- Jubilee offer: spend £10 or more on any product sold by Amazon.co.uk on or before June 6 and you can buy "The Diamond Jubilee - A Classical Celebration Album" for just £2.50. Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
CD Description
Mean Everything To Nothing, the second album from Atlanta’s Manchester Orchestra, is everything you want a rock record to be: raw, urgent, emotional, and 100 percent authentic. Inspired by the pounding, primal assault of Weezer’s Pinkerton, Nirvana’s In Utero, and Foo Fighters’ The Colour and the Shape, this young band has created its own version of what a classic rock album should sound like, complete with fiercely beautiful melodies, shifting guitar and keyboard textures, loud/soft dynamics, and an urgency in each band member’s performance, especially Hull’s cathartic vocals.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
"I think I talk to you best when I sing" Manchester Orchestra frontman Andy Hull confesses on the last track of Mean Everything To Nothing, following it up with "I sing about almost everything." Though, on the new release, he sings `about almost everything' surrounding God and his Christianity. Luckily, there are love songs, drug songs, and morbid songs that are ambiguous enough to apply to all facets of life, not just religion.
In true Manchester Orchestra fashion, there are a wide mix of acoustic songs, rock songs, and seemingly a cappella portions of songs. They embody the spirit of Indie Rock music without the hipster tag that goes along with bands like Modest Mouse and Arcade Fire, among others. Many songs have a very powerful bridge, and this is achieved by dissociating completely with the previous vibe of the song. For instance, on "Shake It Out," the song is mostly distorted guitars and splashing symbols until the bridge, where the instruments drown out and leave Andy and his guitar whispering the lyrics. Another favorite song is "I Can Feel a Hot One," where Andy portrays a distorted reality between drug-use, helplessness, and accidents with ambulances;
"I was in the front seat, shaking it out
And I was asking if you felt alright.
I never want to hear the truth; I want to hear your voice.
It sounded fine."
Manchester lie pretty evenly between the mainstream and the underground, and surprisingly have stayed true to that mantra on their most recent release. If one is a fan of Manchester's Like A Virgin Losing a Child release, then the new album is a shoo-in, though it may attract new fans as well. Similarly with ILAVLAC, there is no real radio-friendly track on the album, but overall a very substantial album that begs the question when we will see the potential of Manchester Orchestra fully realized.
In true Manchester Orchestra fashion, there are a wide mix of acoustic songs, rock songs, and seemingly a cappella portions of songs. They embody the spirit of Indie Rock music without the hipster tag that goes along with bands like Modest Mouse and Arcade Fire, among others. Many songs have a very powerful bridge, and this is achieved by dissociating completely with the previous vibe of the song. For instance, on "Shake It Out," the song is mostly distorted guitars and splashing symbols until the bridge, where the instruments drown out and leave Andy and his guitar whispering the lyrics. Another favorite song is "I Can Feel a Hot One," where Andy portrays a distorted reality between drug-use, helplessness, and accidents with ambulances;
"I was in the front seat, shaking it out
And I was asking if you felt alright.
I never want to hear the truth; I want to hear your voice.
It sounded fine."
Manchester lie pretty evenly between the mainstream and the underground, and surprisingly have stayed true to that mantra on their most recent release. If one is a fan of Manchester's Like A Virgin Losing a Child release, then the new album is a shoo-in, though it may attract new fans as well. Similarly with ILAVLAC, there is no real radio-friendly track on the album, but overall a very substantial album that begs the question when we will see the potential of Manchester Orchestra fully realized.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
First things first. Manchester Orchestra do not come from Manchester.
They hail from Atlanta, Georgia, USA and we must not hold this against them.
'Mean Everything To Me' is their second album release and shows a higher
degree ofpolish than their 2006 debut 'I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child',
partly due to Joe Chiccarelli and Dan Hannon's vivid production but also
to an evident growth in their own songwriting and performance skills.
('Wolves At Night' on the first album was none-the-less a great song of course!!)
The band are : Andy Hull/writer, voice and guitar; Robert McDowell/lead guitar;
Jonathan Corley/bass; Jeremiah Edmond/drums and Chris Freeman/keyboards.
Together they have pulled eleven fine numbers (12 counting the "hidden" track)
out of the bag and deserve pats on backs all round for their solid ensemble effort.
'The Only One' kicks things off in fine style. Slippery guitar, a nice loose snare drum,
cheap and cheerful organ and a raucous cracked and craggy vocal from Mr Hull.
Mr Edmond's drums are a consistently energetic presence throughout the project.
