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I've had the album on continuous spin since it came out and I think I can give a final short review.
The pre-release tracks I really like; Hiding in Plain Sight really works for me as does Brushstrokes of Reunion but I like the other two too, particularly Decline and Fall (with intro.)
The middle section of the album did grow on me a lot but Dear Stephen, Being Baptized and Out of Time Revival still leave me a bit cold overall. Critical Thinking is what I wish the album was more like, I like weird Manics when they surprise me like that. OneManMilitia is a slightly lesser version of that but still works since it's something a bit different and I don't mind a bookend. Late Day Peaks swoops in nicely to get my attention at the end but the one that I find going back to is Deleted Scenes.
Deleted Scenes really fascinates me; it seems to be about Nicky looking back at things he's said and wishing he could take them back and things he's almost said but managed to stop himself at the last moment. But more than that it feels like it's about something that I've always loved about the Manics which is this notion of tearing down something carefully constructed, like how Know Your Enemy was such a harsh response to This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours and in Deleted Scenes I can hear the idea of how easily Nicky could do that now with a single tweet/post/whatever, like he has a draft of something in his sleeve to wreck his reputation or something and I think about that sometimes, how easily and quickly you can bring a carefully crafted and maintained image of yourself down. Like a self-destruct button.
Now I don't know if that was the complete intent but if it is, it speaks to how that aspect of the band and/or Nicky hasn't really changed even with how things are now where that sort of self-destruction is infinitely easier with social media whereas before you had to go to some lengths to become a pariah.
I may be reading too much into it but if nothing else, it did make me think which is what I always want from them so, success! Ace track.
Overall the album does feel a bit aimless and as much as they like to talk about the importance of "feeling free" as a band, I think having a mission statement from the get-go makes for better results every time, even when it doesn't work. Individual tracks shine but as an album it's not all that strong I don't think.
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