Everything Must Go

This one’s tough because a bunch of it is really cool and a bunch is insufferably cheesy broadway shit.

Nice

Another run at Brit Pop got better and better as the album progressed. I might just have to give this another listen!

Seems like some pretty generic alt-rock. Although I gotta give credit to the vocals sounding pretty distinct. I get a particular tone of Talk Talk through some of their songs, but edgier and geared toward rock. Also the horns in Kevin Carter were pretty cool. I think this could've fit in pretty well in North America's music scene in the mid 90's, its a shame it didnt catch on over here.

It’s alright. The best part was when I forgot I had queued up “Underneath it all” by No Doubt earlier in the day and it played after the first song and I was so excited

True 90's Alternative. I didn't love every second, but would easily listen again. Good for a long run or a gym workout.

This was a tough one to judge. They have a really unique sound- their songs blend alt rock with a brit pop-like quality, but also a sort of drama you'd find in older rock ballads. I enjoyed some songs but found them to kind of bleed together after a while. Overall- decent album

Poor beyond the singles

Pretty good brit alt rock without much that jumped out to me as very distinctive noise. They play competently throughout and there will be some tracks that I'll revisit like The Girl Who Wanted to Be God, Australia and some others and think it will grow on me over time.

what I was actually thinking while listening was « this sounds like that robbie williams album » and I’m not sure that’s the most complimentary reference point. Definitely going for britpop sound but none of the songs stood out enough to be among the classics. Further Away seemed to be the best (also has a touch of You Am I vibes?)

Not what I expected but ok all the same

The Holly Bible by the manic street preachers was my 11'th album of this generator, and the first new one that stayed with me. I love it so much still. Us much as their sound and attitude suggests harder rock style, I appreciated their pop sensitivity. The album I mentioned above is filled with such catchy songs. A great one. I still like the band here. Their sound resonated with me. Today I noticed for the first time the voice that reminds me of the lead singer- Damn, it's Freddie Mercury. Somehow. While I didn't fall in love with this one as much as the previous, I still think it's fun and contains many bangers. Ill keep listening to it, by then the rankings might change, but that's the nature of this game. For now, a solid three is fair.

i liked it, nothing crazy special but it was some pretty good britpop :)

It's okay at best

If foo fighters didn’t fight

Do you think they have a design for life. I dunno I like these guys it's just a little boring. Like do I really need to hear this before I die? Really? Did this really change music as a whole? I just can't really see that personally. Even the description leaves something to be wanted. It's just not all that. I don't know I'm probably just not the right person to appreciate this. I mean it sounds like it would slap in a coming of age teen romcom for the misunderstood main girl who goes against societal norms but really just wants to be loved. Yeah I mean I like it. I mean some things are definitely interesting like they're trying some crazy things but it feels like they're trying to do interesting things not make good music. If that makes sense. I can appreciate it but I don't necessarily enjoy it. I am the girl who wanted to be god when it comes to these albums. What does this guy know about being that girl? Yeah ok, I do like this. Australia won't solve your problems big dog I promise. Favourite: Everything Must Go/The Girl Who Wanted To Be God/Further Away Least favourite: Interiors

There are 3 songs that elevate this one - the first two and small black flowers. The rest are pretty boring. I think that was the case with their other album too.

It’s not quite as good as I remember. ‘A design for life’ is obviously great, and I’m partial to ‘Australia’, but much of the rest of the album sounds like very orchestrated, standard quality britpop.

Interesting

Great

Not sure if I ever listened to the whole album back in the day. Knew the singles which have kind of been overplayed. I did like a few of the albums tracks. Bit of a mixed bag but on the whole not bad.

A fair amount of really weak tracks but a sprinkling of good ones. Most of them are ruined by the vocals that sound like he is stepping on Lego as he sings!

For all the hype at the time, they are just a light rock band with a low quality singer who happened to write a few half decent tunes and were fortunate enough to ride the wave of a genre bandwagon (Britpop) even though it didn’t really suit their style, but did sell them records. Fair to say they maxed their value.

To my modern ears it sounds a bit generic, definitely not bad. They clearly pre-empted a lot of early 2000s music. I'll go with...decent enough.

Ok but too happy. Sorry I'm grumpy.

Fine. Everything is just fine.

Idk how but I loved this album. Best way I can explain this is like when you have a friend introduce you to someone they think you should date but when you meet them you’re like “yikes, I’m not attracted at all” but then over time as you spend time with them you really start to like them and their attractiveness seems to suddenly change and you’re like “maybe this could work 😋”. Basically upon the first song I was like “ew” but by the end of the album I’m like “yeah I’m gonna listen to some of these tracks at key moments in my life”.

Really like their previous album but this isn't as good imo I like the guitar playing here and some of the orchestral moments but overall id rather listen to the holy bible 7/10 Favourite: No Surface All Feeling Least Favourite: Removables

Very typical of its time but in a way it's unfair to lump the manics in with the rest of Brit Pop. I saw this band live a couple of times in the late 90s and they were good gigs but I was never a massive fan. Same with this album.

I recognize and appreciate the sound, but not something I would want to listen to on repeat

This was fine but I think you had to live in the UK at the time to really adore this.

A Design For Life is a freakin’ epic song, I’ve always been a fan. I can’t say I’m massively enamoured over the rest of their stuff, but I did find Small Black Flowers to be intriguing. ADFL is a sure-fire 4 star track, but the rest of the album drops it back to a 3 overall

Same as it ever was…..same as it ever was….

Solid. Big fan of final track but does lag at times.

Nothing super memorable here. Not bad, not great, just good, but not "oh my God" good.

Enjoyed very much of the album! There are some really good songs with a summerish vibes!

