Distant Colours

[sculptureofabloke]

Originally Posted by raven

http://clashmusic.com/news/manic-str...istant-colours

"When you get to a certain age you can’t pretend not to be that age," James tells Clash. "Everything becomes a distant colour. Everything becomes a distant memory. You start disengaging with memory and engaging with reality, and reality is so fractured you’re left with nothing. So that’s what the song is about!"

So who's the real misery guts of the band now, James or Nicky? Yeah, this is kinda the immediate feel I got from the lyrics and think it's much sadder than it's being given credit for. Course they want to stay relevant but they've always been misfits. Thinking about Futurology, when they were talking about how they'd kinda latched onto Europe, eh this article says most of what I want to say anyway.. Manic Street Preachers: Eurostars find a new strasse

At the 1,800-capacity Ancienne Belgique, meanwhile, something quite remarkable is afoot: five musicians, on a stage bedecked with two Welsh flags, performing a song so at odds with the political moment that it sounds like a work of consummate bravery.

Its title is Europa Geht Durch Mich (translation: Europe Passes Through Me), and it was originally titled European Miracle. The pre-recorded chorus is delivered by the German film star Nina Hoss, and much of its lyric seems to be an awestruck tribute to ideas that now seem to be fragmenting as never before: "European skies/ European desires/ European roads/ European hopes/ European sons/ European love." Only one couplet sounds a slightly more troubled note: "European dreams/ European screams."

Those at odds misfits eh, find it quite sad and funny that not long after they'd been singing Europe's praises and influences, the UK voted to leave the EU. Course I know the difference between Europe and the EU (I fear many don't), but think this quote puts it quite well, an awestruck tribute to ideas that now seem to be as fragmenting as never before... They're quite a schizophrenic band really, they're underdogs, they want to be relevant but success is an ugly world, they don't know their left from right.. But most importantly for me, they're human, this shit can be so relateable.