Manchester Orchestra

Manchester Orchestra frontman Andy Hull is far enough removed from his high school days that the “spent senior year focusing on music” portion of his origin story barely factors into his band’s overall narrative. Not that Hull sounds like that kid anymore: He’s now a guy in his mid-20s fronting a modestly successful band, and this year’s Simple Math brims with the concerns and neuroses that come with that lifestyle. Tearing several pages from the Conor Oberst Book Of Confessional Lyrics, Simple Math matches Hull’s most intimate, conflicted thoughts to a slick, alt-rock collage that isn’t afraid to grasp at maturity by way of children’s choruses or string arrangements.

Updated 10/19/2011