Journal For Plague Lovers

by Manic Street Preachers

The Manics have sometimes strayed from Richey Edwards’ musical ideals but the former band member has certainly not been forgotten since his disappearance over a decade ago. And with the lyrics for Journal For Plague Lovers taken from a folder of work he handed them shortly before vanishing, his legacy has never been more palpable. This is the homage that must have been too painful to make all those years ago.

The album grabs your attention from the start and does not let go. The power chords, guitar solos and spoken-word snippets are back, but the musical ideas are reworked in fresh ways that usually avoid re-treading the same ground. The bulk of the songs clock-in at around the three-minute mark, which moves the proceedings along at a brisk pace and keeps things sounding punchy and focused.

There are moments to pause for breath away along the way though, such as 'Facing Page: Top Left'; musings on personal aesthetics accompany beautifully plucked acoustic guitar and harp, creating a feeling of melancholia that recalls ‘Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky’. Then a thumping beat kicks in and a relentlessly catchy reflection on ‘Marlon J.D.’ makes the previous track a distant memory. James Dean Bradfield’s usually flawless vocals slip slightly on ‘Virginia State Epileptic Colony’ and Bassist Nicky Wire’s latest attempt at singing on ‘William's Last Words’ grates initially but sounds oddly appropriate on repeat listening.

Everything sits together as a coherent whole, but with enough variety to avoid any sense of staleness and blow the cobwebs away. Inspired and impassioned, reinvigorated and rejuvenated; the latest offering sits at the top of the post-Richey canon.