Manchester Orchestra has released several extended plays and six studio albums: I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child (2006), Mean Everything to Nothing (2009), Simple Math (2011), Cope (2014) (as well as its accompanying acoustic version, Hope), A Black Mile To The Surface (2017), and The Million Masks of God (2021). They are signed to independent record label Favorite Gentlemen Recordings, which is distributed through Sony Music Entertainment, and Loma Vista Recordings.
Manchester Orchestra originated in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. They are named after the English city Manchester, a place rich in musical history (The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, Oasis, New Order, Happy Mondays). Feeling increasingly alienated at his "small-town-Georgia, Christian high school", Hull became so frustrated that he spent his senior year studying at home. Early in their career, the band recorded an album entitled Nobody Sings Anymore. However, it was never released due to the shift in the band's musical direction and personal changes undergone following its recording. The band stated that "the band that made the record was different to the band now." Some of the tracks written for the album were released instead on the EP You Brainstorm, I Brainstorm, but Brilliance Needs a Good Editor.
Following You Brainstorm, I Brainstorm, but Brilliance Needs a Good Editor, Manchester Orchestra recorded and released their debut album I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child. This album gained the attention of the music industry, and eventually led to their signing with Canvasback. The album was released nationwide July 27, 2007. Guitarist Robert McDowell did not appear on this album. The song Wolves At Night was featured in the video game NHL 08.
In October of 2008 the band recorded their second EP, Let My Pride Be What's Left Behind, with producer Dan Hannon and engineer Brad Fisher. It was released October 7, 2008.
In early September 2008, the band announced on their Myspace blog that they had begun recording their second album entitled Mean Everything to Nothing with producer Joe Chicarrelli (The Shins, My Morning Jacket). On February 4, 2009, the band posted a link to a free download of the single I've Got Friends and performed an acoustic version at The Fly’s In The Courtyard Sessions. The album was released April 21, 2009.
On January 26, 2010, the band released a digital split EP with Kevin Devine entitled I Could Be The Only One. Following the release of the Manchester Orchestra/Kevin Devine split EP, it was announced that Kevin Devine would record a full-length album along with the members of Manchester Orchestra later that year, with half the album written by Devine and half by Andy Hull. On April 10, 2010, it was announced the new project's name was Bad Books, and that the album would be released under that moniker, and not "Manchester Orchestra + Kevin Devine" as previously speculated. The self-titled full-length Bad Books album was digitally released on October 19, 2010, and on CD on November 9, 2010.
On March 2010, in an interview with the Dallas Observer, Hull mentioned that the band had begun work on a follow up to 2009's Mean Everything to Nothing tentatively entitled Let Go of Your Sorrowful Groaning. He also said that the band have around 34 songs they are demoing and that in writing this album he was imagining a "spiritual miscarriage". Later that year in an interview with Rip It Up magazine, the band announced that they were in the middle of recording their third full-length album. Although without a title, they explained that the album was completely different to anything they had released in the past. The album was being recorded with Dan Hannon and balanced between Blackbird Studios (Nashville, TN) and their own Favorite Gentlemen Studios (Atlanta, GA).
On October 23, 2010, during an appearance at Radio 104.5 in Philadelphia, following a Bad Books show in support of their recently released self-titled debut album, Manchester Orchestra debuted an acoustic version of the title track of their new album, Simple Math. Originally scheduled for release in March 2011, the band announced in January of 2011 that their third full-length studio album, Simple Math, would be released on May 10, 2011, as well as announcing the album's tracklist and revealing that the album was set to be a concept album.
For more info, check out their official site: http://www.themanchesterorchestra.com/ca/home
The Procession
Manchester Orchestra Lyrics
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The lights low and dim
and i raised my clear glass and i toast times to heaven
but your not the same that love that i used to know
well i'll break this guitar and bored up these windows
just too make sure they know, that i wont return
with my bloody lips and your broken arms
with my sinking feet and your heavey heart
now dont you start, no dont you start, this again
this house screams of memories
and half written songs
with the chance of completion depending on love
this disconnected phone, well it is so long to speak
although when it does its so harsh and complete
with my bloody lips and your broken arms
we'll turn into one, we'll sing this same song
with my sinking feet and your heavey heart
now dont you starkt now dont you start...
no dont you start, dont you start
no dont you start, dont you start
The Procession by Manchester Orchestra is a song about a relationship that has gone sour. The lyrics describe a scene where the singer raises their glass in a toast, but things feel off because the person they love is not the same anymore. The chorus then builds up into a powerful moment where the singer and their lover seem to merge into one, singing the same song. The verse that follows reveals that the house they are in is full of memories and incomplete songs that depend on love to be finished, but the connection has been severed. The phone that used to connect them, when it does ring, is harsh and cruel.
The theme of the song is the loss of love and how the memories and remnants of a relationship can be painful reminders of what was lost. The singer is angry and hurt but also seems to still long for what they once had. The image of bloody lips and broken arms is a striking one, and it highlights the intensity of the emotions involved.
Overall, The Procession is a powerful piece of music, with raw and honest lyrics that capture the complexity of relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
The Procession went smoothly
The procession proceeded without any disruptions or resistance.
The lights low and diminish
The lights were dim, creating a gloomy, subdued atmosphere.
and i raised my clear glass and i toast times to heaven
I lifted my glass and made a ceremonial gesture of well-wishing.
but your not the same that love that i used to know
You have changed and the love that was once present between us is no longer the same.
well i'll break this guitar and bored up these windows
I will destroy my guitar and seal the windows to leave evidence that I will not return.
just too make sure they know, that i wont return
I want to leave an unmistakable sign that I do not plan on coming back.
with my bloody lips and your broken arms
We are both physically hurt, sharing in a painful experience.
we'll turn into one, we'll sing the same song
Despite our differences and suffering, we can come together and harmonize.
with my sinking feet and your heavey heart
I feel emotionally weighed down and your heart is burdened with feelings.
now dont you start, no dont you start, this again
There is a history of pain and struggles between us, and I do not want to repeat the same cycle.
this house screams of memories
The house is filled with tangible reminders of our shared experiences.
and half written songs
There are unfinished songs, symbolizing incompleteness in our relationship.
with the chance of completion depending on love
The progress and success of our relationship is dependent on the presence of love.
this disconnected phone, well it is so long to speak
Communication is difficult and disconnected between us, making it challenging to talk.
although when it does its so harsh and complete
When we do communicate, it is blunt and complete, lacking any nuance or gentle words.
no dont you start, dont you start
I am warning and pleading with you to not start a fight or argument.
no dont you start, dont you start
Repeating the warning and plea to not begin any conflict or negativity.
Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.