A t… Read Full Bio ↴Bad Books, simply put, is Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra.
A true accident if there ever was one; Bad Books was never an intended nor calculated side project of Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull. Though the two musicians have collaborated and performed together on tour and within the Favorite Gentlemen community of artists for years now, the genesis of Bad Books came from a simple idea to fill space and time off the road by collaborating on a small batch of songs together at the top of the year. With no agenda and no expectations, what was birthed just one week later was Bad Books, a fully realized album encompassing five compositions each from both Devine and Hull, with the members of Manchester Orchestra filling out the sound and the band. The self-titled debut will be released October 19th, 2010 via Favorite Gentlemen Recordings, the record label that was founded and has been run by Manchester Orchestra since 2007.
As songwriters go, Hull and Devine could not be further apart in terms of creative approach. The methodical wordsmith Devine, an English major from Fordham, is known to pine away for great lengths of time just to accurately pin-point one word within a lyric. “I was doing a take of ‘You’re A Mirror I Cannot Avoid’ and stopped myself for fifteen minutes because I was having trouble justifying ending two lines in the same chorus with the word ‘back.’ Just sitting there, staring at the screen, writing different word choices. I asked Andy if he thought it mattered, and he said, ‘Of course it doesn’t.’ Somewhere in that exchange is I think what differentiates us as songwriters. I think Andy trusts his instincts to lead him to the right place in a song, and sometimes I want to outthink my instincts because I’m scared of repeating myself, of resting on my laurels. And I think together, those two approaches meshed really, really well,” Devine said.
Hull echoes that sentiment: “Kevin is very meticulous, where I came in with a few ideas and fleshed them out literally as we were recording. Kevin’s songs were awesome and he was cool enough for me to throw in some ideas to change a part or add a bridge here or there.”
In contrast to previous outputs from Manchester Orchestra and Devine, Bad Books cradles a much more noticeable pop aesthetic and energy than either artist has probably ever showcased before. Nowhere is this more evident than in songs like “You Wouldn’t Have To Ask” and “Holding Down the Laughter”.
Engineered by Robert McDowell (of Manchester Orchestra) with help from drummer Ben Homola, and mixed by Chris Bracco (of Devine’s ‘Goddamn Band’), Bad Books progressed in the most organic and natural way possible. Free from any boundaries or restrictions, Devine and Hull were able to craft a beautiful body of melodies, highlighting arcs of high and low throughout, and utilizing the stark imagery and storytelling for which both of them are known. “There was no governing framework,” Devine says: “No, ‘let’s write these kind of songs and say these kind of things’. We just wrote, arranged and played each song to its end, followed where it led, and I think it brought us both to some pretty unexpected places.”
For Devine, Hull, and the rest of Manchester Orchestra, choosing the direction of the road less travelled resulted in sonic harmonies and woven textures that meshed what these best friends do best. Some accidents were just meant to be.
Friendly Advice
Bad Books Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I made this decision
So we
Could never grow
Would never grow
I can see
That she
Could never show
Should never show
Oh
You never show
You never grow
I spent the entire last month
Thinking of ways to scalp my head
And impress you with the way I speak
I don't mind if we're alone
As long as we are both alone
And by that I mean you can't speak with anything
About me
You and me
Forever still
Mourning disease
We never grow
After white
I'm resurrected in the swine
It's never known
Oh
Left alone
I spent my entire past life
Thinking of ways to wake the dead and
Repress the anger in my speech
Cause when you're old
You'll let it go, let it go, let it go
Don't let the skin graft on your soul
Just so you know
The lyrics to the Bad Books' song "Friendly Advice" are quite complex, as they deal with themes of self-reflection, growth, resentment, and acceptance. At its core, the song appears to be a narrative about a failing relationship, as the singer explains that he made the decision to let go so that both parties could never grow. The opening verse sets the tone for the entire song, with the singer declaring that he doesn't mind the breakup and that he has accepted the consequences of his decision. However, as the song progresses, it becomes apparent that the singer is struggling to cope with the aftermath of the relationship.
The second verse explores the hidden evidence that the singer sees in his former partner, evidence that she could never show and should never have shown. This line suggests that the singer was perhaps looking for something that was never there, leading to the dissolution of the relationship. The third verse is particularly poignant, with the singer revealing that he spent the entire last month thinking of ways to impresse his former partner. Despite the hurt and resentment he feels, he still craves her validation and approval. The chorus of the song is especially impactful, with the repetition of "You never show, you never grow" underscoring the sense of stagnation that the singer feels.
