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Part of what made Mean Everything to Nothing, Manchester Orchestra’s sophomore coming out party, such a dynamic and attention-grabbing effort was its strict dedication to sonic theft. Absolutely nothing they did was original, with the Atlanta quintet plagiarizing their way through rock history, lifting from Bright Eyes’ hyper-literate folk one minute and Nirvana’s tuneful alt-grunge the next. Singer-songwriter Andy Hull seemed hell-bent on tackling every trademarked form of rock composition, and while that fact may have resulted in a curious identity crisis, there was a winsome, borderline tongue-in-cheek quality to the whole affair that seemed to imply the band weren’t taking themselves all that seriously. And, more importantly, they had the energy and the creativity to back up their horseplay. “Steal big or go home” seemed to be the motto of the moment.
In the two years that separate Mean Everything to Nothing and their follow-up, Simple Math, Manchester Orchestra seem to have—gulp—figured out what sort of band they want to be. For those who were put off by their relentless shape-shifting, that bit of news is a good thing. Hull describes this 10-track effort as a concept album “about a 23-year old who questions everything from marriage to love to religion to sex,” but it’s difficult to suss out a unifying thread from his lyrics, which can be distractingly generic (“What if it was true that all we thought was right was wrong?” goes one bit of cornball philosophizing). But Simple Math does feel sonically unified, working a consistent template throughout its 45 minutes: electric guitars alternating between distorted, palm-muted power chords and lightly spacey arpeggios, a sturdy rhythm section underpinning Hull’s emotive nerd-rock harmonies. Their biggest attempt to move toward opus-level songcraft? Live strings, which pop up on virtually every track, poking around the crevices and adding grandiose glue.
If this all sounds like a surefire sign of artistic maturity—well, that’s true, but they seem to have traded in some of the ramshackle fun that made Mean Everything such an interesting listen. For starters, the strings weren’t such a great idea. With its tired, rolling, minor-key guitar progression, slow-burning rock ballad “Pale Black Eye” gets off to a bad start anyway, but when the by-numbers orchestra kicks in about half-way through, the ship starts to sink from its own weight. The production is slick and monochromatic—no individual instrument pops through the mix. And “Virgin,” a churning attempt at a no-holds-barred epic, is a cringe-worthy disaster, outfitted with repetitive distortion, dorky gang chanting, and the most awkward appearance from a group of vocalizing kindergarteners ever laid to tape. If you’re gonna go corny, go epic corny. Aspire to Freddie Mercury levels of bombast. Do the thing real big. Too often, Simple Math can’t decide which side of the fence it wants to sit on.
There are some excellent exceptions. “April Fool” is an irresistible slice of guitar-driven ‘90s alt-rock, Hull yelping over wicked riffing and big drum bursts. The title track actually achieves some of the epic glory they’re so desperately seeking; Hull adopts a sexy, soulful falsetto over his band’s slow, stormy groove. Added bonus: the arrangement is spacious enough for the strings, as the song builds, gradually, to a powerful climax.
Damned if they do, damned if they don’t, I guess. First, they had too many personalities; now they’ve arrived at one, but it’s a bit less vibrant. There are plenty of seeds sewn throughout Simple Math that could likely blossom into Manchester Orchestra’s first real breakthrough, but here, we’re stuck in the growing pains phase. In our age of sensory (and music) overload, it’s easy to get impatient with a band and write them off after a couple of partial knockouts. But I’m not giving up on Hull and his band of eager noisemakers—not just yet.
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"Absolutely nothing they did was original" way to be like Pitchfork, Paste. You're trying to tell me there's another song out there that sounds like "The River" and can make me weep uncontrollably? Granted, he modified a lyric from "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing", but I don't think that's what you meant by theft. There is nothing new under the sun. Andy doesn't sound like Conor, Manchester doesn't sound like Bright Eyes or Nirvana. They might hint at those genres in certain songs, but they have their own unique sound. "Simple Math" is basically saying if one construct or belief you have crumbles, then your whole moral code could crash down within it. I got that on the first listen. It's pretty simple.