He drives things along splendidly on 'Shake It Out'.
'In My Teeth' is another fine composition. The contrast between the open structure
of the verses and the blistering cacophony of the chorus works especially well.
'I Can Feel A Hot One' is a lovely song. Melancholy in the nicest way. Mr Hull shows
that he can hold a melody with convincing finesse. Oliver Kraus' discreet cello
contribution is the icing on a strangely beautiful cake.
'My Friend Marcus' is a curiously sad tale with a big, dense anthemic chorus.
Crashing chords, wild harmonies and an ambiguously spiky ending.
'The River', despite its relative simplicity manages to be another of the strongest
numbers on the album. There is palpable passion in the band's performance.
"Hidden" (I found it!) track 'Jimmy, He Whispers' is a haunting and affecting extra.
All-in-all a cracking little album!
Recommended.
They hail from Atlanta, Georgia, USA and we must not hold this against them.
'Mean Everything To Me' is their second album release and shows a higher
degree ofpolish than their 2006 debut 'I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child',
partly due to Joe Chiccarelli and Dan Hannon's vivid production but also
to an evident growth in their own songwriting and performance skills.
('Wolves At Night' on the first album was none-the-less a great song of course!!)
The band are : Andy Hull/writer, voice and guitar; Robert McDowell/lead guitar;
Jonathan Corley/bass; Jeremiah Edmond/drums and Chris Freeman/keyboards.
Together they have pulled eleven fine numbers (12 counting the "hidden" track)
out of the bag and deserve pats on backs all round for their solid ensemble effort.
'The Only One' kicks things off in fine style. Slippery guitar, a nice loose snare drum,
cheap and cheerful organ and a raucous cracked and craggy vocal from Mr Hull.
Mr Edmond's drums are a consistently energetic presence throughout the project.
He drives things along splendidly on 'Shake It Out'.
'In My Teeth' is another fine composition. The contrast between the open structure
of the verses and the blistering cacophony of the chorus works especially well.
'I Can Feel A Hot One' is a lovely song. Melancholy in the nicest way. Mr Hull shows
that he can hold a melody with convincing finesse. Oliver Kraus' discreet cello
contribution is the icing on a strangely beautiful cake.
'My Friend Marcus' is a curiously sad tale with a big, dense anthemic chorus.
Crashing chords, wild harmonies and an ambiguously spiky ending.
'The River', despite its relative simplicity manages to be another of the strongest
numbers on the album. There is palpable passion in the band's performance.
"Hidden" (I found it!) track 'Jimmy, He Whispers' is a haunting and affecting extra.
All-in-all a cracking little album!
Recommended.
Format:Audio CD
It has to be said. I've heard this album hundreds of times now, its played on repeat all the time. It IS the greatest album in existance. I'm not a 12 year old boy who hasn't lived long enough to say that - I'm 27 and haven't lived long enough to say that. However I love music and this album always makes me smile. It's just beautiful. Andy Hull is an amazing song writter and performer.
From the opening riff on 'the only one' through to the epic sounds of 'the river' this album is a journey. I think the album needs to be heard as a whole, it just doesn't work as individual songs and I think this is what was intended by the band. So go buy the album and set aside 56 minutes, a good set of headphones and lose yourself in this masterpiece.
If you don't like it then go buy yourself a penguin. If you do like it then get the other albums too! (including Bad books)
From the opening riff on 'the only one' through to the epic sounds of 'the river' this album is a journey. I think the album needs to be heard as a whole, it just doesn't work as individual songs and I think this is what was intended by the band. So go buy the album and set aside 56 minutes, a good set of headphones and lose yourself in this masterpiece.
If you don't like it then go buy yourself a penguin. If you do like it then get the other albums too! (including Bad books)
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Brilliant!
A brilliant album from Manchester Orchestra. Great sound and great lyrics. Can't listen to it enough
Published on 1 May 2010 by C. Megarity
Bought post gig
I saw Manchester Orchestra supporting Biffy Clyro in Norwich last night. We are big Biffy fans but i'm now sat here writing this review wearing a fighting tigers t shirt (check the... Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2009 by Simon R. Williams
Great album!!
Saw them live in the summer @ latitude and thought they were amazing! When I finally heard the album I was not disappointed. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2009 by corkie
Cry Me A River
Southern-fried grunge is not (yet) a genre, yet Manchester Orchestra have made it one. On a record much bigger and louder than the debut, Atlanta's second finest (behind Black... Read more
Published on 15 May 2009 by Gannon
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
