Manic Street Preachers,
Futurology

FUTUROLOGY sounds like a band still haunted by their past but who have never given up.

Though it has been denied, Manic Street Preachers’ 12th album seems to have been influenced by the death of their guitarist Richey Edwards with the single, Walk Me to the Bridge.

Richey died almost 20 years ago but his loss is still reflected in the band’s attitude and music.

And the surviving trio have pondered publicly about what they have got left to say with their music after all this time. It is hard to have anything but admiration for the Manics.

From their punky, politicised early days with the likes of Generation Terrorists and The Holy Bible to their post-Richey polished gems on Everything Must Go and This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours, they have etched a place in rock history.

But Futurology falls a bit flat in the face of that legacy.

There is a sense that they wanted the album to come across as experimental but it feels like the band are staggering into middle-of-the-road territory.

There are guest vocalists including Green Gartside, Georgia Jones and German actress Nina Hoss and an instrumental track but it all seems a bit out of place.

Frontman James Dean Bradfield’s voice is as powerful as ever but guitar riffs have been subjugated by the likes of Goldfrapp-style electro pop and harps.

A great band that have lost their way.

DAVID MORGAN