Music
Cope
On 2011's Simple Math, this Atlanta band played indie rock full of grand ambitions and experimental loose ends. This album sets lyrics about shaky adulthood to meat-and-potatoes guitar rock (think MMJ via Foo Fighters). There are big, well-crafted hooks on the Oasis-y "The Mansion" and the melancholy slow-burner "Indentions," though they're often stuck in clunky arrangements and muddy self-production. Singer Andy Hull warbles about getting beyond grudges ("Every Stone"), divorce ("Choose You") and war ("See It Again"). But his lyrics are so broad that finding an emotional connection is like trying to build a bond with a clerk at the DMV.