Futurology - Best Ever Reviews for a Manics Album?

[David27]

This album has probably got the best initial reviews for a Manics album. Even though the Holy Bible is very highly rated from the press I think it mainly got its high praise years after its release, especially the 10th anniversary edition.

This album has got 4/5 or 8/10 in virtually all magazines, newspapers or websites, even though only one 5/5 I think from the Telegraph it has widespread acclaim. Can't seem to remember this, perhaps Everything Must Go and Journal For Plague Lovers could come close.

Your thoughts?

[Marat Sar]

They've built up a lot of goodwill ever since SATT. This is probably why they weren't ripped apart during PFAYM. (Lord knows, they should have been.) Slowly they've become cool - working class veterans, very sincere in what they do, with a history of radicalism, who look like dads. Pretty much the opposite of what's been going on for the last 12 years, with the whole "electronic indie youth", or whatever you call that thing that's happened, without using the sickening term "hipster".

Being the opposite of the main thing - especially this main thing - tends to make you cool. Cool builds a lot of goodwill if you can keep it up over time. It's how you become Michael Jackson instead of Michael Bolton.

And "Futurology" is what happens when you cash in on that goodwill with some musical substance. Doesn't hurt that it's adventurous and exciting too. Anyone who's alive can hear Dreaming A City is great music. But it's also sonically attractive. It references interesting things (Simple Minds, krautrock, eighties Neubauten) and does electronica and rock mixed differently than most others. Hair-metal guitar heroism and video game electronics, not the anemic radioheadisms everyone else has been doing. When that synth line finally takes off, it sounds like there is hope, optimism and excitement in the modern world. It sounds like the way forward. Sounds like the opposite of MGMT's "Kids".

Youth is not cool any more. Youth is hated even by the youths themselves, associated with complacency and lethargia. Aging society, aging values, socialism and revolt is a very conservative phenomenon nowadays, and conservatism is very appealing. Especially all kinds of constructuvist, futurist, supermatist, generally optimistic and aggressive things from the past. They stick out and shine.

Also, I think coolness comes as a surprise for a Manics fan, because during KYE and Lifeblood they went up against a lot of ill will. And I guess we got used to it. But all bands that started in the previous decade fight an uphill battle in the beginning of the next one. It passes. They were not cool and they knew it - The Love Of Richard Nixon, anyone? But now they've weathered the storm, not unlike a great political party does. And paradoxically, Old Dick Nixon sounds like one of the coolest singles from the last decade, measured and graceful, while all those Green Day protest songs sound pretty stupid, don't they?

Future is the only objective indeed.

[revcheese]

The Metacritic ratings are usually a good judge of this sort of thing, as of now Futurology has a score of 81, whilst Journal is at 85. So based on that Journal got stronger reviews (but not by a significant margin) overall.

[Takk]

Didn't lb get pretty good reviews in the beginning?

[foundthatsoul]

Originally Posted by Takk

Didn't lb get pretty good reviews in the beginning?

From what I recall at the time I think it got 6/10 in NME and maybe only 2 stars in Q? 3 star max. So I think 'average' would sum it up.

[Radiomanic]

Shame they weren't with them when Lifeblood and RTF were released, missed some right gems there. Good to see em getting recognition again though.

[AK47]

Originally Posted by Radiomanic

Shame they weren't with them when Lifeblood and RTF were released, missed some right gems there. Good to see em getting recognition again though.

RTF was reviewed quite well I thought. Unless those reviews were written by Dancing Kirby.

[allisvanity]

Lifeblood reviews were very mixed. I remember them well, Q was 2 stars but Drowned In Sound gave it a glowing review - 9/10, one of their best etc..

Journal, now, I didn't read a bad review for that.

[Takk]

Truth must have got good reviews from the outset?

[AK47]

Originally Posted by Takk

Truth must have got good reviews from the outset?

TIMTTMY got good reviews too as far as I remember. I think they just ribbed them for the Manics At C&A look.

[cdrw1992]

In Everything, Simon Price says the average was 7/10 so very respectable. He reckoned much of the 'negativity' was due to the album being much more of a grower than EMG, particularly the 2nd half and publications not having long to listen.

Here's the NME review
www.nme.com/reviews/artistKeyname/105

[rosetree]

I think the albums get better over time, so maybe reviews shouldn't mean so much