The Power and the Glory (Bad Ends album)

The Power and The Glory is a 2023 studio album from American rock band The Bad Ends. This debut release from the band has received positive critical reception.

The Power and The Glory
Studio album by The Bad Ends
Released	January 20, 2023 (2023-01-20)[1]
Recorded	2022
Studio	Espresso Machine, Athens, Georgia, United States
Genre	Alternative pop[2] college rock[1] jangle rock[3]
Length	36:21
Language	English
Label	New West
Producer	Mike Albanese, The Bad Ends

Recording and release

The project began when Bill Berry's former band R.E.M. toured with Five Eight, featuring Mike Mantione. The two met up occasionally over several years and eventually Mantione sent Berry demos of work that he intended for a solo album that led to the formation of the Bad Ends;^[2] Mantione had already recruited several other local musicians, but they lacked a drummer to give the songs cohesion.^[4] Leading up to the album, the group released the single "All Your Friends Are Dying" and performed a hometown show on November 27, 2022.^[5] Their debut represents the first album that Berry had worked on in over 20 years.^[6] A music video for "Mile Marker 29" debuted on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on March 24, 2023.^[7]

Reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Power and The Glory received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from five critic scores.^[1] The editorial staff of AllMusic Guide scored this album four out of five stars, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine praising the mature and introspective lyrics written by vocalist Mike Mantione with drummer Bill Berry's energetic approach.^[8] For American Songwriter, Lee Zimmerman notes the diversity of the musicianship on display and sums up his review that this album "bodes well for any future offerings that follow later on".^[9] Uncut's Stephen Deusner rated The Power and The Glory a nine out of 10 for "inventive" songs that explore aging and death with "immense compassion and concern".^[10]

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Dave Domizi, Christian Lopez, Mike Mantione, and Geoff Melkonian, except where noted.

1. "Mile Marker 29" – 3:42
2. "All Your Friends Are Dying" (Berry, Dominzi, Lopez, Mantione, Melkonian, and Mike Rizzi) – 4:25
3. "Left to Be Found" – 4:56
4. "Thanksgiving 1915" – 3:21
5. "Ode to Jose" – 3:15
6. "The Ballad of Satan’s Bride" – 4:34
7. "Little Black Cloud" – 4:37
8. "Honestly" – 3:29
9. "New York Murder Suicide" – 4:02

Personnel

The Bad Ends

• Bill Berry – drums, percussion, guitars, electric sitar, whistling, string arrangement for “Ode to Jose”, mixing, production
• Dave Domizi – bass guitar, backing vocals, cello, piano, mixing, production
• Christian Lopez – guitars, mandolin, banjo, mixing, production
• Mike Mantione – vocals, guitars, mixing, production
• Geoff Melkonian – keyboards, piano, backing vocals, guitars, violin, viola, glockenspiel, accordion, mixing, production

Additional musicians

• Mike Albanese – modular synth, recording, mixing production
• Sean Dunn – guitar on “New York Murder Suicide”
• Gladys – photography
• Joel Hatstat – mastering at High Jump Media, Athens, Georgia, United States
• John Neff – pedal steel guitar on “Ode to Jose” and “Little Black Cloud”
• Jeremy Ray – album art and layout

See also

• List of 2023 albums

References

1. "The Power and the Glory by the Bad Ends". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
2. Radford, Chris (January 25, 2023). "The Bad Ends: New Supergroup Debuts with The Power and the Glory". Flagpole Magazine. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
3. Pearis, Bill. "Indie Basement (1/20): John Cale, Guided by Voices, Ladytron, The Murder Capital, more". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
4. Taylor, Katherine Yeske (January 20, 2023). "Interview: Bill Berry (ex-R.E.M.) & Mike Mantione (Five Eight) of the Bad Ends". The Big Takeove. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
5. Pearis, Bill (October 14, 2022). "The Bad Ends, Bill Berry's first group since R.E.M., announce debut LP, share first single". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
6. Deusner, Stephen (January 18, 2023). "The Bad Ends' Bill Berry: "Lyrically, the thread of this record is death and dealing with it"". Uncut. NME Networks. ISSN 1368-0722.
7. "New Video From The Bad Ends to Premiere on Colbert's Music Channel". R.E.M. March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
8. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Bad Ends – The Power and the Glory". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
9. Zimmerman, Lee (January 6, 2023). "Review: The Bad Ends Are Only Just Beginning". American Songwriter. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
10. Deusner, Stephen (February 2023). "New Albums". Uncut. NME Networks. p. 25. ISSN 1368-0722.

External links

• The Power and the Glory at Discogs (list of releases)
• The Power and the Glory at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
• Aggregate reviews from Album of the Year
• Review from Ticketmaster