It's a leap of faith on your part, & exactly why Wire doesn't like the internet, people putting words in his mouth.

Rooftop concerts are not the preserve of U2. I enjoyed Lenny Henry as Muhammad Ali.

My CDs finally arrived. Now I can listen to some of the b-sides.

Yay! :D

I've come to the conclusion that while I still like the album, the songs don't work very well out of context.

They do for me but hey ho!

The album also works if you listen to it backwards - start from song 12 and go to song 1. I don't have a turntable and I don't have the vinyl so I can't really literally listen to it backwards. I'm just happy to have the lyrics sheet now. Although some of the lyrics I substituted (since I didn't understand some of James' singing) work a bit better.

any examples of this

The Descent - Ive cleansed my ugliness and I'vd clenched my paranoia

You mean actually backwards? Or just listening to the songs in reverse order? I'm confused.

Reverse order. Not backwards. Although that might be interesting.

I haven't had my coffee yet....

It's time for some ridiculous lyrical over-analysis!!

"I've lost my last defence / the pages that you left."

Is Nicky saying that the lyrics left behind by Richey were the last thing he had to fall back on if his desire to write lyrics dried up and now, after JFPL, he feels the pressure of being the sole lyricist and having to deliver on that?

How is that over analysis? It's been said before, only in a less tossy way. :joey:

I think that might just be a true interpretation. "I hope i'm making sense" suits the theme as well.

Nicky didn't have anything to worry about though, the lyrics on postcards are some of his best in my opinion. I'm sure the band knew as much as us that following up the journal was a very very hard task, its my fave manics album and seems to be in most peoples top three around here. I cant really see them stopping such a run of form as well, and how they can get better live as well is amazing.

Anyway, my point is alot of the lyrics on the new album skim around the feeling the band are in a new found prime , yet they, and nicky in particular, still a bit unsure in themselves.

Which is silly! Your the best band in the world ffs!

The more i listen to it, the more i dislike it. It's definitely without doubt the worst album i've bought in a long time, cant actually think of the last time i bought something i wasn't keen on. Hopefully they move on quickly from this phase, it clearly hasn't been the commercial success they wanted it to be yet. One or two songs really shine (I Think I Found It and Auto Intoxication), the rest i could happily never listen to ever again.

Ok, feel I have listened to it enough to form an opinion now.

On first listen I thought it sounded far too cheesy, once I got past that and listened to it for what it is, it grew on me.

I don't think it is a classic album and I get the feeling it will not have much longevity, but I am enjoying listening to it.

Favourite songs at the moment are The descent, Golden platititudes (My fave) and ABBFTS.

As with so many Manics albums it loses its way near the end and I think they have over-indulged with the choirs, very unnecessery at times!

So in summary enjoying it, but don't think it will stand the test of time, not up there with their best work.