There are some excellent songs on this album but it's a little too top heavy. The majority is just okay, nice vibe but kind of forgettable. The sort of group where you're like "I like them, haven't listened to them for ages" then burn out quick.

7/10 Highlights: A Design for Life Everything Must Go Removables Enola/Alone

3,5

I've not listened this album in is entirety before, but it's full of bangers and crowd pleasers, heard many times before through radio airplay. It almost feels like a Greatest Hits. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit 🫳 ★★★☆☆ (7/10) Total reviewed : 305 Already owned : 69 Purchased : 15 To buy : 4 Nope : 217

Leuke gitaren, typische sound

Fairly straight up rock and roll outfit. A pleasing listen, with nice vocals and layers of guitar and base, at times a bit too dreamy for my taste. Really though, no complaints. I’d sleep with it.

Never heard of this band before. So far this is good. It’s good but also unremarkable. I don’t hate it. I wouldn’t turn it off, but i doubt I’ll remember it either. Ok, the last song. This is great.

There were a couple songs on here that were nice surprises, and the rest of the album can be thrown into the Brit trash bin with just about everything else on this list.

would have slapped in the 90's. their popular songs are their worst on this album. shouldn't be a top 1000

not a rock listener, but this was bareable.

Nothing "wrong" with it. It just wasn't very interesting.

I really like the Manic Street Preachers music, but I've never liked the vocalist.

nice enough

I had lots of friends who were into these guys when this was contemporary. Never really moved me the same way but it's a good enough album.

Góð fløga, sangirnir líkjast ov nógv, for lítið peaks and lows

Nice, cool lyrics.

Average Britpop. This list man. Was going to be 2 stars, but some of the individual tracks were pretty good.

More pop than I anticipated. Kinda faceless, but alright

Not a ton to say about this one. I had never heard of them before. I like it, almost a 4, but I don't know that I'll seek them out

Still not too familiar with them, but sure seems like something I should’ve been into in the moment.

They're not bad. I love the Adjective/Verb Street Nouns!

The only knowledge of this band is the album cover of their previous album to this; that morbidly obese woman, man. So I went in totally blind and I'll say it straight up, I'm not a fan. They have some cool ideas in the album every now and then like the clown-esque (Entry of the Gladiators) guitar riff in "The Girl Who Wanted to Be God" and some sick riffs scattered throughout the album. Just the album overall is bland and I can't get with the sound. Maybe listening to The Fat Album might pique my interest and make me reconsider this album, but for now this is an album that I will forget about. Highlight Song/s: "Everything Must Go", "Australia" and "Interiors"

Decent.

Another band that I know existed at some point in the past but have no memory of listening to. This is ok but not exciting. They have some interesting lyrics, and I like the orchestration and guitar on some of these tracks, but most of it isn't really grabbing me. To the point where I don't even really have anything to say about it. 3

Good just some of the songs felt a bit busy

I had heard of these guys but knew very little about them and their story (or at least the Richey Edwards part of it) is tragic and fascinating. I thought maybe I had heard these guys on a soundtrack but I was thinking of someone else. "A Design for Life" sounds kind of familiar maybe? Regardless, I liked this. I think I need to listen to it a few more times while paying closer attention for it to sink in.

Torn between 2 and 3. There are 1 or 2 songs on here I actually like, so gave it a 3. However, this is not an album I would have bought.

An example of a band that I should like - right energy, right ingredients, but for some reason I've never gelled with the songs.

having a whos louder competition with panic at the disco no surface all feeling is one of the best songs ive heard in a long time though

First time I listened to this album I was not really a fan. But then I locked myself in a tin box with no stimulation, no way out, and no other way to pass 2 hours. And you know what I really liked it under those conditions. The album has a similar sound to a lot of songs I like, but those songs are pretty varied in tone and genre but this album manages to put them together in a fairly cohesive way. I think my favorite song is further away, but there's a lot of close choices.

Never had heard the album or artist before this but it was a great. Enjoyed the listen, had some solids songs!

A design for life is a known song!

I didn't dislike this one, but I also didn't love it. A few times it caught my attention, otherwise it felt like something that would work well in the background. I'm becoming more critical of mixes too, the vocals are way too buried.

I may have heard of the band before but did not know any of their music. This is basically alternative rock, and sounds very much like the 90s from when it was released. The band is Welsh and has some associations with Britpop, but to my ears this has some elements of that, but less so than some of the other albums on this list. I would listen to this again, but wouldn't exactly be in a rush to do so.

I like the manics so that was already a good album. They were a different band at this point and I probably prefer this version of them. Must have been tough to make this album for the guys in the band. Still manages to be fairly upbeat.

It's alright

Quite a good album, feels like it's aged a little bit but I guess it is 30 years old... FUCK.

Day 218 Manics have always been one of those bands I wish I enjoyed slightly more, they seem like sound blokes and often have songs with really interesting themes but I find the music about as MOR as possible Highlights A design for life Removable All surface no feeling

Just aggressively mediocre. 2.5/5

Yet another band I’ve heard of but never heard. You can never have too much great 90s power pop.

Indie rock, more anthemic/stadium than garage. I know A Design for Life, but I don't love it. The whole sound is a bit limp and lacklustre. Enola / Alone is pushing into pop-punk, but without a decent hook it's nothing-y. Best track - Small Black Flowers... 3 stars - almost a 2 but it is just about tolerable

Although it is musically exactly my jam it don't really sparks me. Mainly because of the unimpressive vocals. Favourite: "Kevin Carter", "Removables" 2,5

I enjoyed it while it was on

Good, jangly pop.

