. There's this refrain at the start that lowkey sounds like a violin and the main keyboard melody, both of which have made permanent residence in my brain. Their succinctness with soundscapes is one that awes me, doing so much with so little, and every nuance feels justified. Using stronger vocals for the chorus, which by the way is an amazing chorus, is such a smart way of making the different sections distinct without having to change much. I love his softer, whispery vocals in the post-chorus, it makes it feel oddly human. The second verse rolls out the same way save for one particularly lovable addition, that one scream that is so drenched in echoey reverb, it really feels like it shouldn't work but it does. By the time they get to the bridge, the soundscape has become surprisingly powerful, between the strong vocals and exquisite layers behind it. Not to mention the lyricism throughout has been a great blend of poetic and minimalist, coming off as profound but not pretentious.

Quietly follows as the third track, true to it's name for the most part as it runs with a calm melody and muffled beat pattern in the back. Much like Capital Karma, it's a song mostly defined by its softness and it getting louder more than halfway in. It has a much better verse and chorus melody than Capital Karma, though, and there's this homely feeling to it that I can't really explain. The sound design continues to awe me, really reaching a balance of calm and intentful, subtle details selling the sound. I love the part where the song starts to pick up speed, his cadences never fail to hook me in, and how and when chooses to use his stronger cleans is done in a very smart way to accentuate the dynamics. Even with super distorted drum beats, they make the ending sound super anthemic and open, and it just amazes me how polished it all feels.

Letting Go is one of the less interesting tracks, one that feels more like an interlude on an already pretty soft EP. The soundscape remains pretty low-energy for the most part, the only significant change throughout the song is the drum beat getting stronger. It definitely has a calm and relaxing vibe to it, and it ties in to the lyrical sentiment quite well of finding peace.

Lose You Again is probably the calmest song on the EP, most of its runtime coloured solely by an acoustic guitar and vocals. Its slow pace and low energy makes it very lullaby-like, but it definitely has the makings of a soft cut. Much like the previous song, it feels a lot like an interlude, and I do skip both of them quite often, not because they're bad songs, they're just not very exciting.

Rear View is the deep cut of the EP, and took a while to grow on me but eventually became my favourite track over The Way. Within six minutes, the band manages to shape a journey of a soundscape, complete with a climactic moment that I absolutely love. The song starts out with this spacey and echoey sound design to compliment Andy's soft vocals, again with a lot of the subtle but nuanced production choices that make it feel alive. The chorus is ethereal, his whispery vocals show their prowess again, evoking a feeling I cannot explain but gives me goosebumps. As another lyrically mysterious verse goes by, the second chorus sees more action, longer notes, more layers, and the same goes for the third chorus. I just love how they slowly amp it up, getting more powerful and angelic all the way up until the final section. I love the way everything collides so beautifully in the climax, between the drums, the keys, the vocals, the synths and the repeating dialogue samples. They pull off one of my favourite tropes, where the climax of the song is just a grand collision of many intertwining layers that sounds so loud and busy yet everything fits and makes sense, it's the best kind of overstimulation.

The Valley Of Vision was such an unexpectedly great find of the year, I didn't expect to love it so much but I did. Their sound, especially with their palette of softer sounds, feels like a midway point between the profound kind of alternative rock that I thought they would sound like, and Coldplay, which they surprisingly reminded me of a bit more than I think they actually should. Ever since I listened to this EP, it's been on consistent rotation and also slowly made its way into some of my playlists. I've also listened to A Black Mile To The Surface since, and I can see the similarities and differences of their sound since then. This EP is definitely a highlight of this year, and my interest in Manchester Orchestra has definitely been piqued.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. Capital Karma

2. The Way

3. Quietly

4. Letting Go

5. Lose You Again

6. Rear View