Search - Manic Street Preachers :: This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours

Another precise piece of musical literature

04/18/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It just seems perfect once again. Everything you'd expect from the Manics in terms of lyrics, sound and thoughtfulness. Maybe even more than that.The kick off is the beautiful The Everlasting, a typically melancholic song by the boys from Blackwood, like a never ending search, but with a very up lifting tempo. You Stole The Sun From My Heart is probably the song on here which would be most recognisable as a Manics song. The thrashed out chorus, the lyrics declaring how someone has ripped in to the artist is one which could fit easily in to any of the Manics 5 albums. Tsnami, catchy and very artistic and proffesional, and the once again melancholic track of Black Dog On My Shoulder. Black Dog could easily be unseen as a song about depression. And SYMM. The darkest song, which points it's finger towards a subject that all the Manics feel very strongly about. The Hillsborough Disaster. A whole pointless fiasco, which is how the Manics seem to voice their opinion of it in their lyrics, and also point toward some kind of blame.A fantastic album, worth everypenny, and if you get the chance, look at the words. After all, that's what the manics are all about."

Superlative: the sound of true genius

01/13/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Manics' fifth album is the first to feature no input by missing member Richey Edwards whatsoever, and although it would be immensely rude to say it out loud, the threesome that is now the Manic Street Preachers has put out a far better album than would perhaps have been reached otherwise.Far from being Everything Must Go Mk II, This Is My Truth... is diverse in its tone and delivery. From the moving, pulsating beat of "The Everlasting" to the honest admittance that "I'm Not Working," the Manics state their consistent quality track after track. In a year without Radiohead, Oasis or any really noteworthy band (aside from perhaps REM), This Is My Truth stands as the best album of the year. Perhaps its only weakness lies in the confusion of "S.Y.M.M." - why? The lyrics don't help its cause ("The context of this song/I haven't really thought of one") and it comes across as mere album-filler. It tries to say something profound, but does so in such an unsubtle way that it ends up laughable. Compared with the high philosophy of some of the other tracks (for example, "Tsunami"'s "The doctor tells me that I'm cynical/I tell him that it must be chemical" or the desperate tones of number 1 hit "If You Tolerate This..."), it stands out like a sore thumb on an album of such high quality.Quite simply, it's a masterful achievement - but don't you dare smile while listening to it. Don't achieve any lasting enjoyment. 'Cause if you do, it might "give the wrong impression"..."