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Manchester Orchestra

Manchester Orchestra
I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child
(Sony BMG)
www.themanchesterorchestra.com

I couldn’t tell you what Atlanta, Georgia is famous for, but it doesn’t really matter when bands as good as Manchester Orchestra are from there because nothing else could compete.

This 19-year old band produce a sound far greater than their years suggest, with an epic mix of indie and rock. Think a cross between Death Cab For Cutie, Songs: Ohia, Placebo and Arcade Fire, and you start getting close to the awesome mixture of all-out loudness and delicate, whispery songs that feature on I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child.

The whole album seems very heartfelt, with lyrics that sound more biographical than anything I’ve heard for a while. Songs about real things you have experienced will always be better, have more passion, and be more believable. That’s why Elliott Smith was so good.

The opening track, ‘Wolves At Night‘ has everything you could want from an album opener. Crashing guitars, organs, and a chorus you remember instantly. This leans towards the Placebo end of things and it’s also the debut single from them, so you’ll be hearing it a lot by the time you read this.

One of the best songs on the album is the one that touches on the softer, quieter, Songs: Ohia end of proceedings. ‘Sleeper 1972’ is a melancholy track that seems both sad and cheerful at the same time. There was obviously a lot of emotions going into lines such as “When my Dad died, Worms ate out both his eyes”, and the choral section on this one accompanies it perfectly.

Not to be confused with the philharmonic collective from northwest England, Manchester Orchestra’s debut album will be stuck in your head for some time. I’m not talking lightly when I say it’s one of the best albums I’ve heard in years.

Moose