Like it 3/5

Yeah I mean I enjoyed it, don’t really see why it was on the list but good old Wrexham band representation. Nice arrangements and things for a rock album and some classics

this is between a 3 and 4 for me. I found it enjoyable enough though I don't think I'll come back to it. there weren't any bad songs on here but nothing stood out either, it was just a solid body of work

Fairly enjoyable album that got better as it progressed. Nothing that blew me away but a fun listen.

To be listened to

I feel like this is porbably deserving of higher than 3 stars, however 4 stars doesn't feel quite right either. Still, this is a pretty decent album and one worth a listen, at least the one time.

Solid, I generally enjoyed it but didn’t love it. The only track that kind of stood out was “Australia.”

Britrock isn't good, but this was mostly ok.

Highlights: A Design For Life, Enola/Alone and Australia. 3.8

*I feel like I would rate this band higher after way more listens. *Very dense/interesting alt rock.

I don’t hate this but I certainly didn’t “need” to listen to this. A couple of times I thought the same song was playing.

The album improved toward the end, but not enough to hear more. 3 stars or C-.

Favorite Track: Everything Must Go

The tunes are good, if unremarkable when listened to with hindsight. Many of the lyrics sound like they were composed with fridge magnets.

On Everything Must Go, Manic Street Preachers sand down some of the abrasive edges of their past and lean into a glammier, widescreen sound that’s undeniably more cohesive—even if it still doesn’t quite click. The hooks are bigger, the production shinier, and the ambition dialed up: “A Design for Life” swells with string-drenched grandeur that feels like latter-day Queen cosplay (and, to be fair, the strings do slap), while “Enola/Alone” nails a crisp power-pop rush. “The Girl Who Wanted to Be God” rides a jangly Britpop shimmer, and “Interiors (Song for Willem de Kooning)” oddly forecasts the earnest churn of early-2000s emo—think Jimmy Eat World before they figured out subtlety. It’s a polished, anthemic pivot that proves the Manics can scale up without imploding, but for all its arena-ready uplift, there’s still a faint emotional remove.

I just don't really like them

I've heard of this group but do not think I've listened to anything by them. Not my style.

Had some cool moments but didn’t keep my attention

Solid record, it's one of the efforts without one of the original members, and it seems like the band could go on, although in a different direction. It was a good direction, lyrics and the songs overall were great and it remains one of their best albums.

Not bad, not great

2.5 Appreciate the shift from Holy Bible, but still not my jam. Fascinating background with the disappearance of Edwards

Oh great, another entirely forgettable mid 1990s britpop album that sounds like the 20 others on the list.

like it - don't love it

More catchy than I expected. Some nice moments and hooks. Enjoyed it.

2/11 Not bad

This list sure does love it’s Britpop, I’m not so sure I feel the same

I remember quite liking this at the time, and I still quite like it.

This was new to me. It didn't quite engage me, but I think it would have if I'd heard it in the 90s.

Okaay but didnt blow me away

Listening session: february 10th, while commuting to internship Listened to before: no Thoughts: this sounds like classic 90s Britpop but then with more interesting chord progressions and instrumentals so it’s quite nice to listen to Favourite tracks: A Design For Life, Enola / Alone & Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky

Perfectly cromulent.

Neither hated it or really liked it but it wasn't terrible.

Primeira música em homenagem ao teu bairro. Pior que curti A Design for Life, que uso de sentimentos nos acordes diferenciados. Resto do álbum parece ser de banda genérica que faz abertura de show que tu quer ir. Aquele show das 17:30 no Rock in Rio assim, que tem uns fãs, são bons, mas nada de mais. 3*

Watered down Oasis, but not terrible. Nice melodies, interesting chord progressions, but a bit too much screaming vocally in places. Not something I would seek out, but certainly much better than some of the garbage on this list.

Ok album, but always felt the Manics were more of a singles band and have never really 'got into' their albums.

I forgot to listen but i’ll update this ojay

I only knew this band from The Holy Bible, their last album with lyricist Richey Edwards before he disappeared, and from my friend Ava's hyperfixation on them a few years ago. This album came after Richey's disappearance, and it's some solid alternative rock, though I don't think it's as good as The Holy Bible.

Not a single track made any impression on me other than “this is fine I guess.” I feel like we need to shoot for a lot better for albums I must hear before I die

Really struggling between a 3 and a 4 here. Taken as a whole they're not doing anything too different from the usual britpop fare, but then some of these songs do have a certain sauce…. This closer especially is a real treat! I'll round down for now, but I definitely enjoyed the album. Standouts: A Design For Life • Enola / Alone • Everything Must Go • Australia • All Surface No Feeling

Big choruses, loud guitars. Bit like a if you had a less catchy Oasis and the lyricist had read a book or two. Rock music for middle aged dads. Not bad by all means, I can see the appeal.

I wasn't familiar with any of the songs on this album. It sounded like music I might like, but nothing resonated with me much.

It’s ok. But there’s a bit of transport. I always liked if we tolerate this.

silly timing that there’s a song called australia iykyk album was nothing special imo

Decent. Not really my thing.

This gives $5 Solo Cup 1990s keg house party in a college town.

Innocuous Brit Pop. Again.

Some fun tunes that I saved, incomplete album. 3.1

It’s okay enough, never heard this before. Will maybe give them a deeper look as time permits.

Probably a 7/10 really enjoyed some songs

Decent nothing special

First song and i already love this. Great punk sound . I really like his different all the songs are I will definitely be listening to this again

An interesting album because it was the first released after Richey Edwards went missing. I remember watching either a true crime thing about his disappearance or maybe a documentary. That is a sad story for another day but this is about the music. This is probably the second time I tried to listen to their music. The first was after having watched the documentary. I’m not sure I enjoyed it then or I should say it was not memorable to me. The music was like any other Britpop band that was around at the time. Maybe a little better lyrics but maybe not as I still listen to A Different Class today and I probably wouldn’t listen to this again. I listened three times today and nothing stuck with me. It could be the singer’s voice. If it doesn’t resonate with me then I won’t listen again. The music is good. I can say that but I guess I just can’t get into it.

