Writing Exercise: The Million Masks of God by Manchester Orchestra

 Perceive and Interpret - The Million Masks of God

The Million Masks of God, by Manchester Orchestra, is an introspective, heavy album. Like the band’s previous work, it taps into themes of selfhood and growth while utilizing gentle but firm tones. It is akin to the feeling of listening to the ocean – being aware of intricacies and depth while sailing above it all. There is an innate sense of longing present within, and my experience personally with it has been not unlike this metaphor of a mariner. I tend to let the album envelop me, listening to it all the way through each time, and losing track of where one song ends and another begins. I reach for this sense of completeness, and allow it to never fully cease playing within my mind. Each track’s intent and theme varies, of course, but the album itself almost exists as a sole experience, with a few important highlights. It settles over the listener, ebbing and waning but never fully receding until it begins again, with the final track bleeding back into the first.

When reflecting on the more investigative side of Manchester Orchestra’s reception, specifically on an individual scale with this album, I am called back to the lyrics of the song “Obstacle,” which tells a poignant story, climaxing in expressing a desire to not go back to inaction, to “falling.” Distant from a critical view of the song itself is the human response triggered by hearing the singer reminisce and reflect on their life, screaming that they do not want to “lose control, [to] fall like that again, [to] lose [their] mark.” Alienated from my critical or informed takes on the album, this bridge calls upon humanity, before returning to a root point, the subject’s reflection on their past and future family.

It is fascinating to me that, despite this album being one of my favorites ever, I have not looked more into the sources of inspiration for various songs and pieces. They hold a distinct place in my heart, artistically, but I have not sat back to critically examine their meanings outside of my interpretations of them in regards to my own life and the stories I am aware of. It’s clear to me that my view on the stories or tones of each of the pieces may be distinctly different than their initial message, but isn’t that the point of art? I’m not sure. We all hope someone will look at a piece we’ve written or otherwise created and project meaning upon it, but it is certainly a strange place to introspect as a consumer. Either way, I can hold an appreciation for this project both within my own mind and goals as well as beside the interpretations regarded as more “accurate.”