Ryan, perhaps they haven't landed on an identity. My guess is that they've found new sources.
I don't even know where to start.
Shame on Paste for publishing this review. I'm surpirsed someone didn't read this and be like, "Wow, this isn't Paste worthy."
"If you’re gonna go corny, go epic corny"
"bit of cornball philosophizing"
"emotive nerd-rock harmonies."
"wicked riffing"
It sounds like a 7th grader reviewing every Weezer album.
Everything Ryan Reed thinks is right, is wrong.
Horrible biased review, nothing the reviewer said was relevant to what he was reviewing. In no way do Bright Eyes and Nirvana sound like Manchester Orchestra. To me Manchester Orchestra is one of the most original bands out there. A lot of bands actually copy M.O. I feel this review should be taken down.
With reviews and reviewers like this Paste will get a bad name.
I give this review -1/10
What a horrible review! Sounds like Pitchfork. Not to mention biting the hand that feeds you: an Atlanta band that out rightly supports local arts and culture.
Agreed! I think Mr. Ryan knew he didn't like this album before he even heard it. Drop this review, Paste.
I haven't had a chance to hear this album yet, so I can't comment on whether the conclusions were reasonable, but I can say that the process to reach those conclusions is absurd.
Mean Everything to Nothing had one of the most cohesive, unified sounds of any album that year. It had moments of fun, but generally it seemed very serious and tapped an emotional well withing me that few other albums can. This is coming from a lover of all kinds of music, whether it be Neutral Milk Hotel, The Beatles, U2, Nirvana, Wilco.... METN was phenomenal and original. It had influences, but plagiarism? What on earth?
This review is full of cliche and trite, pretentious drivel. I expect better from Paste reviewers. I do not mind if albums are not give great ratings, since tastes vary, but I expect the rationale to be fair.
That said, I can't wait to pick this up soon.
This is pure bullshit.
Hey Ryan - You're a bitch.
Sincerely,
Everyone
Great review. Maybe a bit of exaggeration on the 'plagiarism' portion, but the parts about Simple Math are spot on. This record is a disappointment when compared to METN. They simply tried too hard.
I might take this review seriously if it wasn't obviously a blatant attack on the band, instead of merely opining about the music.
MO definitely tried a lot of new things on this record. They took some real risks as a band and most of them pay off in a big way. That's part of the beauty of this album--they didn't play it safe.
Mr. Reed sums up his feelings about Manchester Orchestra in the first sentence of that last paragraph, "damned if you do, damned if you don't." He has no intention of giving MO any real credit.
Sad, sad review.
This guy has some balls, but I think he's wrong about MO's new album. They band puts on a hell of a show, and they love their fans... no reason to bash them. People like Reed have a responsiblitiy to educate their readers, and I think he educatuted the readers that he has no idea what he's talking about.
Personally I do believe that there is a Biffy Clyro influence via the strings on the album. Absolutely not plagarism though!
More being influenced of there surroundings and then experimenting with there own sound, a band needs this to alter and grow (as Biffy did alot to reach where they are). MO will be around for many years, this reviewer may be glad of this one day. In ten years or so might be lucky enough to be known as 'the guy that said that about that album'
Way to make a name for yourself!
wow... what a horrible review full of pathetic cheap shots
This is the worst review I have ever read. Absolutely horrible.
This is exactly why I dont subscribe to Paste. Listen to the album, listen to the heart and soul that was put down.
I understand the fact that everyone is pissed off because they feel their beloved Manchester Orchestra just got crapped all over, but their album still got a 6.4 out of 10. That's a decent rating. Also, there is a huge difference in being influenced and copying musical styles. Does anyone want 36 versions of any band. The Beatles are considered by many as the greatest band ever. Would your opinion change if there was 16 other bands who sounded nearly identical to them. Reread the review, it's not a "everything sucked" review. He mentions things "he" didn't like. Is he just supposed to give every decent album a excellent review. Maybe he came across overly assertive and even pompous at times, but it's a critical review, not fact or law. If you don't like it don't read it.