October 28, 2024Oct 28 As a lifelong Manics fan who bought their first MSP single when I was 11 (I helped Life Becoming A Landslide get to #36 cos cheap cassette single and the influence of a 5 star review in Smash Hits) who has stuck with them through thick and thin, I have to say this is TURD. And it's not just cos of the Nicky Wire vocal cos Decline & Fall sounded like the theme to a bogstandard daytime game show too. I echo the view that International Blue is their best single from the past ten years, probably more. Edited October 28, 2024Oct 28 by HiyaLuv2
October 28, 2024Oct 28 Another listen in and I'm weirdly starting to like it in some sort of 'it's always nice to root for the underdog plus his vocals make me slightly more confident about my own abilities' way. Feel like if the actual singer in the band did it it would go down in my estimation over the next few weeks rather than up. Oh no they've brainwashed me again. Edited October 28, 2024Oct 28 by HiyaLuv2
October 28, 2024Oct 28 Author As a lifelong Manics fan who bought their first MSP single when I was 11 Now you're making me feel old! I agree about Decline & Fall. I just haven't warmed to it. Hiding in Plain Sight isn't quite as bad as I first felt but it's nothing to get excited about. Nicky's vocals have certainly got better over the years. He was terribly flat in the beginning
January 17Jan 17 The tracklist has been revealed: 1. Critical Thinking 2. Decline and Fall 3. Brushstrokes of Reunion 4. Hiding In Plain Site 5. People Ruin Paintings 6. Dear Stephen 7. Being Baptised 8. My Brave Friend 9. Out Of Time Revival 10. Deleted Scenes 11. Late Day Peaks 12. OneManMilitia
January 27Jan 27 so they moved to avoid The Weeknd but not sure against Inhaler... Yeah could be close - much better chance than against The Weeknd though! I think my money would be on the Manics, I've preferred the singles from Inhaler's album so far though.
January 28Jan 28 Author Brushstrokes of Reunion is released on Friday 31st Edited January 28Jan 28 by Severin
January 28Jan 28 And the album has been further pushed back to 14th Feb (due to production issues apparently)
January 28Jan 28 against Doves now :) love love love the current single (People ruin Paintings) so rooting for them
February 15Feb 15 Author Had a couple of listens to the album now and it's pretty much what you'd expect from them these days and feels like a natural follow on from The Ultra Vivid Lament. The title track opens the album and is by far the best on the record. Nicky Wire takes a spoken word lead vocal, reminiscent of Baz Luhrman's Sunscream, but where he decries society's reliance on being told how to think every minute. Asking at the end 'What happened to your critical thinking?' This is ironic as what follows are ten, post 2010 Manics-by-the numbers tracks. All the usual boxes are ticked, big choruses, lyrics full of hopeful melancholy (and melancholic hope, it varies) and sweepingly epic soundscapes followed by intimate moments. The singles, especially Decline & Fall, sound much better in context of the album and the re-tooling from the single version gives it more of an edge and bite. The other great highlight is Dear Stephen, which will resonate with anyone who grew up loving The Smiths but has had to watch in embarrassment as Morrissey turned into an arsehole over the years. Finally the closer OneManMilitia recalls the albums opener and is delightfully leftfield. With it the album comes nicely full circle and it's a perfectly solid addition to their catalogue. I just can't help feel that they're just a little too comfortable ploughing the same familiar furrow once again, which is a shame as they have so much more to offer when they want. Then again, what the heck, after all they've been through, they've earned the right to do as they please. Edited for terrible spelling and grammar Edited February 16Feb 16 by Severin
February 15Feb 15 Pretty much agree with that post, it's a very Manics-by-the-numbers album and it all feels a little too safe, but I guess that's to be expected at this point in their career. Overall I think The Ultra Vivid Lament was a better album.
Create an account or sign in to comment