#34: Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man

(It's Not War) Just The End Of Love
Postcards From A Young Man
Some Kind Of Nothingness
The Descent (Pages 1 & 2)
Hazelton Avenue
Auto-Intoxication
Golden Platitudes
I Think I Found It
A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun
All We Make Is Entertainment
The Future Has Been Here 4 Ever
Don't Be Evil

All tracks written by Bradfield, Moore and Wire, except 'I Think I Found It', by Bradfield and Moore

James Dean Bradfield - vocals, guitar, mandola on 'I Think I Found It'
Nicky Wire - bass, vocals on 'The Futures Has Been Here 4 Ever', backing vocals
Sean Moore - drums, percussion, trumpet
Ian McCulloch - second lead vocals on 'Some Kind Of Nothingness'
John Cale - keyboards and noise on 'Auto-Intoxication'
Duff McKagan - bass on 'A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun'
Loz Williams - piano, Hammond organ, mellotron
Nick Naysmith - piano - Hammond organ
Catrin Wyn Southall - backing vocals
Melissa Henry - backing vocals
Osian Rowlands - backing vocals
Gareth Treseder - backing vocals
Fflur Rowlands - backing vocals
Roland George - backing vocals
Aled Powys Williams - backing vocals
Strings by Andy Walters, Joanna Walters, Carly Worsford, Bernard Kane, Simon Howes, Nathan Stone, Richard Phillips and Claudine Liddington
Produced by Dave Eringa, Loz Williams and Manic Street Preachers

Label: Columbia

After the release of 'Everything Must Go' in 1996, the Manic Street Preachers seemed to go onto a downward spiral of ill-advised directions, with every release losing some of the quality that had marked their work beforehand. Some people cited the still-unsolved disappearance of Richey Edwards, not taking into account that Richey's playing is only featured on the one track that had been completed on 'Everything Must Go' prior to his disappearance. I assume it was a case of feeling lost, and not knowing in which direction to go.

2007, however, saw the band return to some of their former glory on the album 'Send Away The Tigers'. Since then, the Manics have once again been on an upward curve, culminating in last years 'Postcards From A Young Man'. Returning unashamedly to the radio-friendly rock that made 'Everything Must Go' a hit, this album is undoubtedly the best the band has done ever since that album. First single '(It's Not War) Just The End Of The Love' hits all the same notes 'A Design For Life', and does it well.

With some bands such a step backwards would be something to bemoan, but in the case of the Manic Street Preachers, they are a band who by 'LifeBlood' had lost their way so much that I didn't hold any hope of them finding the road again. The step backwards they've taken since that album is what they needed in order to push further onwards.

Listen Here: Manic Street Preachers – Postcards From A Young Man