Futurology

[Scarecrow]

Been thinking about the controversial tweets and Facebooking lyric. I actually like the line 'cheapness surrounds me, but I'm not looking', and I've no issue with them taking a jab at social networking and people shouting behind their Internet usernames, but I really don't like hearing the name Facebook being sang by James. I don't know why it bothers me, mentioning people and places and banks is fine. Meh. Maybe I'm just being daft.

[Porco]

Originally Posted by Dancing Kirby

The Financial Times review is online.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b9262a42-0...44feab7de.html

3/5

I bet Ludovic Hunter-Tilney has never had a pint with JDB.

lol, no offence to Ludovic Hunter-Tilney but it read like someone who'd read their wiki page then 5 other reviews online and decided to go one star under to look all discerning.

[beautifuldistortion]

Originally Posted by Europa Gluten Free

I'm looking forward to reading this. No way in hell this album is a 4/5 album.

EDIT: Ok, that was a shit review.

In your opinion
Ahh it must be so heartening to know how alternative you are - thing is an alternative view from you would actually be that you enjoyed the album.
But you seem stuck in your ways - so maybe you're not as alternative as you think you are!
(The use of the word 'Alternative' is entirely my opinion on how I think you view yourself - just my opinion and all that!)

[LadyWoodbee]

Originally Posted by Europa Gluten Free

This is basically a Bowie play about in Berlin. There is nothing forward thinking or original in it at all.

Originality is overrated, especially in rock music. I don't think any band which makes use of the typical instrumentation/band setting will be able to reinvent the wheel. ;-)

Be that as it may, you're entitled to your opinion, of course. You wrote it yourself - you don't "get" it, and I don't mean that in a patronizing way. There are loads and loads of albums that have made history which I don't "get", can't relate to, don't know what the fuzz is about. The fun thing about music is that it touches your emotions - or it doesn't. Terms like "depth" or "substance" are kind of useless here; their definitions are too subjective.

The thing that I find too harsh in your comments is the whole "they're best buddies with the critics"-thing. That may or may not be true, but I like to believe that professional journalists at least try to look at what they're reviewing from an objective point of view. If your best-mates-theory was true, the albums before this one should have got rave reviews as well, and that wasn't really the case, was it? But maybe I'm mistaken here; I haven't really followed the international press from Lifeblood to PFAYM, only read those I accidentally stumbled over in German magazines, and they were pretty negative for the most part. Maybe the English press was different.

Also, in my opinion Manics fans are much harsher and much more honest (almost to the point of brutality at times) about the band and their music than the fans of other bands, so I'd say the fact that most people who have posted their thoughts in this thread really like the album can't be explained by self-deception or anything like that.

Overall, though, I can't help but suspect that maybe, just maybe most of us like this album so much because we'd become so used to being a bit disappointed with the last few? Oh well, time will tell...

[Son of Stopped]

Yes, but the Manics aren't the most out there musical experimenters anyway.
I've not heard it yet, it might be good or not that great. But I'm not expecting the sound of the future from them!

[Scarecrow]

I can certainly see how Tokyo Skyline and 30 Year War were written around the same time as some of this album.

[Europa Gluten Free]

Originally Posted by LadyWoodbee

The thing that I find too harsh in your comments is the whole "they're best buddies with the critics"-thing. That may or may not be true, but I like to believe that professional journalists at least try to look at what they're reviewing from an objective point of view.

You know despite all my half-trolling bluster, I really think that this is the main reason the album got such good reviews. I do think the Manics hold a unique place in the UK musical landscape as they are really the only working-class intellectual group out there and the critics love them for it. I also agree that this kinda angular post-punk rock etc etc is the sound of the Manics that the critics think suits the band best and therefore they will review the album favourably regardless of the quality of the songs as such. There are some great tunes on this album that stand up to any of the Manics hits, but there is a lot of standard boring album tracks too.

[AK47]

Being Newport born and bred I'd have loved if "Stow Hill" had been mention in the lyrics or at the very least if the song had a chorus that mentioned it.

[NMS]

Not gonna lie, Empty Motorcade kinda makes me want to go clubbing O_o

[Marat Sar]

Originally Posted by Europa Gluten Free

You know despite all my half-trolling bluster, I really think that this is the main reason the album got such good reviews. I do think the Manics hold a unique place in the UK musical landscape as they are really the only working-class intellectual group out there and the critics love them for it. I also agree that this kinda angular post-punk rock etc etc is the sound of the Manics that the critics think suits the band best and therefore they will review the album favourably regardless of the quality of the songs as such.

So they are cool dudes making cool music, and those two are unfairly considered to be virtues? Please! Welcome to the universe brother, it's kinda like that all the time, with everything.

The album is a motherfucking vindication, that's what, Return of The Son Of The Carpenter style, Super-Lenin does Book of Revelations by way of, oh I don't know, some of the acest production and sonic trickery this side of Kingdom Come.

Tell me brother, what is your opinion on Dreaming A City?

[Dancing Kirby]

I think I prefer Misguided Missile in demo form. In either guise it's a standout but the added synths in the album version's verses just make me think of Nasmyth getting to butcher the song live.

A satisfying final chorus for a change, too.

[AK47]

It really deserves a headphone listen. So much going on.

[Frozendiva]

Very good album. 8/10 on first listen.

[repeat]

Originally Posted by Europa Gluten Free

You know despite all my half-trolling bluster, I really think that this is the main reason the album got such good reviews. I do think the Manics hold a unique place in the UK musical landscape as they are really the only working-class intellectual group out there and the critics love them for it. I also agree that this kinda angular post-punk rock etc etc is the sound of the Manics that the critics think suits the band best and therefore they will review the album favourably regardless of the quality of the songs as such. There are some great tunes on this album that stand up to any of the Manics hits, but there is a lot of standard boring album tracks too.

A simpler theory on why it got good reviews is because it is an absolutely stonkingly brilliant record

[AK47]

Heard it 5 times in its entirety now. It's in my top 5 now.

GATS
KYE
TIMTTMY
THB
FTGY
GT
RTF
EMG
JFPL
LB
PFYM
SATT