There’s no reason as to why I’m reviewing this album now other than the fact I was listening to it for pleasure and wanted to look at what I’d written about it. Only to realise I hadn’t written anything at all. Doh. ‘I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child’ is a majestic, beautiful record. It reminds me of ‘Deja Entendu’ by Brand New – not musically, but stylistically. It has the same impact on me, it’s just jaw-droppingly brilliant in every way. Manchester Orchestra just seem to be one of those slow burning bands that are picking up fans and hype on a daily basis. It just seems I’m later on this than 99% of the population.
From the stunning ‘Wolves at Night’ to the brilliant ‘Now That You’re Home’, through to the excellent ‘I Can Barely Breathe’ there isn’t a single negative here. It’s a passionate record that doesn’t resort to any generic means to get the message across. It’s just one of those semi-perfect albums that begs to be listened to from start to finish without skipping a moment. Andy Hull is a storyteller and a poet in his lyrics in a similar sense to Jesse lacey, which is where I assume the two bands have garnered so many comparisons. But MO are a great band in their own right and are fully worthy of support slots with the likes of Kings of Leon and many others.
So yeah, I jut had to write a few paragraphs to let people know they need to hear this record. It’s ruddy marvellous.