5/10. Probably good for it's time in 96', but it sounds quite dated and bland to me. I imagine if I was a teen at this time, I'd probably have loved this album when it come out. But retrospectively? It's distinctly average to me.

This album pleasantly surprised me - I was expecting another self-indulgent, whiny Britpop album, but this seemed deeper both musically and content-wise than others I listened to. I especially liked the title track, which I am surprisingly adding to my normal rotation.

Fun find.

Nothing memorable

Helt ok

Låter bra, men ingenting som riktigt stod ut för mig jämfört med mycket annat i genren. Men några låtar och avslutande "No Surface All Feeling" gör att den i alla fall slutar på en stark trea.

one of those bands where I wanna like them but I cannot tell the difference between their songs

Maybe better than I remember. In my mind, the Manics are a bit worthy but this is an easy and rewarding listen

to be rated

I came across this album back in the 90s and it drifted in one ear and out the other, beige, overproduced and generally disinteresting. They had a handful of decent singles that showcased an ability to coin predictable Britpop fare but this was 12 tracks of solid 'meh' to my teenage ears. Another 30 years have done nothing really to change that, but I did enjoy 'Interiors', which must've passed me by in '96. I probably skipped side 2 to be honest.

Generic brit pop, nothing to see here. 2.5/5

This is a rare case where I wrote no notes on my initial listen and now, 5 days later, I can’t for the life of me remember anything I might have wanted to say about this record (good or bad). Like, I can’t even recall the general genre anymore; Brit rock, maybe? ”Everything Must Go" indeed. Complete memory hole.

Not my cup of tea. Don't like this style of music that much. At this moment I am not impressed by this album

pretty good it kinda gave beachy vibes to me but i think it’s good like background music

The most generic British pop-rock. Completely fine and utterly unremarkable

I liked it but after a day, don’t really recall much from it so that’s why it just gets a 3 star - just wasn’t memorable for me.

A solid entry from a genre I'm a big fan of. This felt a bit non-descript, so I prefer other British indie rock over this, ultimately. It did build good momentum as the album went on, so I have a feeling I might connect with it more on a repeat listen.

It's fine. It's a decent 90s alternative album, but something about it doesn't really strike anything special in me.

Feels like it suffers from being so influential to other bands, that took the distortion and shouty vocal style. What stood out in the Brit pop era doesn’t now. Solid though.

This is just basic britpop, but I liked it more than others from this list for some reason. It was an okay listen, nothing that special but okay.

I had an enjoyable time listening to this album - it’s got interesting blends of rock with uniqueness to it. I just cant for the life of me understand why there are so many albums like THIS on the list cause the list people are just big rock heads who are blind to any other genre I swear

The reviews writing this off as boring Britpop don't seem to have listened to the lyrics, which are full of politics, metaphor, and righteous fire. Sadly the same can't be said of the rather dull stadium-rock arrangements that accompany them. The album sounds at its best when the band forgo that style in favour of a harder sound, like Enola / Alone.

Indie Brit Pop! I'm tired of this shit. I never like this band when they were popular and now I'm kind of whatever about them. I think the vocals kind of bug me.

Ik vind het geen onaardig album om een keer te luisteren maar het pakt me niet echt. 'Gewoon' of 'Wel aardig' of 'Meh' of 'Ja oké'. Ik heb er weinig over te melden en dat zegt vaak ook wel iets. Ik ben niet kapot van die zanger. Wel drie sterren.

Nicely balanced album by the Manics which makes it one of their best even though the Richey disappearance happened during its making. Well worth a listen.

It’s ok. What else is there to say

Not aware of any of the songs although the band’s name sounds familiar. A good listen with a sad vibe. The disappearance and eventual deceleration of guitarist James’s death adds quite a punch to this album.

Pop, fun!

Some good songs

This album had highs and lows for me. There were some pretty interesting compositions and the production overall is pretty great, but as a whole I wasn't super into this album. Definitely wouldn't mind giving it a second listen down the road though. 2.75/5

pleasant, though i can hear the beginnings of future bands that i hate. 3.5

Great album with some great instrumentals. But the sound got repetitive (but annoying)

Surprenant mais sympa!

Great production, huge songs, loved the sound and energy. Just didn’t get the songs to stay with me longer. Not that it isn’t catchy it’s just not that memorable.

Hooky 90s alt rock

No private session used for Spotify. I listened to this album several times yesterday, not my favorite MSP album, but it's good. If I recall, it's their first album since Edwards weird ass departure and it still works.

It was very alright. Super okay

Har försökt lyssna på msp tidigare. Jag vet inte riktigt varför. Men tycker det är rätt trist musik. Inte dåligt. Har några ljusglimtar men jag gör verkligen inte igång. Lite för slätstruket.

Seems like a 90s pop album with only about a teaspoon of garage rock. Nothing really stuck with me, but I didn’t hate it.

I will borrow from a great review I read on here: “Offensively inoffensive.”

