Manic Street Preachers - Resistance is Futile, Out 04/06/18 + UK Tour!

Signed Deluxe CD & red vinyl for me. Must admit to being a bit disappointed that they only shipped the day before release, ensuring that folks abroad (the US here) will be waiting to hear the album for a while...

 

Similar for me. I'm seeing them on this tour - will be the first time I've seen them as 3 piece. No idea why; I've not deliberately avoided them - just one of those things

 

Great, in-depth article/interview with the band:

Manic Street Preachers on new album, new studio and turning 50

 

Anyone got the vinyl, 6 tracks per side?

 

I don't have it, but Discogs lists it as 6 per side

 

I'm not a fan of albums being split into double a la Blue & Lonesome but 6 tracks per side could affect the sound quality.

 

Songs are relatively short - even with 12 tracks, album's only 46 minutes long, so shouldn't be an issue.

 

It's never been a problem with any other Manics album. Unfortunately, while the vinyl is usually an improvement, their stuff never sounds great to begin with, so side length isn't an issue. (Even the Holy Bible LP from a few years ago sounds as good as that album is ever going to sound, and that one runs about 56 minutes)

 

I'm a lapsed Manics fan, but I see that my local libraries have this on Freegal so will give it a go. If I like it, I'll then buy the vinyl. Other than listening to the first couple of singles from this, I haven't actually listened to a new album since Lifeblood. I have the ones released since, just haven't ever got around to listening to them.

They used to be my favourite band from around 96-02, but I kind of lost track of them as my tastes changed. I saw them live at the Barrowlands in 2001 on the Know Your Enemy and it was a great concert. Kinda gutted that I missed the Holy Bible 20 tour in Toronto a few years back. The old albums have a lot of nostalgia for me. There's something about the new songs like International Blue, though, that sounds really cheesy and dated to me. Maybe I've been away from their stuff for too long. I'll give it a few listens and see how it goes.

 

Listened to this for the first time last night and initial reaction was that the stuff recorded at the new studio sounded better than the stuff recorded at Faster. Seemed to lack the typical Manics "sizzle" that makes their albums ear-bleeders. The whole works was mastered at Metropolis , though.....

D.D.

 

I just listened to the new LP today deluxe CD. I love them Alex one of my favourite bands but this LP ain't doing anything for me the top futurology was fantastic and even rewind the Film. I will give it a few more listens little bit too nice for me

 

I have also just listened to it for the first time. I think it's a decent enough album. As I said earlier, it's the first album of new Manics stuff that I have listened to since Lifeblood, so I'm a bit out of the loop on the last 14 years worth of music (bought Journal and Postcards on release but never got round to listening to them; bought the ones that came after in a nostalgia fit last year or the year before and they are still on my to do list).

The new album certainly sounds like a Manics album, but perhaps a little by numbers. I think that it suffers a bit from Nicky Wire's patchiness as a lyricist, and also the music sounds a bit twee at times. Liverpool Revisited is, for me, the perfect example - the lyrics are actually quite good when read but the song is just to poppy and twee. I'm sure they were intending it to be triumphant (understandably so), but I think it's a bit much. It's certainly a polar opposite to SYMM (again, probably intentionally so). SYMM was a well-meaning dirge - an important subject which needed to be discussed, a decent chorus but the lyrics for the verses were awful (though I always hate songs which talk about writing a song rather than doing it, which this one did - "the ending for this song, well I haven't really thought of one").

I think, ultimately, that it's good not to take their music too seriously at times - there will often be clunky lyrics and iffy/over the top songs, but there always has been (with the exception of The Holy Bible and Everything Must Go). I think it's a decent, listenable album but a fair bit short of their best.

 

The Manics are heading for their first Number 1 album in 20 years

 

After around 5 listens I’ve come to the conclusion that it is exceedingly average.

 

I would prefer lifeblood to this LP. They had a great run albums from send away the tigers to futurology. Still can't get into it to it. Even James Dean Bradfield solo album The Great Western was very enjoyable.

 

James Dean Bradford deserves some sort of award for Outstanding Achievement In Making Wordy Lyrics Fit Into Melodies Somehow. I tip my hat to him. Between Richey and Nicky, I don't know how he pulled it off sometimes...

D.D.

 

Yeah, that's a good point. He does have a heck of a job sometimes. I can only imagine what it must have been like receiving the Holy Bible lyrics (amazing though they are) and having to figure out what to do with them!

 

Journal For Plague Lovers has made me think that Manics lyrics are best written by Richey and edited by Nicky. The deluxe version shows some of the original lyrics and it’s interesting to see how Nicky edited these into bits that James can write music around. For me, that album (my favourite after Holy Bible) is the Manics at their least forced in every aspect. On his own, Nicky is not a great (or, and I could get in trouble for this, even good) lyricist...

 

Agreed, on both counts (Nicky the editor and Richey the writer and that JfPL is the best MSP album after The Holy Bible).

I absolutely love Lifeblood, and yes they had a great run of albums, including the solo albums and especially Nicky's I Killed the Zeitgeist. I think Send Away the Tigers is a great album, but the weakest along with Gold Against the Soul, I love the band's work from Know Your Enemy up until now, even though I haven't listened to the new one yet because it hasn't arrived, I like the singles. Hopefuly it's a grower and you give it some times and a couple more spins!

 

I've been a fan since 1991 (discovered them on a cassette compliation attached to Select Magazine). This record is in my opinion very strong in terms of the songs and production ( not commenting in an audiophile sense). International Blue just rocks! For the record, I am pretty much into everything the Manics have released ( yes, Lifeblood included) except for Postcards. Postcards just seems so contrived on so many levels. It pains me to say that about an otherwise sincere and brilliant band.
And Resistance has introduced me to The Anchoress, which I am also enjoying.

 

One of the funniest bits in a Manics album review (I think it was Pitchfork), had said something to the effect of, "Wire sings lead on a song, as if to remind people why Bradfield is the lead singer".

 

Have listened to the album four times so far, but have to say that nothing gripes me yet...

 

Anyone who has it (mine hasn't arrived yet) know how the (red) vinyl sound (mastering, dynamic-range, etc)?

 

Who is James Dean BRADFORD? New member?

 

Yup ! Replaced James Dean Bradfield who went quite mad after years of trying to fit ten-pound lyrics into five-pound bags.

Try to keep up, Pankite...

D.D.