i mean, i slightly touched base on this album last week. as i’ve listened to this album more to review, the more i’ve grown to love it.

pick this up immediately. review and goodies after the jump.

-grizzly orchestra

Artist: Manchester Orchestra
Album: Mean Everything to Nothing
Record Label: Favorite Gentleman
Release Date: April 21, 2009

Manchester Orchestra’s debut album, I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child, set an unprecedented bar for the band to surpass with their sophomore effort. After having released a very short EP, Let My Pride Be What’s Left Behind, to tide over fans, the band was set to be on the path to release the crowning achievement that is now their follow-up, Mean Everything to Nothing.

There was an obvious pressure the band had out for themselves with this release. They could have easily capitalized on the formula that brought them the mild success of their first album, but they managed to take guitar-driven pop sensible songs like “Wolves at Night” and “Now That You’re Home” and created a sound that is no stranger to bands like the Foo Fighters and Weezer, just better.

“The Only One” starts off the album with a smoothly executed crescendo into one of this album’s best sing-a-longs, likewise with the album’s lead single “I’ve Got Friends.” Vocalist Andy Hull has a diverse range as it is, but with songs like the hostile “Shake It Out” and the very Nirvana-esque “In My Teeth,” Hull possesses a growl that we’ve yet to hear on any Manchester Orchestra song thus far.

Strangely, the song that is most familiar with their previous efforts, “I Can Feel a Hot One,” is one of the album’s biggest standouts. The track appeared on the EP, but isn’t any less stellar this time around. It’s also nearly impossible not to bob your head and feel the snarl of the guitar riffs and heavy bass drum kicks of “Pride.”

Mean Everything to Nothing is nearly perfect, save for the misguided lyrical direction of “100 Dollars,” but thankfully, the song is the album’s shortest, most obnoxious and least significant. At least they knocked out all of those in one track. Besides that, there are very few slip-ups on this album.

With Mean Everything to Nothing, Manchester Orchestra was able to expand and revitalize their own sound which had tugged on the heart strings of listeners and meddled with what indie-rock really has to offer. Well, outside of pretentious power-pop and acoustic singer-songwriters that are a dime a dozen these days. It’s not only a suitable follow-up, but a rock album whose energy and honesty that so many have been searching for.

Grade: A-

manchester orchestra on myspace. (stream the album)

download:

manchester orchestra – i’ve got friends

manchester orchestra – i can feel a hot one

also, as a bonus, i’ve included fourteen years of excellence, a bonus EP that the dudes are giving out with the album on record store day. not sure if i can post this, but we’ll see.

download:

enjoy.

-grizzly orchestra