Overall, "Friendly Advice" is a powerful song about the challenges and complexities of navigating relationships, particularly when those relationships come to an end. Through its vivid and evocative lyrics, the song captures the pain, confusion, and longing that often accompany heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't mind
I'm okay with it
I made this decision
I chose this path
So we
So that we
Could never grow
Will never develop
Would never grow
Won't progress
I can see
I notice
Hidden evidence
Things not shown
That she
Belonging to her
Could never show
Cannot bring to light
Should never show
It's best kept hidden
Oh
Expression of emotion
You never show
You don't reveal
You never grow
You don't evolve
I spent the entire last month
For a month, I
Thinking of ways to scalp my head
Thought about harming myself
And impress you with the way I speak
To get your approval
I don't mind if we're alone
It's fine if it's just us
As long as we are both alone
But only if we're both alone
And by that I mean you can't speak with anything
You can't talk to anyone
About me
About me, as in gossip
You and me
Us two
Forever still
Etched in time
Mourning disease
Grieving over what's lost
We never grow
We never progress
After white
Following purity
I'm resurrected in the swine
The impurities revive me
It's never known
It's never clear
Oh
Expression of emotion
Left alone
Abandoned
I spent my entire past life
For my entire life up until now, I
Thinking of ways to wake the dead
Wanting to do the impossible
And repress the anger in my speech
And control my fiery demeanor
Cause when you're old
Because once you're wise
You'll let it go, let it go, let it go
You'll forgive and forget
Don't let the skin graft on your soul
Don't let your soul become hardened
Just so you know
I want you to be aware
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
OLD CHANNEL
I don't mind
I made this decision so we
Could never grow
Would never grow
I can see
Hidden evidence that she
Could never show
Should never show
Oh
You never show
You never grow
I spent the entire last month
Thinking of ways to scalp my head and
Impress you with the way I speak
I don't mind if we're alone
As long as we are both alone
And by that I mean you can't speak with anything
About me
You and me
Forever still born into seeds
That never grow
They never grow
After life
I'm resurrected into swine
That's never known
It's never known
Oh
Left alone
Left alone
I spent my entire past life
Thinking of ways to wake the dead and
Repress the anger in my speech
Cause when you're old
You'll let it go, let it go, let it go
Don't let the skin graft on your soul
Just so you know
Just so you know
Just so you know
Just so you know
OLD CHANNEL
I don't mind
I made this decision so we
Could never grow
Would never grow
I can see
Hidden evidence that she
Could never show
Should never show
Oh
You never show
You never grow
I spent the entire last month
Thinking of ways to scalp my head and
Impress you with the way I speak
I don't mind if we're alone
As long as we are both alone
And by that I mean you can't speak with anything
About me
You and me
Forever still born into seeds
That never grow
They never grow
After life
I'm resurrected into swine
That's never known
It's never known
Oh
Left alone
Left alone
I spent my entire past life
Thinking of ways to wake the dead and
Repress the anger in my speech
Cause when you're old
You'll let it go, let it go, let it go
Don't let the skin graft on your soul
Just so you know
Just so you know
Just so you know
Just so you know
BlinkySauce
I'm glad they have a lot of good songs and not just Forest
Trevor Flowers
best song on the new album i can't believe andy hull is such a boss he can have two gold record bands but we can't forget kevin devine such a duo
C. Thomas Bozwell
Dude people keep telling me that rock is dead, to tell the truth there are a lot of bands that I fucking love and can't wait for new releases. The chance of the way the music biz works really have downsized bands that should be huge. These dude should be huge.
Jauckor
After years of searching. I finally got it. I had always thought it was a Silversun Pickups song.
Inês Amaral
love it
Brett Spurlock
Sounds so much like 1979 on that one riff, but I love it.
Jeffrey Jackson
We should stop comparing similarities and enjoy music as it is. Define it your way, not comparatively.
никто никто
Jeffrey Jackson Jackson🌚 like Michael Jackson🌚 just saying:p
Eric O'Neill
You guys have to see this shit live before you can say that. the feel it has is fucking ridiculous and so much more intense then a smashing pumpkins song