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Manchester Orchestra’s stripped-down ‘Hope’

Tyler Peyman
Connector Contributor

Serving as a companion piece to the group’s fourth studio effort, “Cope” (released earlier this year), all efforts to describe “Hope” will fall short without a proper explanation of it’s counterpart.

“Cope” is, for lack of a better phrase, a bull in a China cabinet. It’s the wild, untamed twin of the album pair, filled to the brim with war drums and rebel chants. The record burns down the docile expectations for most “alternative rock” artists today and certainly contrasts the bands 2011 release, “Simple Math.” In a pre-release interview, frontman Andy Hull described “Cope” as being “unrelenting and unapologetic,” a fitting definition in every sense.

The only honest shortcoming of the album, however, is that it’s perhaps too energetic. Each song is almost distracted with its own intention of sounding massive. While it undeniably forces your feet to stomp, it lacks the same passive intimateness and lyrical confession that Manchester Orchestra is loved for.

“Hope” is a dusty sunbeam among the wreckage. As a surprise release just a few months following “Cope,” it highlights the truly moving aspects of Manchester Orchestra’s work. This reimagining features the same tunes, but with more liberal acoustic guitar and piano accompaniment, lush vocal harmonies (even including a shiver-inducing a cappella version of “See It Again”), and orchestral string interludes, providing the perfect backdrop for Hull’s almost nervous poignance. In fact, Hull’s vocal restraint on “Hope” is pleasantly reminiscent of his early 2007-12 acoustic side-project Right Away, Great Captain! At times, it even repaints the picture of Brand New’s beloved “Deja Entendu.” With the instrumental minimalism of “Hope,” it’s as if an entirely new image of “Cope” has been illuminated, like a battle-ready soldier has removed his armor.

Some of the most notable tracks on “Hope” are actually some of the least notable on its younger, more reckless counterpart. Songs like “Choose You” and “Every Stone” for example, which had remained decently colorless behind the grit and distortion of “Cope,” now progress through a much more effective textural pallet, including acoustic piano, low strings and even Foxing-esque horn sections. Another otherwise unnoticed stand-out track on “Hope” is “Indentions,” proving that the record isn’t an exclusively acoustic rendition, with tastefully-delayed guitar lines and a warm underside of electric keyboard. The unobtrusive sonic layout of “Hope” also redirects the spotlight toward Hull’s lyrics and vocals, which cleverly weave in and out of the dynamic changes of the band. A shining example of this is in “Girl Harbor,” when the mix suddenly falls to just Hull’s wavering, cracking croon. Now that they’re so clearly distinct, his lines hit harder than ever before.

“Hope” is everything a “stripped-down” rendition could ever aspire to be, filling each empty hole left in the band’s previous work. In many cases, though, the songs are so worth the time they occupy that you’re left questioning why the originals were even released in the first place.

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