Manchester Orchestra - Cope

Atlanta, GA's own Manchester Orchestra are back with their fourth studio set titled Cope. The follow up to 2011's Simple Math finds the Andy Hull led group continuing to adhere to their musical mindset that has served them well in the past and has been so successful for them as well in their ability to communicate effectively with their audience that grabs onto every melody and word that comes from their musical arena.

The album starts out with the gritty "Top Notch" a tough, varied rocker that reintroduces you to Andy's familiar vocal refrain that is the basis for all of Manchester's material and works pretty well in setting the pace and tempo of the album to follow that is on par with their prior releases. "Choose You" is another solid track, and takes it up a notch further with high energy guitar riffs and a faster pace that allows for the band to be more versatile along the way and do things outside of the box to give fans and new listeners a wide musical palette to choose from. My favorite track off the effort is "The Mansion" an outstanding, subtle musical joy that really hits you the moment you first hear it, and eloquently and vividly displays Andy and the band's musical quest that is coming to fruition here with insightful lyricism and the comfort of the bandmates providing you with everything that you could possibly imagine. "The Ocean" has a steady, melodic progression going for it that is one of the most cohesive tracks found on the album that does a great job of highlighting the band's work aesthetic that has created some daunting pieces in the past, and makes more musical highlight reels with this song heard here.

The second half begins with "All I Really Wanted" a hard nosed, progressive rocker that shows a different side of the group that we haven't had the opportunity to witness until just now with more wide ranging guitar licks and Andy's subtle vocal charm leaving an indelible impression on you from the outset. "Trees" features more varied and dynamic musical shifts that shows everyone that these guys know what they're doing and have a handle on how things should sound and look from here on out. The disc begins to draw to a close on "See It Again", a toned down rocker that is decidedly different form the prior tracks and has a low key feel to it to differentiate it from the other songs on the album and further enhances the band's resolve that is already in fine fashion here. The title track ends it here on a sprawling opus that takes into account everything we've heard in succession, and brings it to us on a musical platter that allows us to better understand everything that we've come into contact with musically and apply it somehow into our everyday lives. I've been an admirer of Manchester Orchestra ever since Mean Everything To Nothing came out in '09, and it really spoke to me in gravitas about the wealth of talent and knowledge amassed inside Andy Hull that when exposed, is a breath of fresh air and allows each individual musician to get better at their craft as a result of it.

All in all, a great effort from Manchester Orchestra who continue to get increasingly better with each creation they put out that speaks to mind about the depth and level of talent that is emanating strongly from their general area.

                                                                                                                          Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. Top Notch
2. Choose You
3. Girl Harbor
4. The Mansion
5. The Ocean
6. Every Stone
7. All I Really Wanted
8. Trees
9. Indentions
10. See It Again
11. Cope