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So, a few days with the album so far and it's growing on me, but it does somewhat match my fears too. It's all a bit overproduced, overpolished and just kind of... there. It's clearly in the SATT/PFAYM lineage and it's just not the side of Manics that excites me. The album seems to want to hit a lot of big emotions but the direction they've gone for muffles it all.
Random thoughts:
"Hold Me Like a Heaven" is by and far the best song on the album - the part where the album's stylistic and production leanings click together. I also find myself really liking "The Left Behind". It actually sounds like it has the heart the rest of the album strives to have but doesn't quite get there.
The biggest crime is that the "aah-aah" bit of "Liverpool Revisited" is the greatest moment on the entire album but the rest of the song is so wishy-washy and clunky.
The demo disc isn't particularly revelationary this time but "Distant Colours" works really well acoustically.
"Broken Algorithms" is by and far the low point of the album.
I'm sure the album will grow on me - I do find myself wanting to return to it if only to help make up my mixed mind on it - but there's very little here so far that seems like actual essential Manics moments and a lack of anything that brings something new to their discography.
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