|
Continued from page 8
life melodies, and an unhealthy helping of attitude dressed up in Sunset Boulevard cool. Never fitting in with the Britpop trend of the 90s, the Manics mostly played down their Welsh upbringing instead focusing on the dark and foreboding lyrics of guitarist Richey Edwards and the boyish tenor of singer James Dean Bradfield. Their 1994 high-water mark, The Holy Bible, was a harrowing and terrifying foreshadowing of Richey’ s downfall with depression, ending with his 1995 disappearance( with the mystery still unsolved, he was
|
finally declared dead in 2008). What could have ended the group gave it new life, creating the 1996 masterpiece Everything Must Go, salvaging some leftover Richey lyrics, and presenting the group in a big, bold, and bright production that stayed on the British charts for years. In the ensuing decades, the trio of James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore battled on, whether it was the chaotic, diverse sounds of Know Your Enemy, the return to stadium rock for Send In The Tigers or recruiting Steve Albini for a punky foray into Richey’ s unused lyric book for Journal For Plague Lovers. The band still used Marxist slogans as conversation starters( usually beamed on screens during live shows or printed in the band’ s liner notes), while the music slowly became less eclectic. Critical Thinking is the latest in a run of slightly underwhelming albums for the Manics, all streamlined pop-rock uninterested in testing boundaries or even rocking out. Bassist Nicky Wire takes lead vocals for the opening title track, but the song is so indebted to“ The Wild Boys” by Duran Duran that it’ s a distraction. Lead single“ Decline & Fall” does a better job of sounding like classic Manics with a cool( for cats) sample from the band Squeeze, but the ragged edges of their salad days have
Continued on page 14
newreleases
June 6
Addison Rae Addison Brian Eno & Beatie Wolfe Luminal Death in Vegas Death Mask Finn Wolfhard Happy Birthday Lifeguard Ripped And Torn Lil Wayne Tha Carter VI Pulp More The Doobie Brothers Walk This Road Turnstile Never Enough
June 13
AJ Tracey Don’ t Die Before You’ re Dead Mary Halvorson About Ghosts Neil Young Talkin’ To Trees Steve Queralt Swallow The Cure Mixes Of A Lost World The Swell Season Forward
June 20
Aitch 4 Benson Boone American Heart HAIM IQuit Hotline TNT Raspberry Moon James McMurtry The Black Dog... Yungblud Idols
June 27
Bruce Springsteen Tracks II: The Lost Albums Lorde Virgin Motörhead The Manticore Tapes Willi Carlisle Winged Victory
|
Turnstyle
Motorhead
|
Continued on page 14 |
||||
10 illinoisentertainer. com june 2025 |