JFPL in GIITTV's top twenty albums of 09

[BloodFlowerBill]

17. Manic Street Preachers – ‘Journal For Plague Lovers‘

When most albums are announced there’s usually only a very small range of reactions on the internet; either “I loved their last album, this’ll be awesome OMG!”, “This band sucks ass lolol” or a uninterested shrug. Reactions can also be influenced by the inevitable empty rhetoric that goes with each album announcement since it’s very rare for a front-man’s quote about this one being the best album actually being true (I’m looking at you Bono). When the Manic Street Preachers announced Journal For Plague Lovers though, there was both a tangible excitement and an ominous sense of foreboding.

For the first time in fifteen years the Manics were using lyrics written by Richey Edwards, their “guitarist” and lyricist who disappeared shortly after the release of their magnum opus, The Holy Bible. At the time, Nicky Wire said: “The brilliance and intelligence of the lyrics dictated that we had to finally use them. The use of language is stunning and topics include The Grande Odalisque by Ingres, Marlon Brando, Giant Haystacks, celebrity, consumerism and dysmorphia, all reiterating the genius and intellect of Richard James Edwards”.

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