SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA – BLACK MILE TO THE SURFACE

Manchester Orchestra
Black Mile To The Surface
Loma Vista Recordings

Manchester Orchestra puts on a magical performance on their latest album Black Mile To The Surface where the contrast between profound sadness and triumphant glory is peppered throughout the album.  The stripped down vocals of singer Andy Hull stand stark and echoey against a backdrop of beautiful guitar, modest keyboards and thunderous drums. It’s no surprise then that fans are calling this their best album yet across the board in Facebook groups and message boards.

A striking maturity can be heard in the soul of this record, particularly in the track “Sunshine” written about Hull’s young daughter. The song is mellow and beautiful and at first listen oozes emotions of absolute adornment.

As the album progresses, tracks move from lonely with large gaping silences to synthesized, more modern tracks like “The Wolf” and “The Alien”  with vocal anthems and epic builds in keyboard and drums on the first and folky guitar on the next.

Black Mile To The Surface is a beautiful display of artistic growth, raw emotion and excellent songwriting.  A trip for the ears, this album is a sure fire musical journey.

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