Seconded - what’s the new song called as well?

It's called 'Hiding in Plain S̶h̶i̶t̶e̶ Sight' and if you were in New Zealand or Australia you could listen now if you catch my drift.

Thanks - I will wait a for more hours, I’m really looking forward to it after these positive reviews.

Also from Nz iTunes
Album called Critical Thinking, released 31 January next year
12 tracks and a rather gray picture of a road for a cover

I love this band as much as ever, don’t really get what everyone’s moaning about. One of Nicky’s best vocals, great lyrics, love the backing vocals too. Feel quite sad for those who see nothing of value in it, or maybe I envy you, or maybe a bit of both.

Ok, now I’m more positive. Porco is the voice of reason.

Thanks, it's on YouTube if you use a VPN.

I'm with Porco, much prefer it to Decline and Fall (and most of Intimism). It's a bit lightweight ,and it's hard to see it doing much for promotion of the album, but as Wire's songs go it's a good one. This is more of the progression of IKTZ that I wanted from Wire ,rather than some of the experiments on Intimism.

So is this the one with Wayne Murray's partner on backing vocals then ?

They can’t really win. Do something similar to the last couple of albums they’d get in the neck, they do something different and people still aren’t happy! If anyone expected them to return to the sound of The Holy Bible in their mid-50's they’re quite frankly deluded. I like it, ‘Intimism goes global’ as Kieran said in that Q&A recently. And it’s not like they’ve released a manics version of Migrane No.1 or 2.

I only speak for myself, but the only thing I require is a good song. This, to me, is not a good song. It’s bland, goes nowhere and fills me with no excitement at all. For context, I love It’s not War as much as I love Revol and I love Hold Me Like a Heaven as much as I Love Sleepflower. TUVL is in my top 4-5 Manics albums so I’m not an ‘everything after the holy bible is shite’ type of guy. I’m so hopeful the album has some bangers that I can hold onto. That is all

It's not much of a song, just a verse repeated throughout. Very dull, glossy production. And, um, when did Nicky start sounding like Chris Martin?

I think the problem is how pedestrian it all sounds. Fair enough, this at least isn't Manics-by-numbers, and I'm happy to acknowledge that doing a full Nicky-lead song like this as the second single behind the surprisingly successful 'Decline and Fall' is a bold move. But it doesn't stop me actively disliking the song itself, on its own merits, or lack of.

I don't think anyone's said they want them to sound like The Holy Bible again, have they? I'm honestly not even a big fan of the Richey era, but something with the excitement, invention, restless creativity and occasional warts-and-all oddness of the Everything Must Go to Lifeblood era, echoed later in Rewind the Film and Futurology? That's what I'd like.

It’s not the best, very much a Nicky solo song.

I’m sure there is some sort artistic merit for it but the song would be 100 % better if James sang it.

For a band that once talked about wanting to do a 'Nebraska' they just continue to push ahead in the total opposite direction of overproduced, cluttered tosh. It feels like they think adding layers upon layers (and I fully blame James for that) can make up for a lack of focus.

As an aside would 100% agree that anyone that expected them to return to the sound of The Holy Bible is totally delude, even JFPL didn't try to do that but aside from Richey lyrics, what both of those albums really have in common is a focus on writing good songs, not commercial products. Something I feel most of their recent output lacks.

Would disagree about it being better if James sang it. His voice just doesn't quite work for some songs ( Divine Youth I'm looking at you).

I think it would be 25.37% better if Ian McCulloch sang it.

David Hurn - Arizona. Painted Desert highway, 1980

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