Journal For Plague Lovers remixes press release - Forever Delayed

robin heavenly · #1 18-05-2009, 18:54

This got buried/edited on the New Music Express site - this is the whole thing. All the mixes that are in so far are off the scale, release will be sorted when the last couple come in... cheers!

Each track on Manic Street Preachers forthcoming ninth album, “Journal For Plague Lovers”, is being remixed for future release. Following on from the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Mogwai, Stereolab, David Holmes, The Avalanches, Cornelius and Massive Attack, the Manics have given free reign to a diverse, hand picked selection of studio hands. The results range from a Public Image meets Charlie Watts cosmic disco stomp to a galloping Joe Meek goes shoegaze homage. The stellar cast of “Journal For Plague Lovers” remixers is:

Andrew Weatherall ‘Peeled Apples’ http://www.rottersgolfclub.co.uk/
Saint Etienne ‘Jackie Collins Existential Question Time’ http://www.saintetienne.com/
British Sea Power ‘Me And Stephen Hawking’ http://www.britishseapower.co.uk/
Patrick Wolf ‘This Joke Sport Severed’ http://patrickwolf.com/
Optimo (Espacio) ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’ http://www.optimo.co.uk/
The Pariahs ‘She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach’
Adem ‘Facing Page Top Left’ http://www.adem.tv/site/
New Young Pony Club ‘Marlon JD’ http://www.myspace.com/newyoungponyclub
The Horrors ‘Doors Closing Slowly’ http://thehorrors.co.uk/
Errors ‘All Is Vanity’ http://www.weareerrors.com/
Four Tet ‘Pretension/Repulsion’ http://www.fourtet.net
Fuck Buttons ‘Virginia State Epileptic Colony’ http://www.fuckbuttons.co.uk/
Underworld (Rick Smith) ‘William’s Last Words’ http://underworldlive.com/

A few notes on the remixers:

Andrew Weatherall DJed at two of the Astoria shows the Manics did in 1994 (the last gigs with Richey Edwards);
Saint Etienne were label mates with the Manics on Heavenly back at the start of the ‘90s, also responsible for a genius mix of “There By The Grace Of God”;
British Sea Power are one of the Manics current favourite bands;
Patrick Wolf has previously cited ‘The Holy Bible’ as one of the records that most inspired him;
Optimo (Espacio) have been hosting a genre bending club in Glasgow since ‘97, and more recently spreading it around the globe – the mix album ‘Sleepwalk’ is sublime genius;
The Pariahs are friends of the Manics from Newport, featuring local legend DJ Mensa;
Adem is one third of Fridge and an artist responsible for three staggeringly good solo albums;
New Young Pony Club were called in to bring in some bounce;
The Horrors new album is Nicky Wire’s album of the year so far;
Errors are signed to Mogwai’s label Rock Action and make brutal electro;
Four Tet, aka Kieran Hebden, manages effortlessly to make folk, jazz and minimal techno sound warm and appealing;
Fuck Buttons make an awesome, unholy noise;
This is the first remix Underworld have done in over a decade.

Of the remixes, Nicky Wire says:

“It’s been a pretty overwhelming response to be honest. We chose people for each track hoping they would bring us back something unique, that they’d find something we maybe hadn’t in the track. Without fail, they’ve done that. Heartfelt thanks from us to everyone involved.”

Release plans for the mixes will be announced shortly.

Manic Street Hippie · #2 18-05-2009, 18:59

On the site:

Quote:

FREE MANICS DOWNLOADS FROM NME.COM

For today online NME.com are offering 2 free Manics downloads - one being a remix by The Horrors of album track Doors Closing Slowly, the other being a Manics cover of The Horrors' unreleased track Vision Blurred. Click here to get yours.

Journal For Plague Lovers has been remixed by an amazing mix of artists, including British Sea Power, New Young Pony Club, Patrick Wolf, Underworld and Four Tet (amongst others). A remix EP will be available to download from 15th June.

robin heavenly · #3 18-05-2009, 18:59

sorry, just to complete things - Bag Lady - http://www.myspace.com/jonathankrisp - wasn't on original press release. Patrick Wolf collaborator, top chap.

Tom · #4 18-05-2009, 19:02

I hope they all get a physical release.

They won't though.

tucka · #5 18-05-2009, 19:12

does anybody else think that this was originally meant to be the second disc of the deluxe edition like first rumoured but because some weren't finished they had to put the demos on instead?

Dancing Kirby · #6 18-05-2009, 19:34

Thanks. I am most looking forward to Fuck Buttons' take on VSEC. Oh, and Underworld doing William's Last Words. I hope it sounds like my entire collection of 80s videogames thrown together at a party.

I like the three I've heard so far. The Horrors might have pushed the definition of remixing to its limits, but when taken as a thirteen track album, I reckon it's going to play its part in a body of work that will tear the face off the Forever Delayed remix disc.

robin heavenly · #7 18-05-2009, 19:27

release wise - working on not failing the physical at moment. vinyl and CD being plotted as well as download.

deluxe edition - looks that way but actually came about afterwards - production times so tight on the record, pretty much the minute it was mastered it was in production, meant remixers only got tracks after the deadline for physical release of record. iTunes cut off point, amazingly, is around about the same time. new young pony club were first off the block and delivered quick sharp (thank god) hence them being on the iTunes release.

Pedro8 · #8 18-05-2009, 19:29

If so then I'm glad, I'd rather have demos any day.

Deets · #9 18-05-2009, 19:32

thanks for the info!

robin heavenly · #10 18-05-2009, 19:43

All the mixes are ace, must say though that the Adem one is absolute genius. the band described it as 'astonishing' when they heard it - takes "facing page..." to another level - got to say he did wonders with what was definitely the hardest job (i.e. vocals, guitar and harp). features intense glockenspiel - as all records should. Fuck Buttons - what a band.