Me and My Manics

ukevents · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 1980

Me and My Manics.

Jay Morey

It’s hard to talk in simple terms about the output of the Manic Street Preachers, especially with the release of their eight-studio album, Send Away The Tigers, being touted as their greatest since Everything Must Go. The reason? Fans are not easy to please, what with there being a definitive split in the groups. Those there before the disappearance of fourth member Richey Edwards, and those afterwards. I came afterwards, getting sucked into the vortex of sound and gentle emotion that was This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours. I found it hard to believe there was a Manics before If You Tolerate This, before Tsunami and You Stole The Sun From My Heart. There was.

It took me until two years ago to buy The Holy bible, undoubtedly the most powerful and political and emotional diatribe they committed to disc. With almost eighty percent of the lyrics being written by lost member Richey, it’s a strong showing from track 1, Yes, where the ‘C’ word is used in the first line. Each song is preceded by spoken word, snippets from TV shows, plays. Archives Of Pain being my favourite…’I wonder who you think you are? You damn well think you’re god or something…’ a testament at the time to their perceived indestructibility? A nod to the fact they used swearwords not for commercial impact, but because the lyrics actually merit the scorn. Racism, money being lavished on politicians while the world falls apart, anorexia.

However, as they’ve aged and grown, so has the music. The anger still lingers there somewhere but now dissolves into something more manageable and tameable. I enjoyed Lifeblood, but it was not a force, no ‘Of Walking Abortion’ to be found here, but more odes to such ethereal ladies as ‘Emily’. Even in stand out track, Empty Souls, the reference to the Twin Towers collapsing is merrily replaced in the videos and radio version with something weak about fallen flowers. And this backtrack from the men who stated that they ‘laughed when Lennon got shot’ in debut single Motown Junk.

So onto Send Away The Tigers. Yes, it is much more upbeat, stronger guitar efforts, tighter writing, the odd swearword and classic hook, such as in the excellent Autumnsong. They tip the nod to uberfans with Underdogs, a shout out to the ‘freaks’ who’ve followed them. It’s made people believe the boys from Blackwood are back on form. True, James vocals are still as strong and flawless as ever; Sean’s drumming as stable and Nicky undeniably being Nicky. But this is not the rebellious Welshmen from the early nineties, the men mad about Thatcher, about Wales being trampled over throughout the miner’s strikes and used as guinea pigs for new legislation and government policies. They’ve obviously nothing new to get angry about, and that’s sad as nobody does angry better.

First single, a duet with Nina Perrson called You’re Love Is Not Enough is said to be written of ex-member Richey. And it appears as though they are finally feeling safe enough to state how they are happier without him. ‘I could have written all your lines’ and ‘you stole the sun straight from my heart’ are not nods of approval. They are lines of gentle resentment, perhaps? Resentment that although they have grown as musicians and lyricists, they will never be free of his shadow.

And hidden track, a cover of Lennon’s Working Class Hero, is quite pointless and even confusing for those of us who like to think of the Manics as those young rebellious boys from Wales, who laughed at his demise in Motown Junk.

As jolly and pleasant and listenable as Send Away The Tigers is, it’s not the best, it's a fan pleaser, and even though I’ll always prefer The Holy Bible, in a way it’s even pleased me. Because I cannot help but think they are being just that tad ironic about themselves, and next time we’ll have the vitriol back.