Manchester Orchestra - History

History

Manchester Orchestra originated in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. They are named after the English city of Manchester, a city frequently viewed as bohemian which is 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" named Providence Christian Academy, in suburban Atlanta, the band's lead singer Andy Hull became so frustrated that he spent his senior year studying at home. He also wrote and recorded his first full length album in 2004 while studying during his last year of high school.

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 You Brainstorm, I Brainstorm, but Brilliance Needs a Good Editor.

Following the EP, 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.

The band worked in the studio recording 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 12, 2010, the band announced that they will be releasing a split EP with Kevin Devine entitled I Could Be The Only One. The EP was released digitally January 26, 2010.

Following the release of the Manchester Orchestra/Kevin Devine split EP, it was announced that Kevin Devine will 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 will be released under that moniker, and not "Manchester Orchestra + Kevin Devine" as previously speculated. On August 16, 2010, it was announced that the self-titled full-length Bad Books album will be released on October 19, 2010, digitally and on November 9, 2010, on a physical CD.

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" (a line which would later be used in the song Mighty). 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".

On September 2010, 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 yet they explain the album is completely different to anything they have released in the past. The album is 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". Frontman Andy Hull said the album would be released in March 2011.

On January 27, 2011, the band announced that their third full-length studio album, Simple Math, would be released on May 10, 2011, and not in March 2011, as previously reported, as well as announcing the album's tracklist. It was also revealed that the album is set to be a concept album. The song "April Fool" was featured in the game NHL 12.

In the summer of 2011, the band joined Blink-182 and My Chemical Romance for part of the 2011 Honda Civic Tour.