| Postcards from a Young Man | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Manic Street Preachers | ||||
| Released | 20 September 2010 | |||
| Recorded | Faster Studio, Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom, October 2009 - June 2010 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, post-punk, hard rock | |||
| Length | 44:24 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Dave Eringa, Loz Williams, Manic Street Preachers | |||
| Manic Street Preachers chronology | ||||
|
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| GOD | [2] |
| Clash | (8/10)[3] |
| BBC | (favourable)[4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| The Independent | [6] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [7] |
| The Fly | [8] |
| NME | (7/10)[2] |
| Pitchfork | (7.5/10)[9] |
| musicOMH | [10] |
| Slant Magazine | [11] |
Postcards from a Young Man is the tenth studio album by the alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, which reached the number 3 spot on the UK Charts. The Manics began recording the album (provisionally titled It's Not War - Just the End of Love) in October 2009 at their Faster Studio in Cardiff. Released on 20 September 2010, the album was supported by the Manics' most extensive tour of the UK to date.[12] James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire have both referred to the album as "one last shot at mass communication".[13]
Contents |
In an interview for the NME, Bradfield said that "We're going for big radio hits on this one ... It isn't a follow-up to Journal for Plague Lovers."[14] Nicky Wire has said, "We've always been about infiltrating the mainstream. It was a conscious decision this time to want to hear ourselves on the radio. Our mantra at the start was, 'If you've got something to say, say it to as many people as possible'."[15] In pre-release interviews, Wire also compared the album to the Aerosmith album Pump, saying that "It's going to be an amazing album...Send Away the Tigers was Permanent Vacation, this next one is our Pump."[16]
In July 2009, Wire said that the band's forthcoming album would "be heavy metal Tamla Motown. Van Halen playing The Supremes! I know there's a lot of creativity in us and obviously because I didn't write lyrics on the last record, I've got tons of words done."[17] Manics biographer Simon Price reacted to Nicky's announcement with amusement: 'Heavy metal Motown? I’ll believe it when I hear it. That Nicky Wire certainly can talk a good game. The thing is with those three lads is they'll sit around before writing any songs and come up with all these wildly juxtaposing ideas and styles, all of which sound great in theory, but when they actually start working towards them it always comes across sounding very much like a Manics record ... I remember just before the Lifeblood album came out in 2004 Nicky had been telling me it was going to sound like Goldfrapp-meets-late ’70s era David Bowie. And I could see what he meant, but when I actually heard it just reminded me of a more subdued version of their other stuff. In a good way though. A lot of the time Nicky goes public with these bold statements and then it comes down to it, it's up to James to try and back them up. That's a lot of pressure to put one person under and sometimes I’m positive James is at home half the time going, "Oh no, what have you said this time?".'[18]
Ex-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan guests on one of the album's songs, "A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun," and four other tracks on the album feature a gospel choir.[15] On their website on 24 June 2010, the Manics posted the message: "Magical day in Cardiff: Ian McCulloch singing duet & John Cale playing on a new Manics track in LA.[19] Of the album's lead single, "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love," Nicky Wire claimed: "I believe in the tactile nature of rock 'n' roll. There's a generation missing out on what music meant to us...You can only elaborate on the stuff that compels you to. But "It's Not War..." is kind of saying, "Alright, we're not 18, but even at 40 the rage is still there"."[15]
Postcards from a Young Man was recorded with producer (and longtime Manics collaborator) Dave Eringa and was mixed in America by Chris Lord-Alge.[20] It was released in a standard version, 2 CD deluxe version, and limited edition box set.[21] The album cover art uses a black and white photograph of British actor Tim Roth.[22]
The album went straight into the UK album charts at #3. In January 2011 the album was certified Gold status in the UK. The album was met with very good reviews from critics and fans described it as "Manics back at their best!".
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 55 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[23] | 62 |
| Finnish Albums Chart[24] | 20 |
| German Album Charts | 65 |
| Greek Album Charts[25] | 8 |
| Spanish Album Charts[26] | 61 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[27] | 45 |
| Swiss Album Charts[28] | 88 |
| UK Album Chart[29] | 3 |
The official tracklisting is as follows:[30][31]
All tracks written by Bradfield/Moore (music) and Wire (lyrics), unless otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love" | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Postcards from a Young Man" | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Some Kind of Nothingness" (featuring Ian McCulloch) | 3:47 |
| 4. | "The Descent (Pages 1 and 2)" | 3:25 |
| 5. | "Hazelton Avenue" | 3:22 |
| 6. | "Auto-Intoxication" (feat. John Cale) | 3:47 |
| 7. | "Golden Platitudes" | 4:23 |
| 8. | "I Think I Found It" | 3:06 |
| 9. | "A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun" (feat. Duff McKagan) | 4:17 |
| 10. | "All We Make Is Entertainment" | 4:14 |
| 11. | "The Future Has Been Here 4Ever" | 3:38 |
| 12. | "Don't Be Evil" | 3:18 |
|
Total length:
|
41:41 | |
| Japanese bonus tracks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 13. | "Red Rubber" | 2:57 | |||||||
| 14. | "Evidence Against Myself" | 3:00 | |||||||
|
Total length:
|
47:38 | ||||||||
Deluxe Limited Edition - CD2 Demos. Tracklisting as above, excluding the two Japan only tracks (later released as b-sides).
