Rewind the Film
An unexpected thing has now happened for the rock band which exploded from the small Welsh mining town 21 years ago: they’re reached middle age. Now onto their 11th studio album, Rewind the Film finds the Manic Street Preachers in a far more reflective mood. Largely ditching the electric guitars for a more acoustic sound accompanied by horns, the album is surprisingly delicate, yet still retains many of the politicised lyrics which fans have come to expect and regard. The band is still angry, but they find they no longer need to shout about it.
Rewind the Film marks a shift for the three-piece, as they move slightly away from the pop-rock oriented work of the last few years. In their own words, this is an album more closely related to “the sedate coming of age that was This is My Truth Tell Me Yours”. That record was a major step for the Manics: as their first number one hit, it produced intelligent but highly popular arena rock singles. Rewind the Film is far gentler, yet just as sophisticated – maybe more so – indicating that with age comes true maturity. Characterised by thoughtful melodies and simple guitar lines, it conjures images of rolling country landscapes.
James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moor definitely haven’t forgotten their roots. Opening track ‘This Sullen Welsh Heart’ is a beautifully soft duet with Lucy Rose, yet the lyrics unexpectedly sound more like a military anthem: “the hating half of me / has won the battle easily.” ‘30-Year War’ is an all-out attack on Thatcherite persecution of the working classes, evoking the Hillsborough disaster and referring to politicians as “Etonian scum”. It’s by far the most vitriolic track on the album and the one with closest resemblance to the trio’s back catalogue.
Rewind the Film is a surprisingly delicate record… Manic Street Preachers are still angry, but they find they no longer need to shout about it.
The Manics’ characteristic political nihilism is still present; titles like ‘Anthem for a Lost Cause’ and ‘3 Ways to See Despair’ serve as obvious evidence in that regard. Yet we also get a get a sense of their complicated relationship with the past, with a distinct nostalgia for days of youth (“how I hate middle age / in between acceptance and rage” Bradfield moans on ‘Builder of Routines’). Nevertheless, there are upbeat moments to be found, chiefly in ‘Show Me The Wonder’, which showcases their belief in the potential for beautiful things formed from suffering.
This evolution of sound on Rewind the Film is best shown by the presence of guest vocalists, the highlight being Richard Hawley on the gorgeous title track. The overall tone of the album is genuinely warm, despite some of the more abrasive lyrical twists. Some tracks such as ‘(I Miss the) Tokyo Skyline’ do occasionally slip into oversentimental territory, but these are generally acceptable blips on an album which is so thoughtful and rewarding as a whole.
At a time when many ’90s bands are just playing it safe or clinging to former glories (*cough*, The Stone Roses…), it’s refreshing to see a band working at the height of their powers. Rewind the Film may present a slight change of sound, but it is a welcome one, creating an album that grows richer with repeated listens. On top of that, it helps to confirm the Manic Street Preachers’ position as one of the most important British bands of the last two decades.
Similar To: Catatonia, Pearl Jam
MP3: ‘This Sullen Welsh Heart’, ‘Rewind the Film’, ‘Anthem for a Lost Cause’
Comments