»

[Larsen B]

Anyone bought it yet?
I reackon it's their third best album and definitely an improvement on Know Your Enemy (although that ain't hard). It's only let down by a few duff tracks which are too middle of the road, especially I Live To Fall Asleep. Best tracks are 1985, A Song For Departure, To Repel Ghosts and Solitude Sometimes Is.

[Cloud]

it's bollocks :p

TLORN is the best song off the album (imo...) and the album is lacking a killer track.

all those jokes about "uncle rock" have came true

[Larsen B]

Well you weren't expecting the Holy Bible were you?! Albums don't need killer tracks and I think Life Blood has one anway in Solitude Sometimes Is.

[Cloud]

I was hoping for something less uncle rock than it is :p

I think it's a shame, because the mere name of the album has so much promise - it's like "okay, you've sorta fucked around for three years now..and you've came up with THIS?!".

[Alkaline]

First two tracks sound like something off a Pumpkins album, which is passable. the rest is shite.

[PaulDW]

I was gonna say, i think there may elements of an improvement on Know Your Enemy... But I was dissapointed by this album, considering how long we've been waiting for it and so on... The Manics could do so much better!

[lepeep]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Jazz

Albums don't need killer tracks .

my god, they've brainwashed you too !
"if you tollerate this [shite] your children will be next"

the manics are almost like sleep inducing demons from Buffy...I won't fall under their spell....never !

they are the Lighthouse family of the rock world...and that's the truth

[Marsh]

I downloaded it about a month ago -

The first time I listened to it - it really offended me. I thought it was the worst thing they've ever done (See if you condense Know Your Enemy into a nine track album, cutting out all the overblown, pretentious nonsense, you actually have a really good album - Try it and burn it onto a CD. My tracklisting is:

1. Found That Soul
2. Ocean Spray
3. So Why So Sad
4. Year Of Purification
5. Dead Martyrs
6. The Convalescent
7. Royal Correspondent
8. Freedom Of Speech Won't Feed My Children
9. We Are All Borgeouis Now

Anyway, I've moved so far away from the point, I cannae mind what I was saying. Oh yeah, Lifeblood.

It's good when you give it a chance. I think we've talked before on here about how ace James' voice is and loads of folk agreed, so with this in mind it has a truly brilliant vocal performance throughout. It's certainly not punk and it's not even rock, I would say. The "elegiac pop" tag Wire has been touting is just the usual pretentious nonsense, but it is more like "pop music." This is no bad thing, though. I've every New Order and Depeche Mode album, and I would class them as pop music too. The thing Lifeblood has in common with these two other artists is the quality of lyrics and "mood" of the music, if you like. 1985 is musically, lyrically and vocally truly brilliant in my opinion. They are playing to their strengths so much on that track it hurts. Not since "Tolerate" have they encapsulated everything I like about them in one song. The single is brilliant, "Cardiff Afterlife" is the song they have wanted to make since after Everything Must Go but have never been brave enough to actually record. There are many great tracks on the album - Like I say - You have to give it a few listens to truly enjoy it. (I think anyway.)

Give the album at least a few listens. It ain't like anything they've ever done. Or will do again. They've changed. But give it a go if you like Bradfield's voice, at least. It's certainly not as truly dreadful as Wattsville Blues, Miss Europa Disco Dancer, Intravenous Agnostic, SYMM or any of the unforgettable tossed off rubbish at the end of Generation Terrorists.

[Rob]

I actually quite liked Miss Europa Disco Dancer.

I've yet to hear the new album. It should arrive in the post soon. Got a feeling the album will be really average.

[alnero]

Holy Bible reissue is out on 6th of December, i think i'll wait for that!