Everything Must Go

A bunch of new kids moved to town through some gas station they were a part of. One was a tattoo artist and was giving away tattoo. I went with a guy I didn't really like but he set the whole thing up. He got his tattoo .I didn't. We ended up onbsoje adventure that ibdont remember at all but ended up at Lee's old house. It was full of 90s teens, mostly skaters. They all seemed really cool but the only conversation I Remer was me telling them wait until they meet Scott and Christian which most had already. I was still waiting for my tattoo trying to decide what to get. Most of the ideas I had were the words I will survive with different tv anti heroes faces above it. I finally decide on skull face but it's too late

Most of it just blurs together, but there are moment of beauty.

The first Manics album after Richey Edwards disappeared in 1995, it is a good britpop/rock album, their music was tight and well constructed, though personally I think that nothing stood out much and it wasn't that memorable throughout - the rougher, darker and wilder sound when Richey was still in the band was missing from this album.

very very mild, first half more interesting than the second

Fine. If I heard this on the radio back in the day on the college station or whatnot I’d probably like it enough to keep listening but not enough to seek out the album and buy it. I read the story behind the song Kevin Carter. Heavy.

meh

Nothing spectacular but an alright album

En av deras bästa album, men Manics har inte åldrats så väl. Mkt stadiumriffande, men också mästerverk som a design to life

Everything Must Go isn’t a great album, but it’s not unlistenable either. It just feels like Steely Dan running on cruise control—clean, polished, but kind of forgettable. The jazz-rock fusion is still there, but the spark is a little dimmer than on their classic albums. “Everything Must Go” as a concept sounds promising, but most of the tracks blur together. The one that stood out to me was “Australia”—catchier and with a bit more energy. Overall, it’s fine background music, but not one I’ll be coming back to often. Favorite song: Australia

Thanks for reintroducing this album to me, I had forgotten how good it was.

Well, this is one of the not-so-bad Britpop albums. It's always just a little bit below being overly pretentious.

Too soon! I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about the MSP album I got five days ago! 1) Each album has two or three songs I really quite like, while the rest make me wonder if there’s something wrong with me for liking the ones I do. 2) Is this My Chemical Romance’s favorite band?

Groupe inconnu. Les premiers morceaux sont intéressants : instrumentation originale parfois (entendre de la harpe était une bonne surprise), harmonie un peu peu plus recherchée que d'habitude pour du rock. J'ai apprécié "A Design for Life", "Kevin Carter". Mais l'album ne tient pas la distance, je me suis un peu ennuyé vers la fin. Découverte intéressante donc, mais qui ne rejoindra pas ma collection. =>3/5

This felt like an AI generated britpop album. Middle of the road guff, snuck a 3

Upbeat Brit-rock, catchy enough and fairly pleasant to listen to. Some of this feels like 'you had to be there' music. I'm just wondering now if I don't really like 90s British music all that much, outside of Oasis and some odd singles (Blur, etc).

and now that ive listened to this album, im prepared for a lifetime of never listening to it again

Average 90s pop rock. nothing that really sticks for me but it's well written and don't make me skip any songs halfway through.

Great singles, rest of the album felt long and unfocused in places

Not quite my tempo.

This is the most generic brit pop. Who put it in this list? WHO!?

Not my fav pero mola

3.5 Fav tracks: Everything Must Go, Australia

About on par with Steely Dan's identically named Everything Must Go album – another pleasant but relatively forgettable 3-star hitter. The music in the Manics' version is good, inoffensive, passable – but not much beyond that. The guitar sound is a little on-the-nose for 90s alt-rock. Its distortion is so darn overdone for that musical era that you pretty much tune it out as a listener in search of something more unique. A Design for Life reminds me of a better version of Sulk (off Radiohead's The Bends, released a year earlier). The "group" singing is a musical trend that I feel really picked up in the early 2000s, so in that sense the Manics were ahead of their time. The Girl Who Wanted to Be God is another standout track. It sounds very much like something the Smiths would've released. The tambourine and spacious production is a big part of that. Morrissey's undeniable stage presence is missing though, replaced by a fairly generic youthful quasi-rock vocal. The singing does sound pretty good when it's self-harmonising though (as it does in many choruses throughout the album). The album closer, No Surface All Feeling is the rare track that actually has a riff, and a good one at that – though it's overpowered by the avalanche of distortion on the rhythm guitar when it appears. I like the juxtaposition between high and low sections of the song. There are a few tracks that do pretty much nothing for me, which is another factor bringing this down from 4 or 5 stars. 3/5 Key tracks: A Design for Life, The Girl Who Wanted to Be God, No Surface All Feeling

So just listening on the surface and not getting too deep, it was good. Lots of good beats, rhythms and hooks (except maybe Kevin Carter, just a little repetitive). But then I read a little more into the lyrics and they are really poetic and deep, but ALL over the place. We are mad about British culture being overtaken American culture, mental health related to being overwhelmed by world atrocities, please like our new songwriter and more commercial songs, I wish I hadn't forgotten my working class roots...just really all over the place. As one off songs it would make sense, but as an album it was just a lot of different things to focus on.

