Man Alive

A band of higher interest

Everything Everything is a beginning quartet that was assembled in Manchester in 2007. Indie-rock, you can say immediately and grimace, especially if to you, the Albion Land is no longer a cradle of top rock music, but a factory of countless faceless ensembles. True, indie-rock is not only demanded massively, but played as massively. Therefore, it’s not an easy thing to find a worthy performer in a great many of them today. And why are Everything Everything such a performer, you might ask. Well, to begin with, the band was selected to the BBC Sound of 2010 shortlist. Moreover, indie-rock from these musicians is, indeed, good and peculiar in a pleasant way. The first single was dropped by Everything Everything in 2008. The song, called Suffragette Suffragette (don’t they like to say everything twice in order not to be asked to repeat it?) was two years later featured among twelve tracks chosen by the musicians for the final version of the set of their debut long player, Man Alive.

The music’s driving force is singing

The album’s opener, another single, My KZ Ur BF, was destined to be number one. It exemplifies how young performers should launch their album if they want to state their confidence and courage. The song’s title, lyrics and musical content prepare the listener for a typical adolescent indie-rock will all characteristic properties. Yet soon the listeners will find themselves surprised. Because, unlike track one, the majority of the rest of the songs do not smell like teen spirit, do not clank with absent-minded guitars and do not ring with childish complaints about awkward age problems. The music component is entirely dependent on the man by name Jonathan and his falsetto. Occasionally, applying contrast, Everything Everything reach unexpected results. The abovementioned Suffragette Suffragette sets high-pitched vocals against distinct rock guitars; and the result is slightly pop-material. Jonathan’s singing seems to sound equally fine in any acoustic environment, whether it is retro synth-pop electronica (Photoshop Handsome, Come Alive Diana), modern R&B (Schoolin’) or elegant keys (NASA Is On Your Side).

A bold first step

If there is such a desire – and some will certainly have one - Everything Everything can be easily accused of copying not just one definite band, but bunches of them, even bands doing different genres. Frankly speaking, Man Alive, indeed, is full of stylistically different songs that remind of styles and manners of numerous musicians. However, this takes place only because the members of Everything Everything feel completely free to do anything that want. There is no one they want to redo or resemble. The goal they set before themselves is to demonstrate to the audience their song-writing and executing power, the massive scale of their musical arsenal. Sure, the success of the whole Everything Everything depends greatly on the conditions, desires and labors of their singer, which can be seen as the band’s weak side. On the other hand, there are not so many outfits whose vocalists can enjoy such a specific performing manner and such a rich vocal range. Man Alive is a confirmation of great and justified ambitions shared by the young ensemble, as well as their first serious work.