Chvrches
Manhattan
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Ten years ago (20th September 2013), Chvrches gave us their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe. The album gave us ‘Gun’, ‘Recover’, and ‘The Mother We Share’. An anniversary edition is coming and it includes nine bonus tracks, including ‘Manhattan’.
A superbly long synth intro builds the atmosphere, a thumping beat kicking in as things develop into the introductory bars. It falls away into the first verse, leaving the beat, the bass, and a little swirling synth. Martin Doherty takes the lead on the vocals with Lauren Mayberry adding harmonies as the chorus approaches.
Iain Cook shared the background behind the recording, which is the source of the vocal sampling technique Chvrches became famous for:
In late Summer 2011, Martin and I got together after having talked about doing so for a few years and started throwing down some synth-based ideas in my studio on the south side of Glasgow. ‘Manhattan’ was the fourth idea we worked on together.
It was the first time we messed around with sampling and chopping up our vocals which would go on to become one of the hallmarks of the band’s sound. Lyrically, we were playing around with pretty abstract apocalyptic imagery – in this case the Manhattan Project.
This was right around the time we asked Lauren to come into the studio to try out some additional vocals.
Iain Cook
Out on October 13th, the album will feature remasters, demos, and live performances. The limited edition set also contains unreleased demos of ‘The Mother We Share’.
Listen to Chvrches – ‘Manhattan’.
Manhattan Lyrics
Lap of light
Cover the way and keep my side
Or steal away from me
And keep a tight lip in secret silenceEyes like mine
Watching you blow us all to hell
But if you took our lives
There would be no one to tell your storyHow can I make you understand
Lying with you, I held your hand
“Never look down,” I heard you say
But it’s over and I just can’t believe I’m wrongHow can I make you understand
Lying with you, I held your hand
“Never look down,” I heard you say
But it’s over and I knew it was all alongWild like time
Why can’t you believe or just abide?
The way I tell you so
I stop the day for one simple side showSeason’s smile
We were unable to stay warm
But in the darkest night
There’s an ember that’s always burningHow can I make you understand
Lying with you, I held your hand
“Never look down,” I heard you say
But it’s over and I just can’t believe I’m wrongHow can I make you understand
Lying with you, I held your hand
“Never look down,” I heard you say
But it’s over and I knew it was all along
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Written by Fenton on
