Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing

Atlanta 5 piece deliver emotionally fuelled sophomore album.


When Manchester Orchestra released their debut album 'I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child', we all knew that the future had big things prepared for a band with such a delicate, beautiful approach to rock music. I remember listening to this band for the first time, and heavily tagging their sound to bands such as Death Cab For Cutie and Brand New. With 'Mean Everything To Nothing', the band have further refined their sound to the point it sounds like no other band but Manchester Orchestra. This is a rare thing these days, and something that only the best bands will achieve when creating that difficult second album.

'Mean Everything To Nothing' has everything we loved about the bands debut album, but improved vastly. The passion is there, and crammed into every song, be it in the dense guitar and emphatic vocals in 'Shake It Out' or the tender strum of a guitar and soothing voice of Andy Hull in 'I Can Feel A Hot One'. The passion put into the album is what makes it such a spectacle. Andy Hull's vocal ability has the power and tenderness to rope you in and either batter your senses silly, or put you in an almost hypnotic state with its subtlety. Take one listen to the aforementioned songs and you have the best of both scales.

Every time you listen to this album, it's almost impossible not to bring up the topic of how much passion this band play with. The reason for this is that every song is played with nothing but heart and precision. Not one song on the record is the same, yet all of them put you on an emotional rollercoaster that twists and turns in so many directions. 'Mean Everything To Nothing' is an album that deserves the critical acclaim it has received. When you get a group who pour their heart into their music as much as Manchester Orchestra do, you will always receive an album that hits you with its emotional power, but match that with the excellent music these guys weave, and you are onto an absolute winner.

Get this album, play it loud, and recommend it to everyone you know. This album is beautiful, and you need it in your life.