Know Your Enemy [ECD] - Manic Street Preachers > Reviews > I regret everything.....

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	some excellent songs there
Disadvantages:	As with generation terrorists - a few too many fillers perhaps?

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I am rather skeptical to review this album, having only had an official copy for a few weeks, but have decided to give it a go. I'm not going to go into too much detail about each song for the simple reason that each person is different, and you find your own interpretations of songs, and I wouldn’t want to influence any ones opinion-you can make that up for yourself. While many people are unsure, my opinion so far is that Know Your Enemy is no immediate classic, but give it a chance, and you might be pleasantly surprised.

This is the 6th studio album released by the Welsh band, now a trio, after the departure of Richey Edwards in 1995. This is the 2nd album without his imput, and it definitely surpasses the effort that was This Is My Truth.... Although at times my review my seem harsh, i am a great manics fan, and have high expectations of them. For a band that is so important to so many people, inspiring a cult following not seen since The Smiths, this album has been long awaited.

The album opens with Found that Soul-one of the two singles that was released on the 26th February, and reached number 9 in the charts. This is one of the heavier songs on the album-much more bass than most of This Is My Truth's songs. I immediately liked this song, and much prefer it to So Why So Sad, the other single that was released on Feb 26th. I really enjoy listening to the JDB guitar towards the end of the track. Definitely a good start.

Ocean Spray-This is the first JDB lyric to make it to a Manic’s album-previous attempts not being up to scratch. This was written around the time JDB watched his mother die of cancer, and for that reason, the song obviously has a melancholy air about it. This song definitely deserves to be on the album, regardless of what people say about it. Its a much more mellow song, with a slower beat, toned down bass, and an extract played in the back ground. This song was turned down by the makers of Ocean Spray (cranberry juice), as they thought it would be too depressing for an advert, but whether the Manics would have sold the rights is another story entirely! Having seen them in the Cardiff Coal Exchange and In the Manchester Apollo, this song comes across very well live, and you can really see the feeling in James as his sings this one-he did a heart wrenching acoustic in Cardiff.

Intravenous agnostic-more upbeat again, but this one has yet to grab me.

So Why so Sad-the other single released, and reached number 8 in the charts. I did personally prefer the other single, but this one had more air play, resulting in a higher chart place. This sounds a little Beach Boys, and little 1960s stylee. Not one of my personal favourites though.

Let Robeson Sing-very mellow, but this one is definitely popular if the reactions at the concerts were anything to go by. Paul Robeson, the interest of this song was an American performer/activist who highlighted many problems in the American social system. Nicky seems to think very highly of this man, and all that he achieved.

The Year Of Purification- another song that has yet to grab me. There is nothing really special here, very few lyrics with a repeated bridge/chorus.(The track i get my review title from)

Wattsville Blues- I find this one rather amusing, in a friendly sort of way-its Nicky’s first ever lead vocal, and he also takes up lead guitar, leaving James feeling rather lost in the concert! This one is quite slow, with a repetitive beat. Is not bad with Nicky on lead vocal, but James’ backing vocals do kinda highlight Nicky’s short falls as a vocalist (as compared to James, a lot of the time, he appears to be speaking rather than singing). This one is definitely more ‘interesting’ than fantastic.

Miss Europa Disco Dancer- This one caught me off balance. I had heard all the interviews with James and Nicky saying, ‘yes, there’s a little disco number in there’, but I was still speechless! The intro is 70’s/80’s cheesy disco music, and the song progresses with a duet line, then a stark James vocal line, creating a contrast. Listening to the lyrics, they start out quite positively “I’m in heaven when I see ya”, but soon decline into a more depressing downer “its agony, sheer agony, the way your life just fades away “. I think this is the only Manic’s song I’ve ever seen people actually dance to in a concert! The Nicky outro is definitely worth a listen, and its very amusing watching him try to keep a straight face during this monotone vocal.

Dead Martyrs-another filler in my opinion, but as with all the tracks I don’t really get into now, they will probably grow on me the more I listen to them. This one sees James’ voice becoming echoey and there is a bit of an electric sound in the background, which is quite bizarre.

His Last Painting-This one has a simple beat, and clearly audible lyrics (for a change), and definitely grows on you the more you listen to it.

My Guernica- Electric guitar intro, and echoey James lyrics to begin. We hear more of James’ singing ability in the bridge, and the chorus is catchy. This is one of my favourite tracks on the album, and is instantly appealing. This track definitely stands out from a lot of the others.

The Convalescent- A quicker track, with a lot of lyrics, containing a lot of name dropping-Picasso, Gabrisallasse, Brian Warner (Marilyn Manson). An quite skeptical song, with the band expressing a dislike for modern life, although as a scientist I must disagree with “D.N.A. means does not accept” !

Royal Correspondent- a slower retrospective song, but quite repetitive

Epicentre- I like this track, but am not sure why. There is a lot of variety in the sound of James’ vocals, and the lyrics would be at home on an earlier manics album.

Baby Elian- (as requested by Fidel Castro at the Cuban gig) This is a clear favourite of mine. I especially like the chorus, but just love this song already. It comes across well live, as part of James’ acoustic set. There is just something special about this one. The Cuban/American fight for elian gonzalis is obviously the trigger for this song, but its more of a hit out against America and it’s materialistic money loving culture.

Freedom of Speech Wont Feed My Children-a heavy guitar and bass hit straight into this track. An attack at the influence of childrens toys, and a dig at the Beastie Boys. This track is full of poignant lyrics, and is on a par with Baby Elian as one of my favourites on the album. An excellent finish to the album...but is it the end.....?

Having read back this opinion, im not really happy with it-im not the best at reviewing albums, and feel maybe I haven’t done the manics (my favourite band) justice with this review. I am quite taken with this album, even though there are a lot of songs with I havnt really got into yet. Although I may not be impressed with every song, the quality of them is excellent, but I personally, am inclined to compare them to the perfection that is the Holy Bible. For many people who haven’t listened to Richey-era Manics, these tracks will definitely surpass those found on This Is My Truth…, but in my opinion, most fail to reach the level of the Holy Bible. This seems quite an unreasonable thing to say, as its always hard for a band to reach a former level of work, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. They seem to be getting back on track, and experimenting more, which ultimately is what making music is about, so who am I to judge-decide for your self and let me know what you think.

(also, don’t miss that bonus track….a cover, but still worth a listen)