| I know I believe in nothing, but it's.... |
| My Nothing. |
| Page last updated; 15th June 2003 |
| Everything Must Go |
| Track listing; 1. Elvis impersonator; Blackpool pier 2. A design for life 3. Kevin Carter 4. Enola/Alone 5. Everything must go 6. Small black flowers that grow in the sky 7. The girl who wanted to be god 8. Removables 9. Australia 10. Interiors 11. Further away 12. No surface all feeling. Quite famously, the first album without Richey and the only thing around to decide whether or not the Manics could survive as a three-piece, so famously in fact I won�t comment on it. At twelve tracks long it comes in at a respectable length, this is a well filled 45 minutes with mostly successful songs. Elvis impersonator� is not for everyone, after a few listens it is certainly easier and easier to love, lyrically it does leave a little to be desired proving perhaps that Richey did have moments where the words didn�t come together quite as easily. It�s impossible not to find the rift enjoyable and is, on the whole, a well spent 3 minutes. A design for life, Kevin Carter and everything must go have now reached such God like proportions in recognition it does seem a little futile to review them. Suffice to say they showed the Manics could and would continue to kick the ass of any competition whilst churning out stomping good tunes with anthemic lyrics. Although it is worth remembering the commercially most successful tracks are not always the best a band has to offer. Enola/alone is a classic song, another of Nicky�s moments of lyrical clarity matched perfectly with James� music. It manages to both be moving and inspirational leaving you aching for another verse when it�s entirely too short 4 minutes is up. For some reason the girl who wanted to be god and small black flowers� have always been linked in my mind, whether it�s because they are the two songs which have gained most cult status in Manics circles from this album; next to each other in the running or just very typically Richey songs. Importantly they are equally good and deserving of the following they inspire from hardcore fans. Small black flowers is probably my least favourite of the two, somehow the last line of �here chewing your tail is joy� never sits quite right. Contrastingly, it�s hard to imagine the girl who wanted to be god ever being anything but what it is. Lyrically it can be chilling (�see through the future and forget all the lies/black out the words for the blind have eyes�) whilst the marriage between words and guitars provides one of the most stirring and impassioned Manics songs to date. Removables and further away is another pairing of songs I always seem to make. They don�t necessarily fit in with the new direction and sound this album encompasses, they hark back to the Generation terrorists/Gold against the soul era. This is not to say I don�t like them, removables has been criticised for �going round in circles� but personally I find the structure and general rhythm satisfying. Similarly further away is an enjoyable return to form, which can easily be associated with the Manics we first loved. Australia seems to sum up this whole album (just as you love us did for Generation Terrorists), it acts as an indicator of where Nicky could steer the band and what standard we were to expect from him. Indeed, you can almost hear if you tolerate this then your children will be next if you listen really carefully�It�s enjoyable, light and almost irreverent in its topic. Sitting on a sunny lawn with this track playing I defy anyone to be able to resist being excited by the building climax of the repeating rift to �ooh, ooh Australia� at 3 minutes 10. This album�s lowest point is probably interiors. It feels tired before it�s really begun and when set against highly successful tracks like the girl who wanted to be god it seems flat. Undoubtedly, this song holds greater meaning when it is contextified but a song should be able to stand alone and still be successful, this cannot be said for interiors. Rounding the fourth studio album off with no surface all feeling was a masterstroke. It strikes a happy balance between old and new Manics material and becomes a more indispensable track with more repeat plays. True this is not amongst the Manics finest work but it gives the listener what they want and provides an appropriate end to what could easily have been a disastrous album. Does this album leave a Manics fan with hope for a brave new direction and a belief the Manics will endure? Well, it can survive the �repeat all� button on the stereo without losing any of its freshness and energy, you can�t ask much more can you? |
 |