MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA
Hope
(Republic/Seven Four)
"You always barked/You never bite."
That line from "All That I Really
Wanted" is an almost perfect, succinct
summation of Hope, the fourth release
from the Georgia quintet Manchester
Orchestra. The album picks a mood and
rides it through the duration of all eleven
tracks. "Girl Harbor" and the first single,
"Top Notch" never rev their respective
engines above mid tempo. Vocalist Andy
Hull treats every note and melody as if it
were a gift from the heavens. His delivery
is ethereal and the swirl of synths and
strings make his presence in the middle of
the resulting tempest something between
a poem and a prayer.
Patience is necessary because the pace
is decidedly glacial. There is payoff, however. The verses in songs like "Every
Stone" and "The Mansion" take a slow
stroll toward the swelling choruses that
bend but never quite burst. In this frantic,
I-needed-it-two-minutes-ago age in which
we live, the slow roll out almost feels revelatory.
But in a quick, contradictory rebuttal,
you almost wish that the aforementioned
dog from the first sentence would occasionally take a nip or two at your pant leg.
– Curt Baran
Appearing: 12/3 Irish
6
American Heritage Center
EX COPS
Daggers
(Other Music)
As good as its critically acclaimed 2013
debut was, Ex Cops' just released followup is even better, as the duo unabashedly
embrace their love of all things pop resulting in a collection of originals that reclaim classic '70s-'80s indie/alt-rock/pop
and re-invent it for the next millennium.
This time out, the dashingly cool (pri-
mary vocalist Amalie Bruun has been featured in a Chanel ad) duo's sound has in
no small measure been shaped by producer Billy Corgan – and it's a match made in
heaven, with the 12 songs sounding as if
they were the result of a union between
Blondie and Smashing Pumpkins – with
all the sass of the former ("How can you
be so shitty/To a girl so pretty" is the
sweetly sung chorus of the aptly titled
"Pretty Shitty") and all the rich wall - of sound like layers of the latter, which
immediately greets one on opening
cut/first single "Black Soap" and colors
the music throughout. Already, this is
definitely a contender for the top of endof-year "best of" lists.
-- David C. Eldredge
there's nothing here as musically raw as
"Velocity Bird" or "Seesaw Sway."
However, the sound of Lion is fresher and
more creatively daring.
The album stretches the range of
Murphy's singular voice. The title track
plumbs the depths of his gravel-etched
bass range, while "Hang Up" reaches for
emotional howls and shrieks. With flashes
of Eastern culture, the latter song paints
indistinct but evocative and something
unsettling imagery. "You've been dragging
yourself through a thorn bush with no
clothes on," sings Murphy.
Lion is disquieted in its tone, yet stirring
and passionate. The song "Loctaine"
embodies these characteristics through the
story of a serial transgressor who receives
grace. The texture and emotive language
throughout "Lion" speak to Murphy's cinematic vision and empathy. "I'm a painter
on the hearts of those I sing for," he sings
during the powerful "Eliza."
– Jeff Elbel
6
8
5
PETER MURPHY
Lion
(Nettwerk)
Peter Murphy is best known as frontman for goth-rock pioneers Bauhaus.
Beyond the lingering specter of that
band's groundbreaking gloom, Murphy
has applied his rich and tremulous baritone to other projects including Dali's Car
with Japan bassist Mick Karn. As a solo
artist, Murphy's biggest success in North
America was "Cuts You Up" from 1990's
Deep.
Murphy's tenth album Lion finds him
collaborating with forward-thinking producer and Killing Joke bassist Martin
Glover, aka Youth. Murphy has described
the sessions as improvisational and
instinctive. The results are a departure
from the glam-rock glory of Ninth –
JESSIE J
Sweet Talker
(Republic)
"I'ma do it like it ain't been done,"
declares Jessie J repeatedly at the outset,
although what "it" is remains ambiguous.
If it's, you know, "it," then good luck with
that. If, however, it's high-impact hiphop R&B circa