A fine brit rock record that doesn't particularly standout

5/10 This is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde album for me, in that a decent chunk of it feels like there are some decent rock songs that have been massaged into anthemic pop-rock shape by an overenthusiastic producer, while some of the weaker songs have been given a far more straightforward and gritty sound, but don’t really deliver the hooks and songwriting chops of the overproduced ones. One of the things that often turned me off about the overproduced songs, Kevin Carter and The Girl Who Wanted To Be God for example, was the over instrumentation of the tracks. A lot of the strings seem to offer fairly basic padding to the songs, rather than anything particularly interesting, which is a similar story with the harp parts, and it generally towns down the verve and vibrancy of the underlying songs, which is a real shame. It’s almost like these parts are added for the sake of building a ‘bigger’ sound, without any concern for whether it’s actually a ‘better’ sound. When left to a more straightforward rock band instrument lineup, there’s a lot more grit and weight to things, but those overproduced, anthemic production standards just push this too far away from the kind of sound that really engages me with music like this. This overproduction does ease during the second half of the record, which helped to engage me a little more, and there are some strong parts too. Everything Must Go and Australia lean more towards the kind of sound that grabs the ear, and when the production allows the bass and guitar in particular to sit further forward and provide a bit of overdriven grit to things, the sound was way better. The songwriting was pretty good in places, but did have a tendency to meander a little on the weaker tracks, sometimes becoming a little uninteresting and repetitive, but when they landed on a hook, there were some solid moments. Overall it wasn’t a bad album, but I don’t think it was a massively good one either. That’s not to say I don’t see some value in it, but it feels like things were just taken in a direction that doesn’t suit my ear, and the balance of the album, on the whole, feels a little too uneven for me. Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier - There are some nice riffs here and there on this, but it doesn’t quite connect with me. There are some decent moments, but it just doesn’t connect into a coherent whole for me and kind of feels a bit meandering and unfocused. It feels a bit like James Dean Bradfield stretches his vocal a bit too much in places as well and that makes it sound a little stretched. A Design For Life - You couldn’t accuse this one of being unfocused. It’s got good hooks and decent pace, and the pre-chorus into the chorus is really well structured. In all honesty, the production is all a bit too soft for me and if this had a bit more grit and drive to the sound, I think I’d like it more. The strings are just a bit obvious and it feels a bit like the edges have been sanded off the composition. It’s a decent song, but needs a bit more fire for me personally. Kevin Carter - This is another nice moments song that doesn’t bring the component parts into something focused and coherent to my ear. It feels a bit like there’s a decent rock song under there somewhere, but it’s been put through a pop music producers ear, which has made it lose its edge and urgency, so it just feels a bit flaccid as a result. Enola/Alone - There’s a bit more to this. The guitars and bass are given more prominence and there’s a bit more drive and grit to it as a result. The melodic elements to the chorus are pretty good too. It’s a little meandering in places and doesn’t necessarily offer as much development as it could, but tonally, it’s much better. Everything Must Go - Following on from the last track, there's a bit more fire to the production here. There’s a great melodic flow to the chorus, and I like the transition out of the back of the chorus too. It’s got a good bit of momentum to the rhythm section. It’s perhaps a little cluttered and the drums could do with sharpening up to give a bit more clarity, but otherwise it’s a pretty decent track. Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky - This is quite pretty, although I feel like the harp glissandos are already feeling a bit overdone on the record without this one where they’re drastically overused. Again, it all feels a little too overproduced and a bit more restraint would have worked wonders. The Girl Who Wanted To Be God - A promising start leads to something that again feels unnecessarily augmented with strings. When the strings drop out, this is much better. There’s more space for the lead guitar and vocal to breathe and it helps to give everything a bit more punch. Look, I love a string arrangement, but they just feel like they’re there for the sake of trying to make it more anthemic, but it just softens things too much without adding real value. This could be a really good song, but it's kind of ruined by being overworked. Removables - This is tonally a lot better. It feels a bit like a demo in that there’s a decent skeleton to it, but it feels a little underdeveloped. It’s kind of a stark difference to the preceding track, which was overproduced. Another one where there's something there that, to my ears, they haven’t quite found the heart of yet. Australia - This is more like it. Again, the band are given more space to breathe, it has a bit more drive and the production suits things a lot more. There’s still an edge of the anthemic production to the chorus in particular, but it takes a more subtle backseat and lets the band get on with being a rock band. The melodic choices here are great and it has some solid hooks and a nice guitar solo. Pretty good. Interiors (Song For Willem De Kooning) - Things meander a little bit too much here, particularly the vocal, the melody of which just seems a bit forced to me. It never really lands on anything to give the song a solid centre and just sort of flounces about. The production is a bit more gritty and rewarding here, but unfortunately the song is less gripping to me. Further Away - The production is sticking with the more rocky side of things now, which is doing the music a lot of favours. There are some nice melodic movements here, particularly in the chorus. It’s not particularly interesting in its development of ideas, and it does get a little bit repetitive as a result, but it’s otherwise a pretty decent little song. No Surface All Feeling - Another where the production delivers more of the sound that I’m looking for. It’s got a decent bit of weight to it, and some really nice dynamic shifts between the verse and chorus. It builds nicely as the bass and guitar ramp up through the verse and then the weight kicks in with everything except the vocal, which stays pretty limp in the chorus, unfortunately. Give this a bit more emphasis and drive to the vocal in the chorus and we could be cooking with gas. Unfortunately, it just falls short in that part.

Fine for 90’s rock, but not special. I think a better voice might help the sound.

3.5

Meh.

One thing I’ve learned is that I really dislike Brit Pop. The vocals tend to be incredibly whiney, and I have no patience for that. This bloke, however actually has what sounds like a highly crafted voice, kind of reminds me of James LaBrie of Dream Theater. Kind of. So, don’t hate it. Not a huge fan, either, but I don’t hate it.

I only knew the band by their name. If anyone had asked me about one of their songs - nope. No idea. This is a really nice recording - digging the 90s sound. Vocals are mixed pretty straightforward directly into your face. Guitar sounds very warm, drums are also very gently embedded into the mix. The album sounds pretty organic as a whole. Kind of Britpoppy / punky. I don't know if I will listen to this ever again - possibly not. Not because it's bad but because I don't know why. :-)

This was fine. It was not the worst in the British pop on this list by a long shot, but it's not really the best either. I hate to do another cop out three start for that, but I don't know what else seems fair.

