Revisiting Manchester Orchestra

I had never gotten much into Manchester Orchestra. I discovered them through another band and only listened to bits and pieces of their album I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child. That album had a sort of indie punk rock feel to it, so I figured that would be most of their other albums as well.

Their most recent album A Black Mile to the Surface changed everything for me. It's been out since last year, but after revisiting it recently, I've recently realized that this album will stand on its own for years to come.

It's probably one of my favorite albums of all time.

Here's why you should listen to it—or at least revisit it yourself.

From the first track "The Maze," you know you're in for some soul-searching level stuff. If you didn't click on the first video, feel free to listen to it now.

It's a simple enough song, it has a deep bass drum thud along, a couple notes from a guitar held out at the beginning, but by the end of the song, it's got a piano, the lead singer singing "You lift that burden off of me" with the accompaniment of an entire gospel choir and a giant feeling of emotion depth. The song builds up so well, that it almost builds up whatever emotions you're currently feeling and allows you to let them out by singing along with the gospel choir.

I found feelings I never thought I had in this album. And that's an accomplishment.

The music video for "The Alien" is also a heavy hitter. The lyrics themselves hurt, but the added visuals of another similar story help drive it home.

It's intimate.

Each track on the album gives off this illusion that you are sitting in a hallway with the band. Maybe it's the arrangement of the songs, how reserved the sound is compared to the band's earlier outings.

The drums take a back seat for most of the album, nothing too punchy or in your face. The beats are tricky and sometimes unconventional, but never over-pronounced. The guitars, bass, and occasional piano work together well, creating an atmosphere that is thick with emotion, allowing Andy to sing over the top of it all, with a bit of echo effects behind his voice.

The overall product is like being hugged, for the most part. Sure, there are louder, rocking tracks, but the lyrics all communicate emotional instances that we've felt in some degree, so when the chorus comes around, you sing along to agree with what's being said.

It's pure genius.

Each track has its place in the album for a reason. At first, you may think that it was just coincidental, but once you reach "The Alien," it becomes clear that it was all planned out.

From the tracks "The Alien" to "The Grocery," a narrative begins to form and each song leads into the next in a very interesting way. The three tracks stand alone very well, but if you step back and look at it, you just got a 12-minute journey that crescendos perfectly in every way. Musically, thematically, emotionally, it's all there.

You learned what you were supposed to learn, and now there are four more tracks you need to pay more attention to.

The record in its entirety really resonated with me personally and everyone I've talked to about it feels the same way. It feels like a personal gift from the band to you. It saddens me to think that there are some albums out there that don't feel that way. Some albums are pushed out for the money, for exposure, for merchandizing, or whatever else so that the artists can go on with whatever schedule they need to uphold.

But Manchester Orchestra outdid themselves on this one. It took them a long time to put together—and it shows. Not only did it help me, but it also made me go back through their work and enjoy all of it. I can say I'm a fan now.

So, if you're into albums that make you go on an almost spiritual journey, A Black Mile to the Surface is for you. It's lyrically deep, the mixing top notch, and still carries some extremely catchy hooks and melodies that make you want to revisit it over and over. The messages conveyed are still somewhat heavy and depressing, but they still carry a silver lining to them that you can only hold onto and cherish after you go through a hard time yourself.

And that's pretty invaluable. Glad I revisited it.