Manchester Orchestra - 'Wolves At Night'

Sounding like a less sneery Brian Molko this is a debut single of two halves from the Atlantan band. Whamming onto the stereo with a staccato four drumbeats followed with malevolent guitars and gloomy goth synths over which vocals intone passionately (after what Gigwise believes is a CD malfunction of pure static) after two and a half minutes it suddenly veers into an alt pop song along Shins-esque lines. It's all very pretty, but like seeing a tramp in the Ritz, all a bit confusing. The b side is completely different again. 'Sacred Heart' is Willy Mason and Bright Eyes at their most downtempo. A simple acoustic riff is played out over some heartfelt lyrics about a lover. Like 'Wolves At Night' it just isn't coherent enough. Some can switch genres effortlessly, some can't. Sadly Manchester Orchestra can't, but they're young, give 'em time. Still, the best single from any band with a drummer called Jeremiah.

Released 27/08/07 on Favourite Gentlemen Records