- Had only ever heard some of their singles (e.g., A Design For Life, Enola Alone) but not a full album. It was okay, not super memorable, but it does get better the more you listen to it. - Wasn’t prepared for such a bad start - the singer's voice is intolerable on the first track. If you can’t hit the high notes, please don’t. Also, the song is unmemorable other than the bad singing - why start an album with that? Also dislike Kevin Carter because of the verse - but, the “Stealth Sonic Orchestra Remix" at the end of the album I listened to was good because there were no vocals! I also liked the other Stealth Sonic Orchestra Remix of Motorcycle Emptiness. - Was hoping for more but wish the lead singer’s voice was less out of tune and had more range. His vocals on the last song on the version I listened to, the acoustic version of Everything Must Go, made me want to die. - I enjoy sad lyrics over compelling memories, so I was wishing I could understand what he was saying more, but, then I heard "Harvest your ovaries dead mothers crawl” on Small Black Flowers that Grow in the Sky. I read the rest of the lyrics to the song, and now I’m glad that I don’t understand. I’m not a poetry connoisseur, but this is all very cryptic, unenjoyable, and basically feels like pretentious bad poetry. And so wordy, so it feels like he’s often forcing the words into the melodies. - Some nice instrumentals - synths, strings, and horns (but they couldn’t save Kevin Carter, lol). Definitely the highlight of the album for me.

Ends on a banger which eventually turns this "ok" brit pop into a good one.

Honestly super enjoyable but bloated even at 45 minutes. Nothing world shattering but I could imagine this being a great live show in the 90s.

Aivan kelpoa britti rokkia, vähän sitä samaa kuin muukin 90 britti rokkia. Mutta keskivertoa parempaa, ei kummiskaan ihan 4 tähteä. Parhaat: A Design for Life, No Surface All Feelings

Wanted to love it, but the highlight was realising where the theme song for a childhood show came from. Bumping to a 3 for them also being Welsh.

Better than average indie pop.

OK. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.

not my scene but still nice!

I had not heard this group before and I was moderately impressed. Energetic but not too poppy sounding that reminded me of many other alt bands. The songs had some humor to them while still taking on some tough topics. I would rate this one as a 3.5

A band that I don’t think I’ve ever really understood. They’ve done the odd track here and there that has been ok but generally they don’t appeal to me. I can’t say this is a bad album and it includes some decent guitar based songs, just not my thing

Not the biggest msp fan

Það er svolítið mikið svona britpop á listanum. Nýtur sín verr á mettuðum markaði. Þetta er algjört bylgjurokk finnst mér, en frekar gott samt. Gítarleikurinn skemmtilegur, söngurinn frekar einstakur, textarnir góðir og melódíurnar flottar. 3,4 / 5,0

Gets better as the album progresses. A bit repetitive at times. Classic Britpop feel.

A solid album with a few songs I remember from their release. A couple of the new to me ones were nice finds.

Not that good, not that bad. Would not refuse it, either would not recommend it.

First time hearing Manic Street Preachers. A few songs in, I was thinking there was a chance I was going to love this album. That didn't last, though, and I only ended up liking it. 👍Kevin Carter

A band that on paper I should probably like more than I do when I’ve listened to their music. Far from a bad record, Everthing Must Go sounds great and the vocals are especially compelling. In my opinion this is a band that you likely needed to be a fan of when they were in their heyday rather than one that you get into later. I do appreciate that they likely influenced the upcoming emo movement in music and were ahead of their time in that way.

This album is primarily just loud guitar strumming with a decent vocalist on top. It's very noisy, but also somewhat polished and radio ready.

A ratos sonaba muchísimo mejor que Oasis, en una canción incluso le sentí aires a Dream Theater. Luego me sonó demasiado a Oasis y me dio lata.

I can see why people value this album, though it didn’t move me much personally. There’s a certain nostalgic feel to it, yet somehow it also sounds a bit cheap. I can appreciate the intelligence behind their music, but being intellectual doesn’t necessarily make it moving. Compared to other albums released around 1996, this one just doesn’t leave much of an impact on me.

3.5/5

Not sure I liked it as much as the general reviews said others did but it was good nonetheless.

The album grew on me the more I listened to it. It sounds like a lot of 90s alt rock, which i generally like, but i'm not sure that it was particularly memorable

It was fine.

Another once that's nice enough, but nothing to get excited about. 3 *

It was good, I liked it. I dunno what else there is to say or think about this album. I dunno how influential or "greatest of all time" kinda reception it has, especially for an album from 1996. I have positive thoughts on this album but it didn't woo me or anything.

Not amazing, funny Blackpool song Crazy how one of the members disappeared +1 for being welsh

I've never been a fan of James Dean Bradfield's vocals, and im not a massive fan of the manics generally. But besides that this is a really great album. A design for life is the main banger, Kevin Carter is also brilliant. ive seen them live before now, and these songs do hit a bit differently then. ive always preferred Super Furry Animals and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci of the 90s welsh bands that were fairly big at the time.

I was alright, I did lose interest a but. I don’t overly like the sound of the lead singers voice for long periods

Middle of the road rock / pop

Light alt rock 90’s

Enjoyed but don't feel a need to re-listen

Not bad per se, but kind of forgettable. Further Away added to Liked Songs.

Not bad!

Some good, bland 90s pop rock. Meh.

Released in 1996 at the zenith of Brit-Pop mania Manic Street Preachers were seemingly the ugly buck toothed cousins of the poster-boys Oasis and Blur.

