WEEKEND VIDEO
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Manchester Orchestra
“I’ve Got Friends”
Mean Everything to Nothing
2009
iTunes
Manchester Orchestra is not, as its name might suggest, some Tony Wilson-produced, post-punk collaboration featuring Happy Mondays, Oasis, and the Smiths. Rather, it’s an Atlanta-based indie-rock quintet that sounds like a cross between Dashboard Confessional and something that came out of Seattle’s grunge scene. Their sophomore record is like a sonic form of whiplash: lullaby-like intros progress into fist-pumping choruses, pensive piano arrangements are followed by gritty guitar riffs, and frontman Andy Hull’s vocals shift from folksy Conor Oberst-like warbling on power ballads (“I Can Feel a Hot One”) to breathless emo-wailing on anthems like “I’ve Got Friends.” Similar contrasts appear in the album’s lyricism: After Hull sings “I am the only son of a preacher I know/ Who does the things I do” in the opening lines of the speedy title track, subject matter then runs the gamut from religious redemption (“The River”) to not-so-holy mentions of drug habits (“One Hundred Dollars”). The unabashed emotion in their all-out approach will surely appeal to fans of raw yet sentimental Southern rock, Weezer and Modest Mouse followers, and angst-ridden teens.