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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully crafted album of elegant pop, January 22, 2005
'Lifeblood' is the Manic Street Preachers most "pop" album. The CD has been getting a mixed reception from the UK press and fans alike, and I don't know why. I found this to be an excellent album. Beautiful and introspective, the album displays an overwhelming sense of melancholy. The group is embracing maturity quite gracefully. 'Lifeblood' features a collection of songs that form a sort of mosaic of emotions reflecting the current state of the world right now. One of collective fear and depression. Who better than the Manics to reflect on that?
The opening track '1985' is one of the groups finest songs. A reflection back on a time when the members of the group left behind adolescence and entered adulthood. An incredible song with lyrics that manage to drop references to Morrissey and Nietzsche. 5/5
'The Life of Richard Nixon' is a jarring track on a first listen, because it doesn't sound at all like the Manics. With a dancebeat background, it has a New Order feel to it. After a few listens, it really grows on you. Only vaugely political, some have suggested that the song is really about the band's former guitarist Richey Edwards who disappeared some ten years ago. 4/5
'Empty Souls' is the second strongest track on the album. A beautiful song with some devestating lyrics. It perfectly sums up the themes of this record. The words are at times almost poetic:
" Exposed to a truth we don't know
Collapsing like the Twin Towers
Falling down like April showers
Colossal endless like a marathon"
5/5
'A Song For Departure' Another awesome track that at times becomes emotionally overwhelming. A beautiful interplay of piano and guitar. 5/5
'I Live to Fall Asleep'-This track has some dark lyrics to it. A very haunting song, perhaps another reference to Richey's disappearance? 5/5
'To Repel Ghosts'-Great track w/ some fantastic guitar work courtesy of Mr. James Dean Bradfield. Awesome. 5/5
'Emily'-Song whose lyrics reference Emmeline Pankhurst, the British Socialist who campaigned for women's suffrage in England in the 1800's. The most political song on the record. 4/5
'Glasnost'-Features some more terrific guitar work from Bradfield and lyrics that try to come to terms with growing older and accepting it. The most 'pop' song on the album. 4/5
'Solitude Sometimes Is'-Another track featuring some really great lyrics on it. It displays a much more 'poppier' sound than the group has displayed in the past. Terrific. 5/5
'Fragments'-This track sounds eerily like U2 at times.
Again strong lyrics:
"Two minutes of silence in a century of screams
Tiny massive hands emphatic lonely soul"
5/5
'Cardiff Afterlife'-A superb way to close off the album.
A stunning interplay of guitar work, strings, and harmonica in the background. A dramatic closer. 5/5
I was just stunned by the reaction in the U.K. towards this record. It seems as if it's either love it or hate it. I don't get that. This is a masterful album. Those who want a return to the days of 'The Holy Bible', well, all I can say is that band disappeared long ago when Richey did. The group since has moved on and refined their sound down to what they call "elegaic pop". Accept it for what it is. I will always look forward to a new release from this group. By far my favorite album from 2004.
Overall 5/5
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If only all pop music could sound like this, December 1, 2004
As a follow-up to 2001's unfocused "Know Your Enemy", the Manics released a Greatest hits package, along with a collection of b-sides and mixes. It appeared the band were cleaning out their closet and preparing for a potential hiatus, if not a complete split, from the musical world. News in early 2004 that the band were holed up in a New York studio with ex-David Bowie/Seahorses producer Tony Visconti working on material for a new album was met with widespread speculation among fans.
"Lifeblood", it turns out, is the most immediate, cohesive album the band have recorded. The album is produced with a slickness and sheen that would make any U2 fan stand up and pay attention, yet is thoughtful and well-written enough to stand shoulders above the over-produced top 40 bubble gum pop currently on radio.
Opener "1985" shines with layers of synths and guitars, and harkens back to mid-80s New order and, more recently, the Killers. The lyrics, in typical Manics style, name check everyone from Orwell to Morrissey. When vocalist/guitarist James Dean Bradfield sings "We've realized there's no going back" over the track's uplifting chorus, you realize that the sentiment is both one of sorrow and acceptance--a statement aimed primarily at the band itself (former member Richey Edwards plays a major role in the lyrical imagery of this album.)
First single "The Love of Richard nixon" is electro-pop with a memorable chorus, and lyrics that both condemn and lend a sympathetic ear to the embattled ex-pres. "Empty Souls" features a haunting piano riff straight out of the 'New Years Day" vein, with an atmospheric touch that sends the track more into Coldplay territory. "A Song For Departure" is one of the most melancholic, rising tracks the band have ever done, and is a contender to replace "Design For Life" as the traditional live show closer. "I Live To Fall Asleep" is a gentle, reflective jewell of a track that seems to encapsulate the "elegiac pop" feel the band indicated they were trying to achieve. Other highlights include the rousing U2-esque "To repel Ghosts", and album closer (and lament to former bandmate edwards) "Cardiff Afterlife".
Vocalist Bradfield is in fine fashion here, adding emotion and depth to each track. Principle songwriter Nicky Wire sounds almost world-weary in his lyrical approach on this album. Nearly every tracks deals, on some level, with the sorrow, longing, and pain, as well as joy, in looking back at life, or simply "moving on". He mentioned in interviews prior to the album's release that the album would be a statement of sorrow at the current state of the world--an album of "elegiac pop".
This is not the Manic Street Preachers of the "Generation terrorists" era--there's no spewed political vitriol, no punk-fuelled rants, no songs about depravity, culture, alienation, boredom and despair, no Slash-esque guitar solos. Only thoughtful comments at the state of the world set to a gorgeous backdrop of shimmering guitars and keyboards. The band has never sounded better, the songs have rarely been so personal and touching...if only all pop music could sound like this.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Middle of the road, gramps..., December 23, 2004
The Manics are never going to improve on the two-album zenith they created with "The Holy Bible" and "Everything Must Go", and I don't think anybody's expecting them to. But with the hit-and-miss status of 2001's "Know Your Enemy", anything would have been better than utter aimlessness. Did they break out of the funk of that mediocre LP? Yes and no.
The diversity of "Know Your Enemy" seemed more experimental than anything else, and worse than that, the bad tracks were terrible without any truly excellent singles to balance them out. "Lifeblood" sees them at least settling on an overall album sound that connects all the tunes without sounding jarring. The other plus is that they've returned to the more electronic "This Is My Truth..." than the punky (but dated) "Generation Terrorists". And finally, James Dean Bradfield's guitar histrionics might be behind him, but at least he sang his @ss off.
"1985" is a great opener, but "The Love Of Richard Nixon" falls a bit flat, and a big reason for that is the production. It's way too sterile. "A Song For Departure" is one of their best, and "Emily" finds them getting back to their lyrical brilliance.
The album ends with the impeccible "Cardiff Afterlife", but in between, "Glastnost", "Always/Never" and "Solitude Sometimes Is" tend to warrant skipping due to sheer tedium.
Overall, I'd still recommend it to non-fans; it's a smart, well-produced LP with quite a bit of strong material, except that it's not really representative of the band's live prowess, much less their overall sound. My advice would be to pick this one up in conjunction with "This Is My..." and "Everything Must Go" for a more balanced mix.
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