Simple Math: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:41, 19 August 2021

Revision as of 12:53, 9 November 2021

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| single1date = February 28, 2011<ref name="AltPress Single">{{cite magazine

|url=http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/download_manchester_orchestras_new_single_simple_math/

|title=Download Manchester Orchestra’sOrchestra's new single "Simple Math"

|magazine=[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]

|author= Karan, Tim|date=28 February 2011

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}}

'''''Simple Math''''' is the third [[studio album]] from [[Atlanta]]-based [[indie rock]] band [[Manchester Orchestra]]. It was released on May 10, 2011 through [[independent label]] Favorite Gentlemen Recordings, itself distributed by [[Sony Music Entertainment]].<ref name="FavGen">{{cite web|url=http://favoritegentlemen.com/2011/01/26/manchester-orchestra-simple-math-release-date/|title=Manchester Orchestra ‘Simple'Simple Math’Math' Release Date|publisher=Favorite Gentleman|author= |date=|accessdate=26 January 2011}}</ref><ref name="Amazon">{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004T8IPNS|title=Simple Math: Manchester Orchestra|publisher=[[Amazon.com|Amazon]]|author= |date=|accessdate=4 May 2011}}</ref> The album was recorded with [[Dan Hannon]] who also produced the band's [[I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child|first album]], and co-produced [[Mean Everything to Nothing|their second]].<ref name="discogs">{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Dan+Hannon|title=Dan Hannon Discography|publisher=[[Discogs]]|author= |date=|accessdate=4 May 2011}}</ref>

[[Andy Hull]], the band's lyricist and vocalist, has said that ''Simple Math'' is a [[concept album]], telling a story from his own perspective; "It's a story about a 23-year old who questions everything from marriage to love to religion to sex. Sometimes even for myself, it’s difficult to decipher which one I’m actually talking to. Everything I’ve written in the past has been about those things. This album is the most realized form of my questioning."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/01/manchester-orchestra-announce-new-album.html|title=Manchester Orchestra Announces New Album, ''Simple Math''|magazine=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|author= Spicer, Nathan|date=26 January 2011|accessdate=4 May 2011}}</ref> A week prior to its official release, the entire album was available for [[streaming media|streaming]] on their official website.<ref name="AltPress Stream">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/manchester_orchestra_stream_upcoming_album_simple_math/|title=Manchester Orchestra to stream upcoming album, "Simple Math"|magazine=[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]|author= Karan, Tim|date=2 May 2011|accessdate=4 May 2011}}</ref>

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''Simple Math'' received positive reviews from [[music critic]]s upon release. At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[Standard score|normalized]] rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a [[weighted mean|weighted average]] of 73, based on sixteen reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".<ref name="Metacritic"/> Adam Pfleider of [[AbsolutePunk]] called the album a "shocking absorption" and awarded a near-perfect rating of 95%. He noted that, "in a year that's produced an overwhelming amount of great music, ''Simple Math'' is another outstanding painting worth the public's attention. When Hull sings "Believe me, all is brilliant," it really is once again for this band."<ref name="AP"/> [[BBC Music]] journalist Mike Diver also gave a favorable review. Despite stating that, "its 10 songs aren’t all of the level needed to propel its makers into the biggest indie-rock leagues", he was of the opinion that ''Simple Math'', "contains some of their finest songs yet. There are moments of real beauty, though the prettiest arrangements come complete with necessarily ugly imagery."<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/zmj9|title=Atlanta band’sband's third album of melancholic musings contains some of their finest songs yet|publisher=[[BBC Music]]|author= Diver, Mike|date=5 May 2011|accessdate=7 May 2011}}</ref> [[Drowned in Sound]] critic Robert Cooked wrote, "What’s great about Manchester Orchestra is that they don’t quite fit into a box. Sadly, this makes them another one of those bands that don’t sell as many records as they deserve to." Awarding a score of seven out of ten, he added that the album is an "intelligent slab of thrilling, stadium-sized rock that does away with the genre’s dumb clichés. It’s hard not to get a kick out of hearing such an independent spirit raging through this album, even if commercially, ''Simple Math'' doesn’t quite add up."<ref name="DiS"/>

