New Music Tuesday - Manchester Orchestra

Say hello to a band your friends will be asking you about 6 months from now.

This is The Manchester Orchestra and they have a new record out.

From the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia young and up and comers "Manchester Orchestra" have just released their debut album. The five member band, with an average age of "just out of high school" sound well beyond their years. As a collective the band has been together for under two years, but during that time the band has released an ep and toured extensively. Finally the band locked in to a studio and put together "I'm Like A Virgin Losing a Child". Recorded "live" in the studio offers a large wall of sound feel, while offering the subtleties of each instrument. Lead vocalist, guitar and founding member Andy Hull leads the band down a path of sometimes simple, other times complex melodies and song structures. After their teen years are behind them I wonder what direction they can, and will head as they only get older perhaps get married and have children.


The album is mostly an up tempo affair but the middle few tracks are a little darker, and slower than the others. Songs like "I feel your Pain" and "Where have you Been" elude to the subject matter. One only needs to be patient if you choose to not be melancholy, it will all come back you soon. "Sleeper 1972" begins with a slow underlying keyboard line under Hull's whisper vocals. "Golden Ticket" brings things up from the darker tracks, and within 20 seconds you get a nice section of chiming guitars and bass lines flowing underneath. "Alice and Interiors" is also real shining moment. When the band gets down to it they really feed off each other. This is a track that will shine in a live setting, either as a set opener to get peoples attention, or clean up as the final song of the set. It goes from buzzy guitar solos, to ringing guitar with solid bass underneath really the track that "sums it all up". The disc wraps up with the easy to pin down 'epic' track on the disc, "Colly Strings". The vocals are pushed, the band is really clicking and it ends with you begging for a hidden track..alas there is none.

In 2007 the band hopes, and plans to play of 250 shows. With the drive and the songs, fans will come and that number can, and only will grow. Couple that with a recent issue of a glossy magazine suggesting they are one of the bands to watch you may want to jump on this one now, the train is leaving the station. On a final note I was checking around some other sites and what have you for comments, and fan reaction(s) to the band and this one was both clever bold at the same time:
Re:Manchester Orchestra: sick band. more hooks than a bait and tackle store.

The bands official page is here
The band is on myspace as well (click for some song samples).

When I got the cd from the promotion group I had asked if I could post some mp3's along with the review. I was asked to "hold off". If that changes I will be sure to post things. I like to do what bands request or I'll find the mailbox won't be filled with goodies like this.

For fans of - Kings of Leon, Built to Spill, a dash of My Morning Jacket, toss in some Death Cab for Cutie the vocals also sound a little Placebo'ish to me as well.

The Manchester Orchestra has now opened up the vault to its extensive podcast coverage of the tour. There are over 40 episodes! The latest is highlighted in the main part of the page here

Finally, the band will be on the Late Show with David Letterman on Sept 6th

***update**
Check out the review I wrote on this very cd right here.