Album Review: Manchester Orchestra's Simple Math

I know I never do album reviews until the end of the year but this album needs one. Since establishing my new rule regarding a re-posting of a band, I figured I'd take the time today to discuss Manchester Orchestra's latest feat, Simple Math. When I listen to a new album, I usually give it one solid run through with no distractions just to see what or how many tracks grab my attention. After that, I'll go back through and listen to it again while pulling up the lyrics for all the songs.

 

After doing those multiple listenings I feel like I finally have enough familiarity to judge an album and in doing so I've figured that it's going to be very hard for any album in 2011 to beat out Simple Math as my favorite. First of all, the entire album has a more mature Manchester sound and even more well produced than their previous efforts, which are also some of my favorite albums of all time.

With a more mature and better produced sound, the only other thing to factor in are lyrics. Andy Hull has quickly become one of the best songwriters of this generation. It's not until you sit down and read the lyrics to every song that you see how personal and surreal the stories being told in these songs are. And maybe some of the stories are fabricated or extended but to give such intimate details and feelings makes me feel like they can't be fabricated and that there is a solid foundation of truth found in these stories.

The title track, "Simple Math", asks a lot of questions of life and living and it's music video personifies those words by showing the things a crash victim thinks about as he is rolling to what appears to be his imminent death. It is a track that simply goes beyond music and storytelling and something that can get a listener or viewer to think about these very questions it asks in its lyrics. It is also one of the best made videos I have seen in some time so it is a must watch and Simple Math is a must own for anyone regardless of musical tastes.


Simple Math - 9.5/10