Ben Patashnik of ''[[Rock Sound]]'' magazine gave the album nine out of ten in his review. He claimed that, "they're always a breath away from total fucking chaos or lullaby-soft crooning. And throughout, the highs are tinged with a sadness and the lows with hope, making ''Simple Math'' a complex and rewarding album that soars above the pack."<ref name="RS"/> In a review for ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'', David Menconi said that [[Andy Hull]] had "been making shockingly precocious records for years. But his band's third full-length is an old-fashioned magnum opus of a concept album, detailing a nervous breakdown with epic glam-rock gestures. Hull's greatest skill is making his emotions sound as extravagant as they feel, especially when he screams."<ref name="Spin"/> Adam Knott, a contributing writer for [[Sputnikmusic]] awarded the album a "superb" 4.5/5. He opined that "although situated largely in the seemingly mundane where its predecessor concerned itself (perhaps excessively) with abstract universalities, ''Simple Math'' might actually be the superior record. Its centrepiece, as with ''Mean Everything To Nothing'''s "I Can Feel A Hot One", is the most explicit illustration of the band's overflowing emotion, but the same level and intensity of fire can be found even on its most flippant tracks."<ref name="Sputnik"/>

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In a recent online interview, Hull describes the video's conception and M.O. In it, he expresses his preliminary meeting with The DANIELS (one of whom he discovered to be a fan), as well as his initial amused confusion at the video's thematic thrust.

“...It was kind of incredible filming it, having no idea what these dudes were doing...just having full trust in them…At the beginning, I feel like you get this vibe that the dad’s kind of an a------, and by the end you realize I’m the a------. My dad’s been there the whole time. I was just too young to see it...”<ref name="spinner">{{cite web|url=http://www.spinner.com/2011/04/20/manchester-orchestra-simple-math/|title=Manchester Orchestra’sOrchestra's Andy Hull Relives His ‘Tough’'Tough' Marriage on ‘Simple'Simple Math’Math'|publisher=[[Spinner (website)|Spinner]]|author=Cameron Matthews |date=20 April 2011|accessdate=12 August 2011}}</ref>

===Production Team and Cast===

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===Video Premiere and Reception===

The [[music video]] was released and premiered on [[IFC (U.S. TV channel)|IFC.com]] on Tuesday, 12 April 2011.<ref name="IFC News">{{cite web|url=http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/04/manchester-orchestra.php|title=Premiere: Manchester Orchestra "Simple Math"|publisher=[[IFC (U.S. TV channel)|IFC]]|author=Melissa Locker |date=12 April 2011|accessdate=12 August 2011}}</ref> The cinematic [[prestidigitation]] of the Kwan-Scheinert team, as well as the haunting, wistful music of the band, received praise:

“...Brilliant, awesome, stupendous, tour de force...they are all massively overused phrases...But then, very occasionally, something comes along which fully justifies these descriptions, and a few more. The video for Manchester Orchestra’s ‘Simple Math” by [The] Daniels is one of those occasions...”<ref name="Promo News">{{cite web|url=http://www.promonews.tv/2011/04/15/manchester-orchestras-simple-math-by-daniels/|title=Manchester Orchestra’sOrchestra's Simple Math by Daniels|publisher=David Knight|author= |date=15 April 2011|accessdate=12 August 2011}}</ref>

“...The clip is both exorbitant and overtly dramatic—plus it looks like it cost a mint to create, which it very well might have since the band is on [[Columbia Records]] — but it's money well spent...”<ref name="Blogtown">{{cite news|url=http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2011/04/13/manchester-orchestra-simple-math-video|title=Manchester Orchestra – "Simple Math" Video|newspaper=[[The Portland Mercury]]|author=Ezra Ace Caraeff|date=13 April 2011|accessdate=12 August 2011}}</ref>

“...With...‘Simple Math,’ they have created their best work yet, and easily the best music video I’ve seen thus far in 2011. This video has already garnered heaps of praise as well as comparisons to works of [[Michel Gondry]] and [[Christopher Nolan]] for its technically incredible, emotionally powerful storytelling...Manchester Orchestra's muscular post-[[emo]] indie rock provides just the right amount of emotional punch to accompany the stunning imagery. This is one you'll want to watch again and again...” <ref name="Music for Kids Who Can’t Read Good">{{cite web|url=http://musicforants.com/blog/?p=6829|title=Video: Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math|publisher=|author= Taylor Johnston|date=19 April 2011|accessdate=12 August 2011}}</ref>

"...DANIELS haven't just made a brilliant music video, they've made an impressive short film, and when paired with Manchester Orchestra's raw, cacophonous punch, it makes for an intriguing, intelligent, incredible accompaniment."<ref name="Escape Into Life">{{cite web|url=http://www.escapeintolife.com/music-videos/music-video-simple-math-by-manchester-orchestra/|title=Music Video: Simple Math by Manchester Orchestra|publisher=|author= Luke Grundy|date=15 June 2011|accessdate=15 August 2011}}</ref>

===MTV Video Music Awards (VMA's)===