Manchester Orchestra
Simple Math
Favorite Gentlemen
May 10

By Ashley Lang

Manchester Orchestra has returned with their third album and with the release of Simple Math its fair to say that they’ve come back better than ever.

Andy Hull (rhythm guitarists, singer, and songwriter) shines on Manchester Orchestra’s latest creation. Hull’s vocals are backed by solid percussion solos and heavy bass fingerings.

Hull’s voice, strong and steady, bleeds with rugged perfection. In “Deer,” the first track off of Simple Math, Hulls delicate musings take over.

“There’s nothing in these wooden drawers / To bring you back, to keep me bored / I don’t know what to do with me no more…Dear everyone I ever really knew / I acted like an asshole so I could keep my edge on you / Ended up abusing even those I thought immune.”

Heavy guitar riffs mixed with a steady back beat are frequent as you get further into Hull’s fantasy. On “April Fool” Hull screams, “I don’t know where I’ve been, what I’ve done” before softening his tone while singing “I am the once now irreplaceable son /  I’m antichrist in your home / I’ll come around this time to let you suck from my soul / Let me go!”

“Pale Black Eye” gives off a bluesy folk vibe of sorts, more prominent on this track then others, with simplistic percussion beats and solid guitar melodies that are perfectly backed by Hull’s sweet and somber harmony.

However, it is the track “Virgin” that shows all of Manchester Orchestra’s vast personalities. “Virgin” begins with low guitar picks, as a child choir sings softly in the back ground.

“We built this house with our hands, and our time, and our blood / You build this up in one day to fall downward and rust.”

Hull’s voice builds from a dark empty place deep within. “And I bruise just like anyone would bruise / And I know we’ve got a long way to go / I know I’ve got so far,” before erupting into a heavy guitar explosion that erupts through your speakers.

Hull slows things down with the lead track “Simple Math.” His light and broken musings fit nicely within the harmony as Hull coos “I’m lost and hardly noticed, / slight goodbye / I want to rip your lips off in my mouth.” His voice calling after a ghost, “Simple math, it’s how our bodies even got here / Sinful math, the ebb and flow to multiply / What if I was wrong and no one cared to mention / What if it was true and all we thought was right was wrong?”

This album is truly an evolution in Manchester Orchestra’s progression. In a band that has gained a solid following throughout the years it would be a wrong for them to be ignored now. Hull’s sweet and somber whisperings will make you fall in love.