Mean Everything to Nothing

     Remember when Jesse Lacey and Brand New were touring with their bright and shiny new album Daisy?  They brought along openers Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra.  I had seen Mr. Devine in a couple videos singing "Jesus" with Jesse Lacey. At the time Manchester's "I've Got Friends", though I didn't know who sang it, was my favorite song to hear come on the radio at the time.  I know, sweet radio station right?  Well it was too good to be true and they're not on the air anymore but you can still hear them if you hook up to an internet tube and look for indie 303.  

Only a real man can wear a beard this well.

     Well obviously after I became more learned on the subject of Manchester Orchestra I fell in love with Andy Hull's vocal dynamics, lyrical themes, and flowing beard.  Mean Everything to Nothing restored my faith in the ability of music to mean something.  More than sales charts, Youtube "hits" or pop radio play time, this band was going to sing about discovering some meaning in life.  This was a subject that I could get behind, something that inspired me, thrilled me.  I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time for music: Anticipation.  I couldn't wait to hear more of this beautiful candy for the soul.  These people were finally good enough to deserve my ear time.

     With the bashing of socialite christians "I bet you did what you did when you did just to tell every friend that you have that the Lord did it." and drinking as if the answers were known to reside at the bottom of a bottle of beer, "God, I need another round, another round, another round, another I could feel it now."  I had finally found a lyricist that understood the things in life that I respected, including his new album Mean Everything to Nothing.