Everything Everything: Man Alive

Everything Everything: Man Alive
Manchester, England’s Everything Everything have already been hailed as filling the post-dancepunk void left by the hiatus of Bloc Party. And they accumulated this acclaim without even releasing a proper full-length, that is until the release of Man Alive. The group’s debut album seeks to fulfill the expectations bestowed upon the group.
There are obvious similarities between Bloc Party and Everything Everything. First off, the use of choppy angular guitars is prevalent. But to balance it out, the band also uses U2-esque echoed guitars on occasion. Secondly, the band has the same kind of manic energy as Bloc Party but then again that manic energy is also the keystone for all British post-punk bands like The Futureheads or Arctic Monkeys.
I think what really makes Everything Everything unique is its front man, Jonathan Higgs. Higgs has an absurdly wide vocal range yet never do the vocals necessarily sound what I would call “pretty”. His “normal” voice reminds me of Calvin Harris but then he has a ridiculous falsetto that has no comparison. It must be heard to be believed.
The album’s lead single, “Suffragette Suffragette” was released way back in 2008. The track features Survivor “Eye of the Tiger”-esque guitars before Higgs adds his vocals which spastically bounces between a normal male vocal range and something much higher. The vocals do not always sound great but somehow they work especially over the music that Everything Everything creates.
In the end, I am not sure Man Alive is quite Silent Alarm but it certainly does put Everything Everything on the map in a big way. With the energy and power of the album’s singles, the band has easily earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the biggest names in British post-punk.
Rating: 7.0/10
MP3: Everything Everything “Suffragette Suffragette”
Buy: iTunes or

Leave a Reply