Some of 2023’s best music is on Manchester Orchestra’s experimental EP
Why The Valley of Vision is worth a listen
It’s impossible to overstate how much Spotify has changed the music industry, and nowhere is this more evident than in artists’ choices of how to release their music. The album as a project form very much still exists, but more and more musicians release songs by themselves every year. One of the best songs I’ve heard recently for example — Zach Bryan’s phenomenal “Dawns” — is one such example.
Another choice many artists now make is to release music in smaller packages than full-length albums. Many now use EP-length releases that require less recording time and allow for faster arrival on streaming services. The EP also has another purpose, though — to showcase experimental songs that don’t quite fit with an artist’s usual sound, or perhaps to share tracks that didn’t quite make the cut for a recent album.
This is the direction Manchester Orchestra chose with their excellent EP, The Valley of Vision. It’s a far-cry from the sound that drove them to popularity back in 2009, but the quality of the musicianship and songwriting remains just as high as it’s ever been. While perhaps a step below the band’s absolute best efforts in the past, I’m thrilled to recommend some of the songs here, especially “Rear View” and “The Way.”
Manchester Orchestra announced The Valley of Vision early in the year before a March 10 release. It’s a collection of songs far more ethereal and atmospheric than their usual material, though not too far removed from the style of the fantastic The Million Masks of God, which was my favorite album of 2021. Somewhat oddly, the excellent “No Rule” (which was a standalone single from a few months ago that I also highly recommend) didn’t make it onto the track list.
While Valley sounds somewhat different from Manchester Orchestra’s usual profile, the lyrics are vintage Andy Hull. And nowhere is that more evident than in the closer “Rear View,” which is immediately one of the best songs of the year. It’s primarily delivered with minimal instruments and a slow, driving beat and is easily the most successful attempt at the stripped-down sound on the EP. The chorus “And all this time, I thought I was right, all this time” is a callback to “The Internet,” the final song on Million Masks (and also excellent in its own right).
Much of “Rear View” is delivered from the perspective of a father to his child. Hull delivers lines like “You were born in a bathtub on Deer Lake, and the cradle collapsed. And I promised I’d give you a mansion, I’m afraid this is it” with chilling intensity, building toward a dramatic finish that’s worthy of the band’s best material. Hull has always been one of my favorite songwriters and Valley of Vision stacks up with his best lyrics.
Elsewhere, “Capital Karma” and “The Way” are excellent songs that go in interesting musical directions. “The Way,” with its use of keys and group vocals, is one of the more upbeat tracks on Valley. The stripped-down sound of the project is a whole is interesting in its own right, but each of these two songs has moments that are easily recognizable as Manchester Orchestra (fans of the band will know what I mean). In other words, while this entire project is different, it’s more of an evolution than a complete shift.
Like many of Manchester Orchestra’s fans, I enjoy the band’s more aggressive heavier tracks and I wouldn’t mind seeing a few more of those here. However, this is a group of musicians that has earned the right to experiment and try new sounds. As long as masterpiece albums like Million Masks and its immediate predecessor A Black Mile to the Surface exist, fans won’t have to go far to find that kind of music as well.
Also: the name for this EP comes from a collection of Puritan devotions and prayers. It’s hard for me to imagine something more tailor-made to interest me.
Finally: I’m considering moving to Substack. If I ever do, you can find me at this link here.
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.