This one is perfectly fine. It feels like inoffensive 90s rock, it’s quite a few of them on this list. It seems like, I wonder if that’s because the creator grew up in that time or something? I think three is good, middle of the road.

its brit pop so i feel like i should hate it but this kinda awesome fr

Pretty solid I liked a few songs a lot, would give 3.5 probably

Meh

I go through phases with the Manic Street Preachers—sometimes I play them a lot, other times I forget they even exist. I saw them live last year, which reignited my interest, and Everything Must Go has been on regular rotation since. This is a solid indie album with a strong opening, though it loses steam towards the end. That might explain why, despite their status as one of the UK’s biggest indie bands, this record doesn’t quite feel like a big landmark album. For me, the Manics embody Britpop mediocrity: decent, polished indie music but nothing groundbreaking or wildly original. Like Stereophonics, Ash, and Ocean Colour Scene, they fall into that bracket of bands who have excellent greatest hits compilations, but no single killer album. Favourite tracks: A Design for Life, Everything Must Go, and Australia—all great indie tunes. Least favourite track: Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky—too whimsical and a bit naff, not one I’ll revisit. Album artwork: An iconic indie cover.

very commercial

For a band that inspires such rabid devotion from it's fans I can't really see what is so great about this 3*

Gmüetlich gsi zum lose und entdecke. Aber au eifach vergessbar, isch wahrschindli es parade 3 puntitos album

*insert classic average background listening review*

Generally fine. I forgot to rate it immediately after listening and so it's gone from my mind, but I didn't hate it.

Very 90s esque.

An overly polished 90s rock album with a couple of hits on it. I feel like successful bands hit a point where they have a high budget but no ideas for an album so they just chuck a string section in there

There are no mind-blowing albums this week. "Everything Must Go" is an average album. After Richie's disappearance, Manic Street Preachers seemed to sizzle out. I probably should reconsider the rating for "The Holy Bible"; it's too low for what should be a great album. The last song is a masterpiece. 3 stars for "Everything Must Go".

I had never really given Manic Street Preachers a proper chance before, even though I was familiar with a couple of their songs. This album led me to explore the band’s history, and the story behind it is both fascinating and unsettling. Everything Must Go was the first record the Manics released after the mysterious disappearance of their rhythm guitarist and lyricist, Richey Edwards. He vanished in 1995 and has never been found. While many believe he took his own life, as he had struggled with depression for years, his fate remains uncertain to this day. Some of the lyrics on this album were actually written by Edwards before his disappearance, which makes them feel even more significant. The lyrical themes on this album are varied and thought provoking. There's a song about the renowned photojournalist Kevin Carter. "Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky" deals with animal captivity but can also be read as a broader reflection on human existence. Another track references Sylvia Plath, while the most popular song on here, "A Design for Life", is about class struggles. The sound is generally grand and expansive, with sweeping string arrangements, soaring choruses, and wall-of-sound guitars. What I appreciate about the production is that, despite the sheer volume and density of the mix, all the intricacies and details remain clear. Take the chorus of Enola / Alone, for example: despite layers of guitars, drums, and bass all surging at once, every element is still distinctly audible. My main criticism is that the album sometimes leans too much on familiar Britpop formulas, which makes certain tracks, like "Removables" and "Further Away", feel somewhat generic and forgettable. I also find the vocals a bit jarring at times - James Bradfield often pushes into a forceful, almost shouty delivery that can feel overwhelming. 3.5/5

It's good for what it is but I just dont really love this like kind of sing along symphonic ish rock thing so I was never gonna enjoy this as much as other people might. A design for life is a great song.

Solid sound and vibe

Manics were always alright in my opinion, nt something I had to seek out, I knew some stuff from before this like "Motorcycle Emptiness" from Generation Terrorists, and "La Tristesse Durera" from Gold Against The Soul... And I knew about Richey Edwards mysterious disappearance. So most of the draw in this album was the inbuilt lore, could this band survive as a trio while missing half their songwriters (though some say more than half given Richey's lyrical input) and down a guitarist who didn't play guitar? And the answer is mostly yes, but the soul had gone and tone had shifted from introspective to outwardly more political, even the few songs Richey wote felt different, like "Kevin Carter" which is probably my favourite song on this album. An alright album, but a step down from their previous work, ironically the band would become way more accessible and commercially successful in the later 90s as a result

Alt/Brit Pop band from the 90s that I never heard of. I think their storied past with their lead songwriter disappearing puts them on this list more than the album itself.

Yeah, it was good. Wouldn’t make my 1001 list, but yeah. Why not.

Solid enough guitar pop music. Clearly in the same vein as britpop, which isn’t a deal breaker.

It's a solid rock album, nothing more, nothing less.

The Britpop of this really sours the rest of the music. A lot of interesting layers of sound here ruined by try-hard vocals.

Not really what I thought this band was?? Nothing against this really but it didn’t leave an impression, sadly

I liked their sound, they had a cool alternative vibe going.

Good

A bit foo fighters

Alt rock, I think

Ordinaire. Ce n’est pas mauvais, loin de là, mais il n’y a rien de remarquable. Ça manque de personnalité.

Nothing bad to say, I'm just indifferent to this album.

6/10 I thought I'd be more of a fan. I love the song "if you tolerate this then your children will be next" but I'm kind of underwhelmed. Still listenable though. 7-29-2025

Very solid. Totally new to me. Although I kept feeling like they sounded like a local band from Ohio or something that never made it big. Or like the soundtrack to a movie about a fictional rock band. Perhaps the vocals are just too musical theater for me. Or perhaps I don't have room in my heart for 90s rock bands for which I don't have a previous attachment. Further proof to me that this list is 1001 albums to listen to before you die as selected by an elder Gen X London hipster. But I'm going with it.

