Manic Street Preachers - Postcards from a Young Man (2010)

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l3cweyAmIN1qzbg4qo1_500.jpg

Postcards from a Young Man is the tenth studio album by the alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. The Manics have been recording the album (provisionally titled It's Not War - Just the End of Love) since October 2009.

Postcards from a Young Man was recorded with producer (and longtime Manics collaborator) Dave Eringa and will be mixed in America by Chris Lord-Alge. It will be released in a standard version and a deluxe version. Ex-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan is featured on one of the album's songs, "A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun," and three other tracks on the album feature a gospel choir. The album cover art uses a black and white photograph of British actor Tim Roth.

Also, should we start a new thread?

i thought so. the Manic Street Preachers have gotten a lot of love on ILM lately and now they have yet another new album.

The album features guest vocals from Ian McCulloch ("Some Kind of Nothingness"), John Cale on piano ("Auto-Intoxication") and Duff McKagen playing bass ("A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun"). Manics bassist Nicky Wire sings lead vocals on "The Future Has Been Here 4 Ever" alongside drummer Sean Moore on the trumpet. Columbia.

I wasn't immediately struck by it on first listen, but I'll give it another run today.

It is, as promised, a big commercial rock album. I remember thinking on the first spin that some of the opening riffs sounded like, I don't know, Journey or something (admittedly not a band or genre I know much about, so excuse any dreadfully misguided comparisons).

(cover connection:

http://www.revelinnewyork.com/sites/default/files/New_Order_Get_Ready_a.jpg)

The mixing is awful, but there's a few strong tunes - "Golden Platitudes," "Auto-Intoxication," "A Billion Balconies..." etc. I find their last couple of records weirdly endearing - as they get older they just seem to make their material leaner and less prone to bloat, which is the opposite of most veteran rock bands, while still trying to be topical, which they also pull off in a relatively not-annoying way.

Like, as obvious a sentiment as "All We Make Is Entertainment" espouses, it's still something no other arena-rock-style band would ever touch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nusymqINrSc

New Album Out July
APR 28, 2014
'Futurology', the new album from the Manic Street Preachers, will be released on July 7.

Furious, propulsive and expansive, 'Futurology' is the sound of the Manics at their very best - a record inspired by permanent revolution, modern art and Autobahns.

Special guests include Green Gartside (Scritti Politti), Welsh Music Prize 2013 winner Georgia Ruth, Cian Ciarán(Super Furry Animals) and German film star Nina Hoss.

Preorders for 'Futurology' are open now.

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The single sucks.