Album 15

[Marconi Delorian]

Oh for god's sake, why wasn't the title track released as the first single? Would have got far more media attention, can see BBC6 playlisting it for novelty value, would have really started the campaign on a different footing.

[Europa Gluten Free]

Originally Posted by UEF

Does anyone know what is their logic behind putting all the singles at the front of the album?

Wire said in an interview that James did the tracklisting for this one and him and Sean agreed immediately. So blame Jimbo!

[Marat Sar]

Originally Posted by Marconi Delorian

Oh for god's sake, why wasn't the title track released as the first single? Would have got far more media attention, can see BBC6 playlisting it for novelty value, would have really started the campaign on a different footing.

Bands become too risk-averse with single choice as time goes by. Sea Power released Transmitter as the last single off Everything Was Forever and not, for example, Fire Escape in the Sea which would have been weirder and better. And way more effective. Random example but there's this rigid expectation of what a single is. (Melodic etc) Whereas it's nowadays just an ear-catching song. Any ear-catching song.

Now is actually a good time to release The Love of Richard Nixon.

[Europa Gluten Free]

Originally Posted by Marconi Delorian

Oh for god's sake, why wasn't the title track released as the first single? Would have got far more media attention, can see BBC6 playlisting it for novelty value, would have really started the campaign on a different footing.

Remember the last odd single? TLORN!

[Marconi Delorian]

Originally Posted by Europa Gluten Free

Remember the last odd single? TLORN!

Landscape is very different now! There's very little chance of them going top 40 again but something like this would probably have more chance of breaking out of their echo chamber than anything that's been released already.

[Marconi Delorian]

Originally Posted by Marat Sar

Bands become too risk-averse with single choice as time goes by. Sea Power released Transmitter as the last single off Everything Was Forever and not, for example, Fire Escape in the Sea which would have been weirder and better. And way more effective. Random example but there's this rigid expectation of what a single is. (Melodic etc) Whereas it's nowadays just an ear-catching song. Any ear-catching song.

Now is actually a good time to release The Love of Richard Nixon.

Absolutely. They need to stand out, not play it safe.

[Routine Builder]

Originally Posted by UEF

Does anyone know what is their logic behind putting all the singles at the front of the album?

Perhaps to encourage folk who are streaming to buy the album before they get to the perceived filler. They did exact same with PFAYM. Seems to be the case for a lot of their back catalogue. Track 2 and Track 3 are the sweet spot for their singles seemingly.

[Marconi Delorian]

The Morrissey song is terrible, so many cringe quotations.

[FacelessSenseOfVoid]

Working my way through the album very slowly with a crap connection as I'm working away today. Not drawing any conclusions but Late Day Peaks has the potential to be one of my favourite Manics songs full stop. Absolutely love it.

[everlasting]

My vinyl came from HMV today so just finished first play of it. Nothing really stands out, no real rocking stuff, the most upbeat is easily Decline and Fall so it's good that I like that song. Nicky's opening and closing songs reminded me of the b-sides he was doing circa 2001 to 2005. Time for the 2nd play now, I'm sure this is a grower album and one to enjoy as a whole, I can kind of see why they struggled to put out 'singles'.

[Son of Stopped]

Both items fulfilled so if no unexpected delivery before 6 then tomorrow.

[Porco]

Initial reaction:
I laughed, I cried, I applauded; hopefully at the correct moments.

[TheUglyLie]

It is surprising that any band would ‘top load’ an album with singles nowadays, especially as physical singles are all but defunct (record companies used to think they had to put the songs they’d released on 45’s towards the start of the album).
Now bands can put any track up on streaming to represent what they want to showcase for an album before it’s fully released.
This makes me think that the Manics just thought these were the 4 strongest songs, & they happened to fit best at that point on the album.
Even on RIF we got HMLAH which is track 8.

