Distant Colours

[y2kyle16]

I really like it.

[db26]

Love this forum 😄
Personally don’t love DC as a single - more of an album track to me - but I thought the same about RTF and I think that was a great album. Let’s give the new album a chance.
The fact the band is still producing critically acclaimed material at this stage in their career (name me a band who have maintained the quality of their earlier material through to their 50s) is fairly impressive. I loved all of their last three records - Futurology was fantastic. I even love INWJTEOL!
Love this band.

[db26]

And apologies I haven’t posted much recently....

[Cyle]

Never judge a Manics album by its singles. Even with International Blue and Distant Colours there's no telling what the actual album will be like and how those songs will fit into the whole. Regardless of how people might feel about those two songs out of context, there's no telling what the album itself will be like.

I'm still really excited to hear quite a few of the songs featured in the teaser, especially the one at the one minute mark.

https://youtu.be/za55bwBZJkA?t=62

[roi]

Originally Posted by Cyle

Never judge a Manics album by its singles. Even with International Blue and Distant Colours there's no telling what the actual album will be like and how those songs will fit into the whole. Regardless of how people might feel about those two songs out of context, there's no telling what the album itself will be like.

I'm still really excited to hear quite a few of the songs featured in the teaser, especially the one at the one minute mark.

https://youtu.be/za55bwBZJkA?t=62

Haven’t listened to this since the two tracks were released, some quite gloomy sounding clips. One does sound a bit like Station to Station (which
Nicky mentioned in an interview).

[darkanddivine]

Originally Posted by Automatik

Unfortunately - and I do not mean that glibly - that is the dominant attitude on the internet now. Condescension instead of discussion and a determination to humiliate a presumed opponent rather than merely disagree with them. I am going to repeat myself here but I really do blame social media for it.

I think it was Lauren Laverne who said "it takes a certain type of character to tweet," which speaks to your point. But what makes this even more odd, is the extent to which mainstream outlets amplify those condescending disagreements. Increasingly it seems like what are (mostly) unimportant footnotes from a vocal minority are often given wildly disproportionate credibility and weight across all kinds of media. That's not to say this stuff has no significance, but it seems to me that we're giving a bit too much share of the discussion to an unrealistic caricature of people, and one that doesn't always directly relate to how people are IRL.

FD is still safe as houses mindyou! (Mostly.)

[Routine Builder]

Facebook is only for those who want to find someone to agree with them. The moment when you disagree, they throw a hissy fit as if you left a dump outside their bedroom. You'd be lucky to get somebody articulating anything more than 7 word sentence. At least here, people spend some time explaining what they they think before they tell you're an idiot for having a different opinion.

[darkanddivine]

Originally Posted by Routine Builder

Facebook is only for those who want to find someone to agree with them. The moment when you disagree, they throw a hissy fit as if you left a dump outside their bedroom. You'd be lucky to get somebody articulating anything more than 7 word sentence. At least here, people spend some time explaining what they they think before they tell you're an idiot for having a different opinion.

It's a good point. The early web was pretty basic in terms of technology. There were downsides to that, but in some respects those limitations led to high levels of focus. These days, the advances in technology have made it so easy to interact, but the effect of that has been to encourage the creation of more content above all else.

Just like a house we furnish our social profiles with opinions and people we find agreeable. Because of that "ownership," people have a tendency to get offended when people pop their bubble with offending views. On the flipside, forums are also a shared space, so there's no antagonism about pooping on the wrong porch if you happen to disagree.

[Routine Builder]

I don't want to derail the thread too much here but what really ruins Facebook discussions is the like system. I'm guilty of this myself because flattery, but people are more interested in garnering likes than actually engaging someone. This means people are encouraged to write a witty retort than addressing the ins and outs of what they find disagreeable. There are friends of mine who I have spent time thinking about their post and responding to,they then ignore it and 'like' every post that disagrees with mine. What I've always liked about forums is that all posts are relatively equal and the ranking is performed by each individual based on their own experience. For instance I have no idea what anyone else thinks about the above post unless they respond themselves.

[Automatik]

Originally Posted by darkanddivine

what makes this even more odd, is the extent to which mainstream outlets amplify those condescending disagreements. Increasingly it seems like what are (mostly) unimportant footnotes from a vocal minority are often given wildly disproportionate credibility and weight across all kinds of media. That's not to say this stuff has no significance, but it seems to me that we're giving a bit too much share of the discussion to an unrealistic caricature of people, and one that doesn't always directly relate to how people are IRL.

I completely agree with this and it's a very important point.

It doesn't help that journalists seem to spend a disproportionate amount of time either on Twitter or cutting and pasting from Twitter. I've lost count of the times I've read an article about some 'viral' ephemera and the embedded tweet in the article has fewer than a hundred retweets.

As you rightly emphasise, the media filter events through a (predominantly) Twitter prism and I do feel it seriously undermines how politics and social debates develop - Twitter is by its nature one of the most polarised (and polarising) media in the world at the moment.

To take this back to Distant Colours and the band in general: the predominance of Twitter, Facebook etc does have a direct impact on music, because journalists now predominantly produce clickbait content that is intended to be shared via social media. And Ed Sheeran gets the clicks, not the Manics. That's why I don't understand why the band have chosen to put out such a weak track as Distant Colours as a single. It takes a lot more to get noticed in the contemporary media and Distant Colours won't do them any favours.

[ForeverDelayed.com]

i'll just take this back to the music - wasnt really into it at first, now i find myself humming the tune at times. not as good as international blue, but a good album track.

[raven]

Originally Posted by Borderliner

International Blue (The Bluer Skies Version) and Distant Colours are absolutely amazing XD I'm over the Moon lol

Not the big bang I was expecting with their initial talk of going back to old school (red) rock n roll but it makes me happy on my planet too

Originally Posted by Tim

I find that bizarre as well. Corbyn might be a leaver at heart but he supports remain because he knows it’s the right thing to do and the younger voters who supported him overwhelmingly are remainers.

