No matter what the music of Manic Street Preachers has sounded like, the words have always mattered. Maybe you began at one of several stages. From the beginning (Generation Terrorists), the Manics were punks. Then came The Holy Bible, the band's third record, and no one (and I mean no one) sounded like they did. They were rough-hewn and not easily digested and yet, they were great.
In fact, they were better than any band you ever knew. The sad ending of Richey Edwards did not stop the third LP from being impressively impactful emotionally. It was angry and horrific, and it was magical. Yet, James Dean Bradfield still sang the words, Nicky Wire still played bass, and Sean Moore kept the beat. Edwards hardly did anything but write poetry.
And somehow, The Holy Bible aside, the band got better after Edwards was not to be found (literally). The band's fourth record, Edwards-free, was called Everything Must Go and delivered a popularity the group had yet to reach but was worthy of. This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours followed and it was nearly equally excellent.
How good is the Manic Street Preachers new album, Critical Thinking?
The Manic Street Preachers then changed. Their sound became less punk and more alternative, but not because they wanted to sell more records. They simply wanted to remain true to themselves. No album they are ever going to make again will sound like the first three records, and that is OK.
While the latest album, Critical Thinking, sounds almost jarring compared to The Holy Bible, the words (again!) are what matters. Is there a laid-back feel? Sure. Maybe the production values appear to be more calypso than rock but that is OK. One must listen to the lyrics.
This is especially true if you loved the Manics last album, Ultra Vivid Lament. It was brilliant, but not punk. There are enough musical flourishes where Richey Edwards would not even recognize the band from the 1990s. Great music is great music, though, and a band has a right to...well, not so much evolve as change directions.
There is enough on the new album to please (or diss) anyone. There is even a track about Morrissey called "Dear Stephen." It acknowledges the performer's greatness while not completely ignoring the recent political views of the former Smiths vocalist. A couplet contains, "I’m still a prisoner to you and Larkin/Even as your history darkens."
Still, the song is not about any dislike about Morrissey, but a remebrance of what it feels like to be 16. That is musically a theme throughout the new record.
This is the Manic Street Preachers growing older and well, yes...softer. But that does not make them less relevant. They are not trying to create a top-five album because the masses are not that important to them. The band is trying to make music they like and hope their fans do. And their fans should. It is not The Holy Bible, but then what album is?
The fact is that the production value, melodies, and execution are fantastic here. The band knows what they are doing. Still, the lyrics have value as they almost always have done. That makes the album worth buying and adding to your vast Manic Street Preachers record collection.
Grade: 7 out of 10