The only other theory that sprung to mind (without listening to CT yet), is that the tracklisting might ‘dissolve’ as it went along. In much the way that TIMTTMY slowly, slowly starts to fade

[*Found That Soul*]

What’s the thoughts on possibility of number 1? I see Sabrina Carpenter and The Wombats are releasing records , not sure if they’re a threat.

[IntlDebris]

Originally Posted by Routine Builder

Perhaps to encourage folk who are streaming to buy the album before they get to the perceived filler. They did exact same with PFAYM. Seems to be the case for a lot of their back catalogue. Track 2 and Track 3 are the sweet spot for their singles seemingly.

GT: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11
GATS: 2, 3, 5, 7
THB: 4, 6, 9
EMG: 2, 3, 5, 9
TIMT: 1, 2, 3, 5
KYE: 1, 2, 4, 5
L: 2, 3
SATT: 2, 3, 4, 7
PFAYM: 1, 2, 3
RTF: 2, 3(ish), 7
F: 1, 2, 6(ish)
RIF: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8
TUVL: 2, 3
CT: 2, 3, 4, 5

So yeah, other than THB, their albums are always front-loaded with singles, and none of their albums have more than one single in the second half.


SPOILERS FOR CRITICAL THINKING WILL COMMENCE IN 5

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Critical Thinking - This is pure Futurology, let's have more of this lads. Nothing like the reviews and interviews suggested, but it's fucking great.

Decline & Fall - Sounds even worse coming in off the first track. It's like going from Peeled Apples to It's Not War.

Brushstrokes of Reunion - In contrast, this sounds a lot better thanks to coming after its much poorer cousin. Still hate the TV theme riff in the chorus.

Hiding in Plain Sight - This definitely grew on me. Still think it's too repetitive, and Nicky sounds like Chris Martin, but it's nice. Having too uncharacteristic, Nicky-fronted songs bookending the two Manics-by-numbers singles at this point is making it feel like a really strange album.

People Ruin Paintings - Still really like this one.

Dear Stephen – This... isn't a career highpoint.

Being Baptised - I like the reverby spidery guitars a lot, it's a nice chord sequence, but the tune slips in one ear and out of the other. Instrumental break and solo are gorgeous. James sounds like he's straining to reach the high note in the final chorus. Sean's outro bit amused me.

My Brave Friend - I've already forgotten that song.

Out of Time Revival - Weird. Verse is like... I dunno, maybe a Lifeblood b-side or something, slightly lo-fi, very '80s sounding, not a great melody but the sound is really interesting... then it dips into another Decline & Fall-esque shit chorus with guitar hook and strings.

Deleted Scenes - Ok yeah, this is interesting, the drums are really... strangely stilted and awkward in a way that makes it really leap out. Musically it's not very original, but quite effecting. Not especially enamoured by the lyrics. Big '80s sounding ballad with very strange drums, not what I was expecting.

Late Day Peaks - Oh, it's Lifeblood time. I like this. Not exactly an earworm but it sounds beautiful.

OneManMilitia - The way he sings "I sound like a dying cause" is really fucking weird. Sounds like a KYE song with Lifeblood production. I'm not sure it's as successful as it could be, but it's quite fun.


So mostly a very nice sounding album, and I'm very glad that 'Decline & Fall' is an outlier rather than it being another PFAYM, but honestly, they sound tired and bored. The album being pieced together separately makes sense of the fact that the production and arrangements - the guitar tones, synth sounds, Sean's occasionally odd drums - seem to have had much more thought put into them than the songs themselves, which are practically nonexistent. TUVL is the closest to a grower they've released for me - I hated it at first but now I think it's alright - and in general my initial thoughts tend to match my long-term thoughts, so this doesn't bode well, but I'll be giving it a few more listens in the coming week or two. Might buy a copy if my feelings change, but overall I'm not feeling it at all.

Critical Thinking - great
People Ruin Paintings, Hiding in Plain Sight - very good
Being Baptised, Deleted Scenes, Late Day Peaks - gorgeous but forgettable
OneManMilitia - alright
The rest - *shrug*

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SPOILERS END.