Review Summary: Amplified in the silence
Following the death of drummer and beloved bandmate Tim Very, the release of
Union Chapel was always going to hit differently. Have you ever lost somebody and physically
felt their absence? That’s how listening to
Union Chapel feels. Nevermind that it was intended to be this beautiful, discography-spanning live acoustic session; the implications are much different now. The songs still ring out with Andy’s celestial voice and crystalline acoustics, but whereas it may have felt intimate, pure, and uplifting at the time of recording, it now seems conspicuously empty…haunting. It feels like a symbol of Manchester Orchestra without one of their brothers: retracing their past steps, with heavy hearts and nary a drum to be heard.
This live recording sees Hull and McDowell at their very finest, delivering breathtakingly beautiful stripped-down variations of many of their best songs. We get an abridged version of ‘The River’ that somehow feels even more spiritual; ‘Telepath’ sounds even more romantically struck within this bare setting; the winding ‘Rear View’ culminates with some of Hull’s most powerful screams ringing out upon the stunned-silent chapel. We even receive a heartwrenching homage to Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison with ‘My Backwards Walk’. The experience is absolutely religious from front to end, and that’s a testament to Hull’s ability to build atmosphere with little more than just his voice.
It isn’t just that we get nineteen cleverly altered and gorgeously delivered classic Manchester Orchestra tunes. It’s the way that
Union Chapel feels like a truly moving experience. This is the closest I’ve ever felt to the band, and I mean that both in an emotional sense and also in the way that listening to these recordings is like being in the same room as them. This is also a unifying moment for the fandom. It’s a chance to relive some of Manchester Orchestra’s very best tracks, delivered at what is arguably the peak of their careers…yet also an undeniable valley. I’ve never listened to a live album and felt so many conflicting emotions - nostalgia for past gems like ‘Colly Strings’ or ‘I Can Feel A Hot One’, and gutwrenching loss for their rendition of ‘Simple Math’ as I recount the very first time I heard that album and fell in love with Timothy’s drumming style.
Union Chapel is stripped down instrumentally, but it’s a lot to take in.
The record concludes with ‘The Silence’ - Manchester Orchestra’s staple closer at this point - and the words seem to bruise more than ever: “All the while you waste away, you're asking / “Did I really need another one to take me down?” / There is nothing you keep, there is only your reflection”. There’s another point when Andy sings “But you, amplified in the silence”, and I can’t help but feel like that verse alone depicts everything
Union Chapel has - intentionally or not - become about. It’s pure, penetrating, and poignant…each beautifully isolated note amplified by its surrounding silence; the silence a void created in death. As we enjoy
Union Chapel for its pristine beauty while mourning what it represents within the band’s timeline, we can take solace in the fact that Tim Very’s spirit lives on within this band. May he continue to inspire all of us for years to come.