Also, can we now put to bed that wire is a remainer? I’ve read some doubt about that in the past on here.

I'm completely happy with his uncertainties and what's this song about if not looking back to a past when things seemed more certain/political differences and standpoints more clearly defined....or at least offered more certainty....but the past always does seem that way when you think on true. And yeah Corbyn has a strong following amongst young people who don't want Brexit maybe not realising that at heart Corbyn is a leaver....as was Benn....the EU does get in the way of being able to re-nationalise but that doesn't put him in the same camp as the leavers chosen to be portrayed on TV/media eager to see us fall off the cliff whilst they wash their hands and blame the EU. I think it's good to have feelings that appear contradictory.....it keeps you thinking....and often they're not that contradictory - wanting a fair world and seeing good and bad in institutions, organisations, policies and parties that promise to work towards that....I'm not sure it's possible to be a complete advocate of the EU nor completely dismiss it. Institutions often get too big and lose sight of the interests of all but the few.... I digress.....To quote some poetry "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." or some philosophy "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards"

Originally Posted by Tim

At the risk of dragging this on for longer... it's not simply a matter of someone disliking the track though, is it? Obviously i have no problem with that but using trigger words out of context like "enabling" for a bloody pop record and accusing us all of being in an echo chamber for liking the records they don't like well, that's when it starts getting personal and has gone beyond subjective opinion. That's what needs to stop but carry on critiquing the songs by all means, as i have done myself. Great to see people come back but not just to have a tantrum and call us all chumps for liking the music. It's pathetic is what it is.


This is exactly what i've found several comments in the thread to be: condescending.

Originally Posted by sculptureofabloke

Which makes me wonder about stuff like this thread now. What do people get out of trying to undermine or upset people, make them feel small, use their own subjective opinions to tell other people how invalid their subjective opinions are or whatever. If that's not what people are trying to do, I don't know what they are trying to do. I don't know what they think the point of condescension is or whether they accept that they're being condescending. Would tzb or whoever be as keen to talk to people face to face the way they do on line? How did shit get so personal?

I get your points but y'know for some reason everyone likes to be asked their opinion - on owt - coffee or tea? cheese n onion or salt n vingar?- owt no one can resist n the tinternet and social media just seems like that magnified. No one even has to ask for your opinion you can give it anyway...and just saying - 'it's crap' or 'it's brilliant' - is why I hate Amazon reviews (!) - they tell you nothing....unless you know that person well and what they're comparing it to. It does kinda shut things down though probably not intentionally but you can't really respond to 'that's crap' can you?? Which is probably why it can wind you up .....and feel personal if the music means a lot to you but y'know the problem's theirs. Ha

[sculptureofabloke]

Originally Posted by raven

I get your points but y'know for some reason everyone likes to be asked their opinion - on owt - coffee or tea? cheese n onion or salt n vingar?- owt no one can resist n the tinternet and social media just seems like that magnified. No one even has to ask for your opinion you can give it anyway...and just saying - 'it's crap' or 'it's brilliant' - is why I hate Amazon reviews (!) - they tell you nothing....unless you know that person well and what they're comparing it to. It does kinda shut things down though probably not intentionally but you can't really respond to 'that's crap' can you?? Which is probably why it can wind you up .....and feel personal if the music means a lot to you but y'know the problem's theirs. Ha

Course, but I think some people forget that their opinions, and their opinions of other people's opinions aren't necessarily facts. Can certainly bring out the worst in people. Is there some kind of competition that I don't know about?

I kind of love Amazon and TripAdvisor reviews for the same reasons you hate them, I think they're hilarious. Went to a hotel, someone on reception was rude to me, everything else was fine but fuck it, TripAdvisor one star. It's not as good as their last album, Amazon one star. Notice a lot of Amazon reviews where people seem to be thinking they're reviewing their service rather than the product, and TripAdvisor reviews where people seem to be reviewing the weather or one person rather than an overall experience. If you go to a shit restaurant in I dunno, Barcelona, I think it'd be silly to let a shit restaurant ruin Barcelona for you. But people will and do, I just find it strange. But that's just my opinion, of course.

Anyway, Distant Colours... Finally got the mailing list email yesterday about the single being out. Wonder if Together Stronger is the last time we'll be getting a new physical single out of the band, hope not. Don't even know what the deal is with singles anymore, I know they've done iTunes exclusive b-sides in the past but I've not heard of any b-sides at all so far. I just miss the anticipation of singles, seeing boards up in record shops (got a Slash N' Burn and Kevin Carter one each on me shelf here), are we living in the past indeed.

The song... I've had it on more than International Blue, think I prefer it. I kinda like where it's coming from lyrically, and with it being a James lyric it leaves me wondering who the true nostalgia junkie, introspective, misery guts of the band is. But I'm those things anyway, so course that's gonna help me appreciate it a bit more. Nowt particularly complex about the lyrics but there doesn't need to be, sometimes there's beauty doing nothing at all aye? It's growing on me, still prefer the verse music to the chorus music, isn't blowing me away but find it pleasant enough. Pleasant, yeah, don't think we'll be getting another Archives of Pain any time soon. Love em anyway.

Back to your point about Amazon reviews, reading through the comments on YouTube someone's put up that it's better than Muse's new song. Bit of a head scratcher, that one. Not heard the new Muse song mind, they could've taken a Manic turn for all I know.

[Suicide Aldi]

Pretty much anything is better than any muse song from the past 12 years.

[Routine Builder]

Ptf, even the single Muse released on the same day as Distant Colours is better (at least it leaves an impression), though not by much.