Lifeblood

Amazon Review

Testing times for the Manic Street Preachers: their seventh studio album, Lifeblood, comes hot on the heels of a commercial flop--2001's brave but unfocused Know Your Enemy--and renewed rumours that the band themselves are in the twilight of their existence. One thing's for sure, this is the right record at the right time: inspired by the widescreen melancholy of post-punk acts New Order, early U2, and The Cure, this "elegiac pop" LP finds the Manics acting their age, shelving the slash'n'burn punk in favour of a sound that is simultaneously graceful, epic and for these dedicated controversialists, unusually low-key.

The album's lead-off sin...  Read full review »

Massively Under-Rated

This album is usually hailed as the Manics worst work to date.

I have to say I disagree. I think there are so many fantastic songs on this album its unreal!.. Ok so its not your traditional Manics album, but that is what makes it interesting. Although I do admit i never didn't like it the first few times I heard it.

1985, Empty Souls, A Song for Departure, I Live To Fall Asleep, To Repel Ghosts, Emily, Glasnost,...  Read full review »

Genious in whatever they do!

I guess the manics could release a country album and I'd still love it!
Once again different to anything they've done before (but I'm getting used to that...after all each of their albums is unique), but still it's the typical manic street preachers style.
The album has great lyrics, and James delivers them with so much devotion (as he always does) that it gives you goosebumps (in a positive way). Sometimes the drums sound a bit electronical and artificial, and since I think Sean Moore is the most versatile, most inventive and most genious (and fastest) of all drumm...  Read full review »

Oh my God - what a f----ing good return to form!!!

Oh my God - what an amazing return to form from the only Western male rock group that matters! Obviously the Manics are an acquired taste - only a couple of my friends like them - but I do think the UK music scene would be far poorer if they had all decided to work as bank clerks. Nicky seems (although I don't know him personally) to be a very private, sensitive & gentle person who has experienced some pretty horrific private suffering, & who writes very personally, articul...  Read full review »

Good, But Room For Improvement

It was around this period in their career that certain critics savaged the Manic Street Preachers with a terrible ferocity, probably due in part to the fact that this album was the Manics most laid-back release. This was not helped by a lack of promotion, the release of only two singles from this album, and a significant weight gain. These things combined gave many people just the ammo they were looking for.

Yet it isn't a bad album, just slightly lacklustre in places. '1985', the opening song, is actually a really decent effort, looking back at the youth of the Manics, lamenting over the various events which happened in 1985, including the success of Torville and Dean. It is an attractive song, but so polished that it is virtually the polar opposite of the Manics initial punk sensibilities. The glossy Tony Visconti production is no doubt appealing to more casual MSP fans, but purists will probably baulk at the marketability of it. The lyric: "Friends were made for life" indicates optimism and light-heartedness. Whether this is a good thing depends on the type of fan you are.

'The Love Of Richard Nixon', featuring more electronic tampering from Tony Visconti, is completely forgettable, muted and bordering on the insipid. The lyrics defy belief with their banality.

'Empty Souls', though is quite a pretty single, though as unthreatening and far removed from traditional Manics aggression as one could possibly imagine. Tinkling pianos, high vocals and unobtrusive guitars make this pleasant, and almost verging on 'nice'. Hence it charted at number two.

'A Song For Departure' and 'I Live to Fall Asleep' are also verging on the inspid, though the lyrics are never poor, since Nicky Wire has rarely written bad lyrics. Still, Visconti has done the Manics no favours, and at times, these songs are so inoffensive and light that I could almost imagine them playing in a lift. They don't sound amateurish - just lacking in feeling, half-hearted.

'To Repel Ghosts', slipping into a much-needed minor key, is far more charismatic, although still lyrically more simplistic than people have become used to from Nicky Wire. Even an attempt at creating a 'haunting' sound, and the lyric 'Make Love, Make Hate, Make War' cannot save this from sounding like something off a Snow Patrol album. Which isn't harmful, just a tad insipid.

'Emily', meanwhile, is easily the most dull song the Manics have ev...  Read full review »

A coming of age album

Musically it is not their greatest album, but lyrically it is their most beautiful!

After "This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours" it is my favorite album, though alot of die-hard Manic fans say this is their poorest album... but this just goes to show how great the band is, that their poorest album can still sound amazing!

Starts off with "1985", which I l...  Read full review »