This album didn't stand out to me in any particular way. Very much an average sounding album to me.

Enjoyable enough, but I don't get why it made this list.

Not bad. Not great. I'd willing to explore more if the MSP catalog though. 3/5 #129

Just so-so for me.

Glad that it was more manic and less preachy

I get why of the two Manics albums on this list their first album post-Richey Edwards had to be on here. As a release it’s incredibly interesting to see how a band continues following such a tragedy and the already notable absence Richey left on their sound. As an album, it’s not my favourite Manics (I do wish they could have squeezed Generation Terrorists onto the list), but it serves as a blueprint for the style of music they would go on to play for the rest of their career. Decent!

Grew on me as it went on—decent.

A good album, I liked A Design For Life and A Girl Who Wanted To Be God the most.

Decent, but forgettable.

its like bad radiohead still decent - 6/10

I didn't really get through all of this but what I heard I'll give it 3 stars

90s rock... fine, with glimpses of being something more interesting

never liked the manics too much but eh, some tracks are nice but most mediocre :/

Knew this album as a teenager, haven't listened for best part of 30 years - really enjoyed the opportunity to revisit - title track & 'A Design For Life' the standouts.

This was an okay album. Nothing too special, or out of the ordinary. The orchestra parts on some songs really added some extras. The singers voice didnt really do it for me. Drums were nice though. Medium album overall.

Lots to see as a good job here: driving rhythm, real lyrics, creative guitar, musically aware production. Not a fan of the invasive strings, the borderline pop singing. I go back to The Holy Bible for a better Manic vibe, or a couple songs at the end of the album (Australia or Interiors).

Had never of this album, pleasantly surprised - good straight ahead rock. Nothing earth shattering but def high quality.

I thought I liked Manic Street Preachers. Maybe I’m thinking of someone else or maybe it’s just this album, but I thought these songs weren’t quite there. They’re not bad or unlistenable. But something about them just doesn’t quite get them over the line. I’ll take REM 100 times out of 100.

3.5

Decent rock album

I like it, never heard of them before but a fun sound. Very full sound

Fun music I had not heard of before

Never heard of them or this album but I was pleasantly surprised. Not obsessed but pretty good

6/10

Indeed it must! Good energy here.

Not sure I gave this one the full concentration it deserves but generally enjoyed it. I sort of eased my way into it as at first I wasn’t sure quite certain, but a couple of tracks later got into general vibe. Feel I need to give it another listen and will try it again for sure.

There are times that this sounds like its falling apart then they surprise you with some polish and variance. I have always considered MSP to be a B band. Never turn them off and even seen them live. They are fun and entertaining. They are however just the average rock pop you listen to by chance not design. Probably harsh but just my personal viewpoint but never unlocked my personal play list despite me probably knowing them well.

Listening to this album made me think of listening to a good support band. You are mainly just happy they aren't totally shit and therefore quite enjoy the listen, then the main act comes and they are promptly forgotten. Not bad, just "meh". Can hear some early Brit pop and the first few tracks made me think of Elbow. Fine but unexciting.

6/10.

Whee that's brand new and fresh sounding to me, I dig it!

6/1001 Buen álbum, me gustó, tiene esa estética rock de esos años, realmente con la escucha estuve un poco distraído pero me gustó

Nice BritPop

A lot of catchy tracks that I rrally enjoyed. May or may not listen again tho.

Highs and lows. Overall good.

Very 90s. Pretty good. Can def see how they paved the way for bands like Anberlin a few years later

Dated, mediocre Britpop album. Inoffemsive Overall.

Good rock band Sounds like Wheezer meets Foo. FIghters; rock with classical strings 'Everything Must Go' Further Away

Between 2 and 3 for me. I feel like I should make the effort to listen closer. But, not grabbed by first couple of listens.

Never really got the Manics so I was expecting a hard listen, it was at first but then it got easier as it went through and I’d listened to a few of the hits I knew of and by the second listen I actually enjoyed it. They’re never gonna be my favourite band ever but I can see the merit and appeal of their music - Design for Life is obviously amazing - but some of the album tracks I really enjoyed too. Will definitely be back to revisit 3.5/5 Standout tracks; Design for Life (obviously) Australia Little Black Flowers Removables Interiors

Interesting, but I think I need more time with it. Not a bad thing to say.

It was ok, lil heavy

I wish they were more manic

= the Beatles

no easy gsi för das dass es ned so min stil esch

enjoyable, but kind of forgettable as well.

Good album. I liked it

Quintessential 90s brit pop. Inoffensive, as some reviewers have put it, but I think that's actually a positive for this album. It's catchy and entertaining but maybe I'm just a fan of this genre--idk. Not award-worthy but not terrible.

This was fine. It was probably a lot better in 1996. 2.8

A Design for Life is such an amazing song, that has loved rent Free in my brain for almost 30 years. This song almost single handedly gives this record 4 stars. There are some tracks that I don’t really enjoy, but Everything Must Go, Small Black Flowers and a couple of other are pretty good. 3/5

Terrible vocals on the first song almost turned me all the way off...

Never quite clicked with the Manics and I'm not sure why. On paper they should be right up my street, definitely in the Ash/Supergrass genre. Recognised a few songs on here, this must be the big album. It's all decent and the guy has a good voice but there's something that stops it being any more than good. Can't place it but that's my review. 3.5. but more a 3.

3.3 I quite enjoyed that, but not really a bad I could listen to on repeat. That 90s heavyish britpop, but like the verve, some songs are really good, but at the same time kind of get you down.

The sound of 90s radio. I've always been frustrated by Manic Street Preachers. They have fragments of absolutely amazing ideas and melodies, but they always seem to back off or give up before completing them.