Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
by Dan MacIntosh
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It's admirable that screamo bands oftentimes write sincere, confessional songs. The trouble is; they many times don't write them very well, and then couch these heartfelt talks in annoyingly noisy music. But bands like Manchester Orchestra, Wild Sweet Orange, and others, are redeeming gut-level music for those with ears to hear.
Manchester Orchestra singer, Andy Hull, reminds us from the outset, "I am the only son of a pastor who does the things I do." And traditionally, pastor's sons are the church's most embarrassing wild children; their dads are oftentimes too busy to keep squirrel-y offspring in check. So listeners can't help but speculate about just how far Mr. Hull has drifted from the steeple's shadow, so to speak. Yet, in truth, Mean Everything To Nothing is not all that confessional, after all.
Instead of behaving like an overly self-focused PK, Hull actually spends a little time thinking about the needs of others. The emotionally moving "My Friend Marcus" tells of a buddy who is severely traumatized after being molested by his father. "My friend Marcus/He sleeps in my basement/His father touched more than spirit/Now he can hardly sleep." Hull may be assisting a friend in need, but he seems to need Marcus as much as Marcus needs him. Especially when he admits, "He's helping me find my meaning."
Manchester Orchestra is from Atlanta, GA, and like much of the Bible Belt South, Hull is haunted by Christianity. At one point during "In My Teeth" he warns sarcastically, "Jesus is coming/Better act our age." And while much of this release is Southern-styled screamo, stylistically, "In My Teeth" stands out distinctly for Chris Freeman's prog-y keyboard work. Elsewhere, Manchester Orchestra gets its groove on during "Shake It Out", which playfully mashes ZZ Top, Franz Ferdinand, and churchy tambourine shaking within an unlikely mix 'n' match combination, which somehow works. The inclusion of "orchestra" in a band's name might strike you as more than slightly pretentious; it still hits me that way. And if you're wondering if any actual aural orchestration ever works its way into the grand scheme of things, give a listen to "I Can Feel a Hot One", which is a piano-driven, yet tense, ballad. The tightly rhythmic "Tony the Tiger", on the other hand, with its clipped guitar line, may remind you of The Strokes, by way of Kings Of Leon.
In the South, where religion many times saturates nearly every area of life, losing one's religion can no doubt be devastating – at least temporarily. Maybe this is what the phrase, "You mean everything to nothing," is all about during the big, dramatic track, "Everything to Nothing." If, say, the Christ in Christianity – the one that once meant everything to this person -- turns out to be non-existent, or uncaring at best, wouldn't that realization make a former believer feel he/she is "everything to nothing" now? With that said, Hull also at least expresses a desire for some kind of faith during "The River", where he pleads: "Take me to the river/Let me see again/Oh my God/Let me see again."
Yet after much scrutiny, none of these track instances tell us in any great detail what kinds of trouble this pastor's son has gotten himself into lately. In "100 Dollars" he is either an addict, or playing the character of an addict, who shouts: "I am fine, I am fine, I am fine, I am fine/I just need 100 dollars." He sure sounds like he's speaking autobiographically. But we cannot be too sure.
As good as these songs are – and they're mostly good, believe me -- nothing on Mean Everything To Nothing is as emotionally gripping as Hull's argument with God during "Where Have You Been?" from the just-prior I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child. Granted, there's plenty of musical variety contained within, and Hull is consistently engaged whenever he sings/screams his lyrics. But this release doesn't completely satisfy, somehow. It's as though Hull hadn't gotten all his thoughts together completely before speaking. Or in this instance, recording.
Hull may believe he is "the only one" who feels the way he does when it comes to getting off the straight and narrow. But he's not truly alone. As the great old hymn, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" so succinctly states: "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it/Prone to leave the God I love." In other words, most true believers have that itch to stray from the true path now and again, and there's nothing unique or special about that secret desire. Andy Hull may be prone to wander, but he falls just short of taking us along on that wilderness journey with Manchester Orchestra's latest.
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