Manic Street Preachers
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours (1998)
Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers have certainly had an interesting history. Beginning life as a four piece, the band's lyrics were contributed in their early days by rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards, and because of his skills the Manics developed a reputation for politically charged, intelligent songs.
In 1995, however, that all changed; Edwards went missing, never to be found, and the band considered splitting up. However, after six months hiatus, they resolved to carry on, and despite the loss of Edwards were to develop into (for a while at least) one of Britain's biggest bands. With bassist Nicky Wire taking over lyrical duties, the group continued as a threepiece.
1998's This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours is probably the Manics' best known work. Critically and commercially it was a massive success, and that alone makes it worthy of inclusion to the Project. (That, and I haven't listened to the Manics in a very long time.)
The Album
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours is a collection of Britpop structures and sounds with heavy use of strings and a noticeable arena rock aesthetic. Yet for all those typically commercial flavours, there's an undeniable smartness to many of the tunes. The heavily political lyrics of Richey Edwards have been replaced with a more worldly, mature lyrical approach from Nicky Wire. Consequently, the album very much presents as the sound of a band who are all grown up.
The word 'sprawling' can be used to describe the album's first two tracks, The Everlasting and If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next. Sweeping strings, pleasant if occasionally morose melodies, and the great vocal of James Dean Bradfield tie the two together. If You Tolerate This is one of the standouts - a tune written about Welsh volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, its straightforward phased guitar riff swaps places with more grand strings and keyboards throughout the tune, while managing to keep a stadium singalong quality. You're Tender and You're Tired follows along the same lines, with a grand chorus and plenty of atmospheric production. The most Britpop tune on the album is Ready For Dreaming, right down to the stadium chorus and the Alan White drumbeat (that's Alan White of Oasis, not Alan White of Yes, by the way.)
There are also some tunes that show a greater range of sonic approaches. You Stole The Sun From My Heart creates a point of difference from the string-heavy Britpop aesthetic, forgoing the strings for guitars (and lots of them) - the chorus is a real singalong effort, while the riffs call to mind the likes of Supergrass and Blur; Tsunami is a great little tune, deriving influences from Indian music (it even features a tabla and sitar parts); Nobody Loved You melds a sizzling guitar riff with the oh-so-grungy superquiet verse/SUPERLOUD CHORUS structure, and even sees Bradfield hit some croaky falsetto; and the brilliant Be Natural fuses progressive elements with a Tears For Fears-style 80s powerpop aesthetic, thanks to the heavy reverb throughout on both instruments and bass.
As musicians the three are decent; Bradfield is a fine vocalist and a more than capable guitarist, especially when he's allowed to play nifty little solos, while Wire and drummer Sean Moore are solid players. The Manics are a prime example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, because as a threepiece they create a fantastic sound.
The Verdict
There's plenty to like about This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. It should be played to bands like Coldplay as an example of how bands can make smart, emotionally investing music that still has a 'commercial' aspect. While it sometimes skirts the line of melodrama, there's enough musical difference to pull away from that edge.
My only criticism is the sad lack of Welsh lyrics. Looks like I'll need to rely on the Super Furry Animals for that.
My rating: 7.7/10
Standout Tracks
Be Natural
You Stole The Sun From My Heart
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
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