THE MANIFEST
So far this year has yielded a few highly anticipated releases for us: The Sidekicks’s “Awkward Breeds”, Cheap Girls’s “Giant Orange”, Menzingers’s “On the Impossible Past”. The biggest X in our calendar would be Joyce Manor’s “Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired,” they made our favourite album of last year (also voted best album of 2011 on punknews.org).
Much to my embarrassment, just a few days ago I discovered Superchunk‘s 2010 album “Majesty Shredding.” I’m quite impressed, particularly with the first 4 songs. What I find most striking is how it layers two cool riffs beneath excellent vocal delivery reminiscent yet preceding the Get Up Kids. Interesting lyrical devices are scattered throughout, yielding new with each listening. The structure of the songs are unpredictable with the transitions feeling comfortable and natural.