This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.
A Black Mile to the Surface is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Manchester Orchestra. It was released on July 21, 2017, through Loma Vista Recordings and Favorite Gentlemen. Recording for the album took place from the summer of 2016 onwards with producer Catherine Marks. The lead single, "The Gold", was released on June 9, 2017, alongside a music video directed by Mike Dempsey and Johnny Chew. Two more singles, "The Alien" and "The Moth", were released later in the summer. Inspired by their work on the soundtrack for the 2016 film Swiss Army Man, band members Andy Hull and Robert McDowell set out to create an album that was a reset from the band's previous studio albums Cope and Hope (both 2014). A Black Mile to the Surface is an alternative rock and Americana record, interweaving a concept album set in a South Dakota mining town with reflections on Hull's young daughter. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised Hull's storytelling and the album's cinematic stylings. Commercially, it performed well, debuting at number 33 on the US Billboard 200. A Black Mile to the Surface has been classified as indie rock, alternative rock, and Americana, with comparisons to Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, and Mumford & Sons. It began life as a concept album set in the mining town of Lead, South Dakota, the home of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). As the album developed, the South Dakota narrative began to interweave with Hull's complicated emotions about the birth of his daughter, and his associated feelings of life and death. The opening track, "The Maze", was written a month after the birth of Hull's daughter. While the first four tracks set "a light and dark theme", the narrative part of the record begins on "The Alien", which follows a boy from his childhood abuse into his adult life.
Good indierock album with sometimes a bit over the top dramatic songs. Great production and I absolutely love the album cover.
Really very good, although there is a vocal style going on here that I get tired of at length. The lyrics sound good but I'm not certain they mean a lot. But the overall package is something I think would be worth giving more time to.
A concept album around Lead, South Dakota? Hmmmm... I liked it quite a lot. The Lead, SD track really drew me in. I love the laid back sound. Very good listen!
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: The moth, Lead SD, The sunshine, The silence
Indie rock, alternative rock, Americana. Ni fu ni fa.
I'd heard a few tracks off this LP before and enjoyed them, so it was nice to return to the album in full and place them in context. The band is at their best when they steer clear of the sappy balladry/lyricism that does bog down some corners of this LP, opting instead for the richly layered expressiveness of the more uptempo tracks. It takes some skill to make all the instrumental pieces work and sound so cohesive, and when it all comes together this LP really impresses!
Yeah this was overblown and a little generic for this type of indie rock but sometimes that's completely fine. I had a good time listening to it even if I probably won't remember it at all in a day.
This was pretty alright, if a little bland. 3 stars.
An alright indie album that uses some modern indie style but hits on deeper material but without strong connection. This album isn’t bad but it falls in that category of music that tries to be more than its without the effort being natural. It has its moments but for a modern indie record there are better options in the way listening and deep cuts that I would prefer over this. 6.1/10
Sounds like a shot vampire weekend
The album is objectively fine but it has a song that played on the Walgreens radio when I worked there so sorry that's an instant -1 star.
Guessing by the name that it's indie? Cover is a bit darker than usual for indie but I don't think we're looking at post-rock or some kind of gothy metal here. Ok yeah it's just indie. Has that Mumford and Sons twang to the voice, which annoyed me a bit. But the music itself was fine. Just cut out the Mumford and Sons bullshit and it'd be pretty damn good. 3/5.
a bit weak 2.3
I don't know how I feel about my favorite decade being 2010 according to this generator. This album sounded so 2010 to me. So freaking boring!
It's a mix of U2 with Coldplay... I hate both... And there's no orchestra...