Atlanta-based band, Manchester Orchestra, delivers gripping cinematic indie rock, and they recently impressed us in 2016 with their original film score for “Swiss Army Man.” That record saw music made unlike many film scores – without instruments. Singer Andy Hull and guitarist Robert McDowell just used layers upon layers of voices - breathing, humming, and other vocalizations done a cappella.

So, for their latest record, A Black Mile To The Surface, they re-invented again – this time with instruments – and took as their inspiration a vision of winters in South Dakota. This new record is an island of warmth in an epic snowscape, and is heavy on emotional arc, possibly tailor-made for swooning or deep reflective melancholy. Or both. Manchester Orchestra joins us live in the studio to play some of these new songs. 

Here's a playlist from drummer Andy Prince, on some musical inspiration for the album: