Critical Thinking by Manic Street Preachers – Album Review
Since I first heard that riff on Motorcycle Emptiness on MTV in the summer of 1992 during the school holidays, Manic Street Preachers have had a hold over me – a hold that has never gone away.
It’s rare for any other group, band, or artist to come close to wrestling the title of ‘Steve’s favourite band’ away from them, even if one or two have made a good attempt here and there. So, every time the Manics reiterate that they’re not going anywhere and release new music, I feel genuine excitement.
The announcement of Critical Thinking and the early release of some of its tracks gave me that same thrill I had as a 14-year-old schoolkid that summer.
But what absolutely grabbed me upfront, like a warm hug, was the album cover artwork – or more so, the return of the font used on Generation Terrorists some 33 years ago. For a long-standing Manics fan, that typeface is great to see, throwing you back to the original reasons you loved the band in the first place.
But let’s get to the important bit. I had an advance copy of their 15th studio album in my hands, and I couldn’t wait to press play.
“Polished and reflective”
What we know about Manic Street Preachers is that they’re no longer the antagonistic twenty-somethings they were when they burst onto the scene in the early ’90s. Now well into their 50s, their sound, music, and outlook on life have matured. With each record comes a different direction, a different flavour, and a sound even further removed from their earliest material. This mature-sounding album still has its raucous moments, but in a more polished and reflective way.
Opening title track ‘Critical Thinking’ sees Nicky Wire take the lead vocal (which he does quite often on this album), with an intro that wouldn’t be out of place as the soundtrack to a ’90s Danny Boyle film of the same name.
Move forward to ‘Decline and Fall’, and that upbeat energy returns as James Dean Bradfield delivers one of the most instantly catchy moments on the record.
“Grumpy, old, and nostalgic”
Wire takes the mic again for ‘Hiding in Plain Sight’ – a truly Manics-style melancholy song that I adore for two reasons. First, Wire’s voice is so perfectly imperfect that I love listening to him sing now. Secondly, the lyric “And I wanna be in love, with the man I used to be, in a decade I felt free” is so, so relatable to this (occasionally grumpy, old, and nostalgic) listener, now pushing through his late 40s and seeing 50 fast approaching. Ahhh, the ’90s…
The album weaves together sadness and defiance with smiley beauty, particularly in ‘Decline and Fall’ and ‘People Ruin Paintings’, the latter carrying a melody that lingers long after the track ends. There are little bursts of warmth here and hate there (see Wire’s words in the closing track ‘One Man Militia’ for that).
Manic Street Preachers are famous for releasing a new record in complete contrast to their last. And sometimes, that album has initially bombed (we’re talking Lifeblood here, and Know Your Enemy to some extent). It’s taken years for those records to become the Manics’ fine wine, ageing nicely over time. Critical Thinking isn’t one of those. It’s an instant pleasure – fitting in nicely with the best records of their later career. It’s a brilliant follow-up to the equally brilliant The Ultra Vivid Lament, proving why the band are still alive and rocking over 33 years later.
“Enduring and essential”
‘Out of Time Revival’ is perhaps the tune I hope grows on me. It very much reminds me of Futurology – the only Manics album I’ve never really warmed to. But on the flip side, ‘Brushstrokes of a Reunion’ surprised me with how much I love its subtle pop tempo. Sometimes, it’s the little touches that make an album special.
All in all, it won me over from the first play. It has everything you want from a Manics album these days, delivering thoughtful, guitar-crunching music. Critical Thinking further cements the Manics’ place as one of the most enduring and essential bands of the last three decades.
As Nicky Wire put it, this is a record “about realising you have the power to reject as readily as you accept.” And in a world full of noise, the Manics are still here – and they still have plenty to say.
‘Critical Thinking’ is released by Sony Records on 14th February
