Album 15

[rosetree]

I really like the new video and all the new songs and i'm getting a good sense of the album now. I'm looking forward to the red vinyl I ordered locally and the bonus single from the Manics store. I also hope they play Decline & Fall and the new tracks on the tour and Live at Leeds festival!

[Marat Sar]

Really liked that video and song! Been super into Manics lately, fine-tuning KYE reissue playlists and stuff, generally having another look at all these great reissues. And this just hit the spot. Great tile, great lyrics and really beautiful simple hypnotizing video.

Totally gonna get into boxing when I'm JDBs age...

Thinking Decline & Fall might be this album's Underdogs. Maybe quietly replace it by release and pretend IT'S ALREADY A REISSUE!

[Manic Steve Preacher]

Just listening to Kevin Carter - my favourite track three of any of their albums. I love these boys with all my heart but I’m longing for Mike Hedges “produced trashiness” vibes. Or anything that’s not the last three album production style.

[IntlDebris]

Oh, it's alright. The more melancholic feel to the tune makes it stand out slightly from the usual SATT/PFAYM "euphoria" but it's hard to imagine being especially enthusiastic about it. The snippet of the demo suggested something more spacious again, but it's just the usual bloat. The piano and synth combo isn't as interesting as it should be, just sounds like polish rather than experimenting with arrangements. Once again, second side of RiF I like because it felt new, and also the songs are a touch edgier in their composition, but it's become very tired by this point.

I dunno. There's still hope for the album, there's going to be something else on there other than the same old, but this hasn't boosted my confidence.

Eringa... yeah, I wish they'd work with someone else again, it's no surprise that RtF/Futurology wasn't his work. He really likes pushing 'catchy' instrumental riffs, doesn't he? You can hear it in his Idlewild stuff - it was his idea to open 'You Held the World in Your Arms' with the string melody, and that seems to have become his modus operandi since - and it's at the end of the chorus of this song, it's a little creative tic that really bugs me. I think it's what I hate so much about D&F. I'm not even sure why it bothers me so much, but it was all over TUVL as well. So often they remind me of modern TV themes, where the composer only has 10 seconds to get the melody in because the titles are so short.

In short: meh.