Note : I love the manics more than most of my close family, and almost all of my friends. This review will be insanely biased and opinionated.
'Journal for Plague Lovers' Will be the next manics album due for release this may, and if i was james, nicky and sean i would be totally bricking it. an album using purely lyrics from richey edwards old lyrics book, it sounds like its the direction that manics fans have wanted the band to go for a decade, yet they still queiry the general idea of 'JFPL's intergrity and taste.
Theyre all very wrong. 'Peeled Apples' is the most urgent song the manics have recorded since 'Found That Soul', sounding neither punk nor motown, yet heavy and soulful. The lyrics are predictably amazing too, with lines such as 'The Levi jean will always be stronger than an Uzi' proving why richey always was the best lyric writer in the manics. 'JCEQT' is more 'Everything Must Go' era manics, and thankfully its still as fantastic as their most sucessful album released nearly 15 years ago.
James has describes the album as 'when disgust turns to despair and uncertain, where 'the holy bible' was where anger turns to disgust.'. If the rest of the record it more of the same, then may cannot come soon enough....
8/10
Friday, 3 April 2009
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Peter Doherty - Grace/Wastelands
"Oh look, its that skaghead from the libertines releasing a solo album, thats going to be a shambles..."
Pete Doherty, or Peter as he likes to be referred to now, has always been a misunderstood young man. A father, a lover, a poet and, as the sun remind us every other day, a recovering heroin addict. So much attention has been put on his private life that its easy to forget that his first band changed british rock music in a way not seen since britpop made everyone listen to guitar bands again. It was the kind of revival that only happens once a decade, but their mix of politics, romance, noise, passion and general britishness inspired every teenager to listen to 'proper' music again. Me included. 7 years is a long time, what can peter do on his own?
Well, as much as he could do with the libertines and babyshambles, apparently. Early libertines demos have been remixed, rewritten, and rehashed into songs that have appeared on every single album peter has released, from up the bracket to shotters nation, and 'Grace/Wastelands' is no exception. 'Sheepskin Tearaway' has been about for nearly a decade, but now seems an appropriate time to put it onto record. '1938 Returning', although a new track, sounds like peter found an old diary from his teenage years and nicked some old poetry from it. To be honest, i wouldnt be suprised if he did, and that seems to be the albums flaw. Although none of it is in anyway insultingly poor, its just.... over produced libertines demos. And the beauty of the old libertines demos was their complete rawness.
Steven street produced the album, and added an awful lot of string sections and woodwind arrangements. Even with his previous production credits, and the great job he did on 'shotters nation', his work here is a great disappointment. Where wolfman added great depth on 'for lovers', 'grace/wastelands' sounds flat, uninspired, recycled and middle-of-the-road for the majority.
There is a few redeeming songs though. 'i am the rain' is a lighthearted beatles-esque halfway point, and 'sweet by and by' really shows peters musical credentials and style. But at the end of it, its a disappointing debut. Peter seems to be better suited making noise in dirty venues or playing acoustic tunes in dirty squats, not trying to appeal to the audience that haunts him in the media.
5/10
Sam Smith
Pete Doherty, or Peter as he likes to be referred to now, has always been a misunderstood young man. A father, a lover, a poet and, as the sun remind us every other day, a recovering heroin addict. So much attention has been put on his private life that its easy to forget that his first band changed british rock music in a way not seen since britpop made everyone listen to guitar bands again. It was the kind of revival that only happens once a decade, but their mix of politics, romance, noise, passion and general britishness inspired every teenager to listen to 'proper' music again. Me included. 7 years is a long time, what can peter do on his own?
Well, as much as he could do with the libertines and babyshambles, apparently. Early libertines demos have been remixed, rewritten, and rehashed into songs that have appeared on every single album peter has released, from up the bracket to shotters nation, and 'Grace/Wastelands' is no exception. 'Sheepskin Tearaway' has been about for nearly a decade, but now seems an appropriate time to put it onto record. '1938 Returning', although a new track, sounds like peter found an old diary from his teenage years and nicked some old poetry from it. To be honest, i wouldnt be suprised if he did, and that seems to be the albums flaw. Although none of it is in anyway insultingly poor, its just.... over produced libertines demos. And the beauty of the old libertines demos was their complete rawness.
Steven street produced the album, and added an awful lot of string sections and woodwind arrangements. Even with his previous production credits, and the great job he did on 'shotters nation', his work here is a great disappointment. Where wolfman added great depth on 'for lovers', 'grace/wastelands' sounds flat, uninspired, recycled and middle-of-the-road for the majority.
There is a few redeeming songs though. 'i am the rain' is a lighthearted beatles-esque halfway point, and 'sweet by and by' really shows peters musical credentials and style. But at the end of it, its a disappointing debut. Peter seems to be better suited making noise in dirty venues or playing acoustic tunes in dirty squats, not trying to appeal to the audience that haunts him in the media.
5/10
Sam Smith
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