Manics return (Journal For Plague Lovers - Manic Street Preachers)

Member Name: kylecoare

Product:	Journal For Plague Lovers - Manic Street Preachers
Date:	13/07/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: some good tunes

Disadvantages: some not so good tunes

MANIC STREET PREACHERS
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Journal for plague lovers.


So The Manics for years were one of the top rock/pop groups to come from the UK, first three albums all offered something to show the rest of the world that we could still do rock music as well, with the beautifully tuneful "motorcycle emptiness" you could already see the class in this band.

Over the years they changed styles many times, though their earlier input tended to be poppy punk based with a lot of melancholic lyrics which is right up my street!!

This was mainly due to chief songwriter Ritchey Edwards, well sadly come 1995 Ritchey disappeared, car left on a notorious suicide spot nothing heard of him since.

And simply since that day the manics have only really produced 1 semi decent album, well this year that changed...

THE ALBUM

The rest of the Manics realising they weren't as good without Ritchey's Lyrics decided to do what any other decent person would do, use his old leftover lyrics in a money grabbing grave robbing way, though I honestly believe they did this for the right reasons lol!!

So here we have an album where all lyrics were written by master of misery and greatness Ritchey Manic!!

Could the rest of the Manics mess this up by sticking to the middle of the road boring rock they have produced over the last few years?

Well we shall at last answer that question but you will have to wait till the end to find out, or ignore me talking about songs and stuff?!?


The First thing that hits me with the first song is the use of a spoken word intro, used a lot in the Manics supposed best album " the Holy bible"
Then we very soon have bruising guitars and vocals that sound like they want to rip your throat out?!?

Yet the tunes are beautiful, the chorus kicks in with perfection can imagine a few thousand people jumping around singing the complete wrong words yet loving every minute!
The guitars are ripping the drums give a good base to the tune works really well first Manics song ive liked since the "everything must go" album

This is soon followed by another song, just as well else it would only be a poor single and a very short review.

This takes us down a much more poppy route, with a bouncy cute tone, though it soon makes way for some proper welsh shouting for the chorus, a truly great track, where has this new found energy come from?


Starting as a typical punky rocking track the third track soon becomes a sort of verse chorus verse song with slow verses and fast chorus, nice but a bit overdone in the last 15 years so its slightly fillerish, good tune but ive heard better.

We follow with what the Manics are good at ballads, though this time I feel it just isn't strong enough, it doesn't get under my skin and start tearing me up to use as a new second skin like a lot of the older stuff did.

The title track soon kicks in with a sort of middle of the road rock/pop/punk feel not quite hitting the heights of any of its genres but still being a playable rocking tune with an instantly catchy chorus.

Talking of catchy choruses we very soon meet another with the shouty chorus of "She bathed herself in a bath of bleach" lovely title!!
Musically a little rocky not too tuneful but the shouty chorus saves it.



"Facing page: top left" the next song in the list starts with James singing over a beautiful piano guitar mix, slow balanced almost perfect for its style, this is where James really hits his form and shows how good his lungs and vocal chords are with a nice ballad only problem its a bit too short, then we are straight into another rockier number....

Which unfortunately sounds very eighties, and a bit poor, in fact not very good in fact im already skipping it sorry...

"doors closing slowly" follows which is back in ballad land and just as well cos its the Manics back in good form, nothing special but better than over the last few years.


We soon Kick into the next song that really feels like it should be on the holy bible, this is really in the wrong place its got almost every thing great vocals a good guitar base drums which really sit well, the manics loosing years and sounding good for it.

And then again they do it for another song, the manics sounding like they did in 1994 and producing quality music, two tracks in a row should say something, this is them doing what they are good at, catchy tunes melancholic lyrics weird voice overs everything you want from them.
Almost as catchy as pork flu, though nowhere near beef flu yet!


Two more songs one good other not so, first one has a great balance with some nice singing good tunes although it also features some of the worst co vocals ive heard in a long time.

The second is just plain bad which is a shame cos its Ritcheys last words basically, but they are sung by the wrong member of the manics. Who makes it all sound like some karaoke with a rubbish singer, whose head is stuck in a vice , with a ten tonne gallon of oil over his head whilst suffering burns to his lower gentlemen's bits.


OVERALL


Ohh what did I feel about this album, ive probably left you with no idea reviewing the tracks so ill try my best to tell ya!

The holy bible is one of my all time favourite albums I love the whole thing, this is its younger cousin nice in parts and certainly has a resemblance but never quite reaches the heights.
Still a lot better than other albums that came in-between, if you liked holy bible id give it a go, if you like pink then id commit suicide then not bother choice is yours.

Fanks for readin, ive been Kyle Core wish you all well.

Summary: not as good as some better than others