- Record Label: Loma Vista
- Release Date: Jul 28, 2017
User Score
Universal acclaim- based on 72 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 63 out of 72
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Mixed: 3 out of 72
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Negative: 6 out of 72
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Nov 19, 2020Absolutely fantastic. MO keeps evolving and this is their best/most complete work yet. Masterpiece.
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Oct 12, 2020One of my personal favorites over the past decade, this album is powerful, both lyrically and emotionally. A must listen by all accounts.
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Jul 10, 2019One of the greatest indie albums of all time. Absolute masterpiece in sombre lyrics sung beautifully. The album has substance and a sad reality to it. It stays on repeat for many playthroughs when i select it. And its an album where sometimes you stop..think...and crave a listening.
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May 20, 2018This album 'A Black Mile to the Surface' has taken Manchester Orchestra's sound to astronomical levels. The production is mind-boggling and the songs are catchier than ever, except now there is a layer of maturity and cohesion that's like nothing the band has done before. Truly an impressive feat for alternative rock.
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Apr 24, 2018The album is a big improvement on Cope which seemed to struggle past the 2 singles they released before the album came out. There is a lot more diversity in this record and the songs show a matured side to the band.
That said its still nowhere near the first two albums and while I will put this on I find myself very quickly going back to Mean anything to Nothing. -
Dec 10, 2017
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Sep 18, 2017What an underrated album. I can't say I like MO other albums, but this...this is something special and is certainly my album of the year. Gorgeous production and songwriting throughout with an overall vibe similar to Local Natives Hummingbird; moody, atmospheric and beautiful.
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Aug 15, 2017This is a nice example of careful, congenial, and sensible songwriting while stringing together a pleasant 50 minutes of music, with their overall tameness being met with strong musical decisions on melodic shape and harmonic motion, albeit a bit goofy at times. My Score: 136/180 (Solid) = 7.6/10
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Aug 7, 2017Amazing beauty and flow to this album. From the haunting to the guitar oozing rifts that have defined Manchester Orchestra's prior albums. There is a true beauty here. Might be my favorite album the boys from GA have put out. Well done.
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Aug 5, 2017Not exactly what I was expecting. Tells a very powerful narrative and the production is top-notch and only adds to the experience. I read at least one review that made it seem overproduced but I don't think it suffers at all from it.
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Aug 1, 2017black mile to the surface a brilliant album ... Perfect 10 ... all carefully composed pieces call ... and negatives brilliant Manchester Orchestra BEST
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Jul 29, 2017This band never fails to disappoint. It tells a remarkable story of 2 brothers and an abusive father/abandoned mother. The album is Cinematic and Epic, and builds and swells with every moment. This is my AOTY
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Jul 29, 2017Well, after listening to Arcade Fire's new album, I really needed something to cheer me up, and this album did it for me. The vocals and harmonies are always fantastic, the instrumentals are never overbearing, and the production is absolutely gorgeous. That's all I have to say.
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Jul 28, 2017
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Jul 28, 2017
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Jul 28, 2017
Awards & Rankings
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Oct 5, 2017Black Mile has already won your heart, and you know that it is going to be one of those albums that stay with you forever; a byproduct of life events coinciding with its release and an uncanny relation to Hull’s lyrics.
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Sep 6, 2017They’re on more familiar ground, with an emotional take on alternative indie rock inspired by the frontman’s new experiences in fatherhood.
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Aug 24, 2017For a band where constructing songs into rocket-fueled crescendos is their biggest strength, too often does A Black Mile to the Surface fail to take advantage of any momentum it builds, often taking the wrong fork on an ascent to a splendid finale.