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.
Mesa AZ
Bad Books Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You said your sense of humor's always helped you get above & across
Every hurdle, every chasm, every shocking & unspeakable blow
Just proves the universe is chaos so you laugh to clear the lump from your throat
But if you're fixed on being bitter
Go be bitter on your own
We're still two hours from El Paso
The chemicals were coursing through our bloodstreams at incongruous rates
I was time-traveling inward through a past life I can never erase
You were hanging out the window, you said: 'We're just a beggar's banquet in space'
You were laughing at the moon, you were cursing it for wearing your face
Me & New Mexico are orphans
Or is it bastards? Either way:
I know a guy in Roswell
We'll hitch a moonride, steal you back your face
You sleep and whistle 'Blackbird' backwards while my eyes cut her name in clay.
You wake to Mesa, Arizona
Say, 'Let it go. She'll change her mind someday.'
You took the wheel in Mesa, Arizona.
Said, 'I got the rest, man.
You can drift away.'
The song "Mesa AZ" by Bad Books, a collaboration between Manchester Orchestra and Kevin Devine, is about two friends driving from Texas to Arizona, reflecting on their personal struggles with loss and pain. The opening lyrics allude to their conversations about the difficulties of coping with loss, emphasizing the comforting powers of laughter as a coping mechanism. The friends acknowledge the chaos and the unpredictability of life, but they choose to find humor in it rather than bitterness.
The song seems to be told from two different perspectives, with one friend encouraging the other to let go and move on from a past relationship. The chorus contains a bit of a lighthearted jab at their friend, urging them to get over their bitterness quickly so they can continue their journey to Arizona. As the song continues, they acknowledge that they are both feeling the effects of some kind of drug, perhaps as a way to ease the pain of the trip or their personal issues.
The last verse suggests that one friend is potentially leaving behind a significant other or a difficult situation, while the other friend is there to offer support and guidance. The mention of the song "Blackbird" being whistled backward suggests a sense of confusion and disorientation. Ultimately, it seems that the trip to Mesa AZ is both a physical journey but also a metaphorical one, a process of finding peace and closure in the most unexpected of places.
Line by Line Meaning
We passed 800 miles talking circles about living with loss
We have driven a lengthy distance discussing how we deal with grief.
You said your sense of humor's always helped you get above & across
You claim that humor helps you overcome obstacles.
Every hurdle, every chasm, every shocking & unspeakable blow
Each roadblock and traumatic event.
Just proves the universe is chaos so you laugh to clear the lump from your throat
You find humor in the chaos of the world to cope.
But if you're fixed on being bitter
However, if you insist on holding onto bitterness,
Go be bitter on your own
You can remain bitter by yourself.
We're still two hours from El Paso
We have not yet reached El Paso, Texas.
Arizona's such a long way to go
Arizona is still a significant distance ahead of us.
The chemicals were coursing through our bloodstreams at incongruous rates
Our bodies were reacting to substances at varying rates.
I was time-traveling inward through a past life I can never erase
I was reflecting on my past, knowing that certain experiences will always be with me.
You were hanging out the window, you said: 'We're just a beggar's banquet in space'
You were looking out the window, saying that we are insignificant specks in the universe.
You were laughing at the moon, you were cursing it for wearing your face
You were making jokes about the moon's appearance resembling yours, but also expressing frustration with its resemblance.
Me & New Mexico are orphans
New Mexico and I are isolated or outcast.
Or is it bastards? Either way:
I am unsure of whether to use the term orphan or bastard to describe our situation.
I know a guy in Roswell
I have a contact in Roswell, New Mexico.
We'll hitch a moonride, steal you back your face
We will find a way to travel to the moon and get your 'face' back.
You sleep and whistle 'Blackbird' backwards while my eyes cut her name in clay.
As you sleep, I am obsessing over her name and quietly resentful.
You wake to Mesa, Arizona
You wake up when we reach Mesa, Arizona.
Say, 'Let it go. She'll change her mind someday.'
You encourage me to let go of the past and have hope for the future.
You took the wheel in Mesa, Arizona.
You drove the car while we were in Mesa, Arizona.
Said, 'I got the rest, man.
You said that you could handle the rest of the driving.
You can drift away.'
And I can rest or sleep.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: KEVIN PATRICK DEVINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind