The Manics have had a tortuous past, but their future is ripe and full of possibilities. The past twelve months have borne two very different albums, with two very different sensibilities and sounds. If 'Rewind The Film' was a backward glance, a nostalgic snapshot of an album, then 'Futurology' is the sound of band streaming straight through the present into what lies ahead, full on and unafraid.
The most surprising aspect of 'Futurology' is that none of the tracks sound like they should come from the Manic Street Preachers. This isn't the sound they cemented in the mid to late 90s, the anthemic soft rock, this isn't the glam-punk of 'Send Away The Tigers', this isn't 'The Holy Bible' redux. This is the sound of a band that have laid aside the massive guitar riffs, the strings and innovated and experimented. From the dark disco stomp of 'Europa Geht Durch Mich' to the ethereal 'Divine Youth', 'Futurology' has diverged from what we expected and it's a pure fucking delight.
It starts with probably one of the most Manicsy song on the album, 'Futurology' an actual duet (!) between James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire, James singing the verses and Nicky the chorus, the refrain 'one day we will return, no matter it how much it hurts' a defiant affirmation; we're here and we're not going away, no matter how hard it is.
'Walk Me To The Bridge' is the catchiest, most radio friendly song the Manics have recorded since 'Your Love Alone'. The insistent rhythmic drums and bassline the heartbeat and spine, the guitars flesh it out and the light sharp, sexy synths shimmer throughout the song, giving it vitality, making the dour message bright, light, airy. It bounces along, a song full of life and energy.
The strong basslines are a feature of this record, they pound a marshall beat in the background of 'Let's Go To War', around which a cheeky guitar riff rip off Grieg dances and a chanted chorus implores us 'Let's go to war'. A defiant song, a call to arms, James begging people to revolt against the career rock 'n' rollers and cynical money-makers that view music as commerce rather than art. The last in a triptych of songs, beginning with 'You Love Us', by the way of 'Masses Against The Classes' a brazen punkish defiant song. The Manics sang 'You Love Us' at the beginning of their career, now they sing 'Don't forget we love you still' and it works both ways, the love they throw at us, gets spat right back at them.
The feeling of motion and travel is never far from this record and explicit in 'The Next Jet To Leave Moscow', a sarcastic, coruscating, criticism of the loss of political ideals: 'an old jaded commie walking in Red Square'; a recognition of the folly of youth: the 'silly little fucker' visiting Cuba. Entirely written and composed by James, he resists the impulse to go balls out to the wind and riff all over it like the guitar rock god he is. Its strength is in its simplicity, built around a heavy bassline, it's melodic and catchy. Repeated listens find the buried treasure of electronic sounds lurking beneath, giving the song texture and depth.
'Europa Geht Durch Mich' marches along, the drums to the fore, a paean to Europe. A duet with Nina Hoss, her stern, warm German voice complements James and brings a different energy to the song. Her voice is strong enough to compete with James in full, insistent and unrestrained mode. Giving Nina the space to sing the verses in German is playful instead of a gimmick, her stentorian tones compel you in some strange way.
'Divine Youth' is another duet with a female singer, Georgia Ruth Williams and James, but the comparisons with the previous song end there, this is a fragile, simple confection of a song that is in danger of floating away into the stratosphere, gilded with Georgia's light brittle voice, it's James who tethers it to the ground with his warm, rich tenor. The song hangs suspended halfway between the sky and ground. The air and lightness that Georgia breathes into it, the song embellished by her ethereal harp, lifts the song, then James' saves it from floating away, his gutsy voice keeping the song from being twee or pretentious.
'Sex, Power, Love and Money' is the epitome of post-punk disco rock, I love it unashamedly, it's what I imagine concentrated Manic Street Preachers sounds like. Starting with a synth intro more likely to be found on an Abba song, the dark dense guitars overwhelm you deliciously, then James talk/sings (not raps) the verses, Nicky intones 'Obsession, possession, confession, recession' while James wails 'Sex, Power, Love and Money'. It shouldn't work, but it's glorious and for me is the playful, joyful heart of the album.
The dense, dark almost malevolent 'Dreaming A City' is a slab of pleasure. A beguiling, disco rock instrumental. I can imagine this scoring a film about a dystopian future or as the theme to a video game. The pulsing bassline built on with guitar, synths and electronic noise. Vocals would spoil this, it's complex and layered; again repeated listens will highlight a new noise you missed and nuance that was overlooked. Simply gorgeous.
'Black Square' starts with Nina Hoss speaking the chorus to 'Europa Geht Durch Mich' on what sounds like an airport tannoy system, the song has a strong synth element and a fine vocal performance from James and in place of a big rock guitar solo, the sound appears to get muted and a sole synthy guitar picks a sparse melody and then as if a train were bursting out of a tunnel into sunlight, James sings the final chorus with renewed vigour. The song fades as if a train were speeding away from you, another motif of travel and motion that is layered and hidden in the album.
Green Gartside of Scritti Politti brings his sweet light tenor/falsetto to 'Between The Clock And The Bed' another duet with James singing the chorus. Again another light song for what is a rumination on the darkness within, on not letting go of old grudges and failures but not wanting to relinquish those selfsame thoughts and convictions. Green's vocals are respectful and it's clear that the band enjoyed the collaboration as he's given the space to make the verses his own. The most unManics sounding song on the album.
'Misguided Missile' starts with strong, simple bass line which builds percussively, another sparse song, James's vocals are clear and strong. The guitar solo, intricate and delicate, the chorus full and blowsy. The themes follow on from 'Between The Clock and The Bed', Nicky casting a self critical look at himself, deciding that despite being a 'self obsessed fool', he's still got the 'drang', the urge to be different, agitate, sing, fill the empty plastic void of modern life with something different.
The last song with vocals on it was originally intended to be on the acoustic 'Rewind The Film' and it displays these origins, however, 'The View From Stow Hill' is performed electrically, with the solo layered a little messily with electronic noises. A song about Nicky's dissatisfaction with his home town, and the regret that he feel in the cheap surroundings.
The album finishes with another instrumental 'Mayakovsky', like the theme to a western, embellished with sparkles of electronic noise, begun with a plaintive Ringo Starr wailing that he has 'blisters on my fingers' it's a gung-ho track, fearless and punctuated perfectly with Nicky's chanting 'Mayakovsky' near the end, the track finishes dissolving into electronic beeps. The album and track end with Nina Hoss returning on her tannoy to speak the chorus of 'Europa Geht Durch Mich' in English this time. The sense of travel pervading the album terminates here, the band feel like they are home.
'Futurology' is the album of a band that is energised, a band not afraid of forward motion and travel. I disagree that the band have 'returned to form', a lazy cliche trotted out when no one knows how best to describe a different direction. The form of the band has been consistently high since 'Send Away The Tigers'. I would describe this as a brave and innovative album, sonically different certainly, by turns euphoric, textured, complex. It's the sound of a group of talented musicians using their considerable experience and being courageous and confident enough to change their sound, embellishing and gilding their music with electronica. The introversion and melancholy of 'Rewind The Film' has been dismissed.
The past may have been tortuous, but the future is a straight line, 'the lines are joined by finding one another' and 'Futurology' is the junction.
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