Kedvenc/Favourite: The Girl Who Wanted to Be God Nem fogott meg, nagyon tipikus ilyen 90-es évek zene, ami annyira nincs közel a szívemhez. Biztos van, akinek nagyon tetszik, látom benne a potenciált, de én nem ilyen vagyok valamiért. It didn't resonate with me, it's very typical 90's music that's not really close to my heart. I'm sure some people like it a lot, I can see the potential in it, but I'm not like that for some reason.

Didn't age that well

Wasn't expecting much from this group, as I did a bit of research and saw it was yet ANOTHER UK rock band from the 90's who the author of this list seems to love and forces them on us. I listened all the way through and actually didn't think it was all that awful. Nothing spectacular, but I found a couple of songs that worked. 3/5

Decent sound, wasn’t too memorable for me.

stuff that's not great: - sounding a lot like early Radiohead - also sounding a bit like Muse or whatever that band I don't like is stuff that's cool: - some of the guitar parts - managing to use lyrics written by a disappeared band member (known to be almost certainly dead already at this point) and sound not like a tribute, or exploitation, or gloomy memorial - continuing to split band money equally with said disappeared guy indefinitely and it's the last couple that have me round up to 3. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

Excellent Brit pop that overstays its welcome a bit toward the end.

Eigentlich ganz gut. Angenehm anzuhören, nicht zu lang oder langweilig.

More tolerable than other Brit rock albums. Still nothing special to my ears though.

The love I have for the Holy Bible exists because of what it was, an extremely dark broken album for dark painful days... The follow up to that album was this, only one year later and without a key member of the band. This is much more poppy, upbeat and fits perfectly into the alterna-pop echelon of the mid 90's, but it is no Holy Bible... Perhaps, it should be noted that creating anything upbeat after the wild disappearance of a bandmate is an achievement in itself, but it's hard to find the relevancy of this album in 2024.

A very quintessential ⭐️⭐️⭐️ album. Nothing objectionable, nothing memorable. But gotta give them credit for moving on after Richey Edwards’ disappearance. Actually, the back half picks up a little bit. I particularly like “Interiors (Song for Willem De Kooning).” But coming back to nothing memorable to take away, it wasn’t the music, but actually the subject of “Kevin Carter” that will stick with me the most. So many people know Carter’s famous Pulitzer Prize winning picture, “The Vulture and the Little Girl,” but I didn’t know his story or that of the Bang Bang Club.

I had to go back and listen to Holy Bible to figure out why I didn't like this one as much when I remember really liking Holy Bible. Holy Bible lyrics are dark but the quick pace and driving beat makes it a little harder than pop punk, early emo. Everything Must Go has lost some of the edge with a slightly slower tempo and the inclusion of the orchestral and synth sounds. I prefer the earlier work.

Not bad, but just middle of the road Brit Pop

This got me reading the story of the disappearance of the former member, a wild story. Never heard of this band before, a nice sound. 3* Highlights: a design for life, no surface all feeling

Ok

A few standout tracks

I've felt like I should like Manics for a long time, and always wanted to get into them. I just don't for some reason. Standout song - Kevin Carter

Kind of a lighter Foo Fighters? Fine.

Enjoyable, but not memorable.

I don't mind it, but there's not enough there to bring it out of the background hum of 90s music. Which is kind of how I felt about the band at the time

Best Song: Everything Must Go. Always like when the title track is tops. This song had the best pop-punk vocals of the lot. Worst Song: Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky. From the title to the lyrics to the delivery, it feels like they really think they're doing something deep and emotional here, and I just don't think they're pulling it off. Overall: Inoffensive and normal pop-ish, rock-ish, punk. The kind of music that it feels difficult to have a strong opinion on, because nothing here really warrants that great of a response.

some ok 90s pop-rock. Not really memorable. 2.5 rounding up

classic 3 star contender

Really enjoyed

18v minä, Provinssi Rock 2001, Manic Street Preachers soittaa lavalla A Design for Life ja festari-ihastus heiluttaa persettä keimailevasti edessä. Voi juma, tapahtuma löi muistijäljen joka on alitajunnassa silottanut ko. orkesterista pitämistä ehkä yli ansaitun. Hieno muisto ja kokemus. Itse levyltä löytyi enää vuosia myöhemmin ko. kipale tartuntapintana ja kyllähän tätä kuuntelee ja bändin soundi on kyllä omanlaisensa.

Perusjeekkis.

This was very 90s. Crunchy guitars and a guy yelling lyrics. It was okay. Not great or bad. I probably won't listen to it again.

As one half of iconic 90s duo Houmous & Chutney, I know a thing or two about holding a grudge. I’ll never forgive Manic Street Preachers for what they did to us. 2.7

the holy bible better be on this list if this one is…

Better than I expected. Good melodies and a few real rockers.

Since I had heard of these guys before I thought there would be something to them more than what I heard on that album. There is a lack of vocal range and power on these tracks that gives the album an unfinished feel. It doesn’t fully take praise from the songs but it hinders listening to the album in full. It’s mid

Surprisingly pretty good

Some cool stuff I’d never heard before but man this fucking list

Good but not great. I prefer Holy Bible over this one. Some decent tracks but it is inconsistent overall. Still, a decent listen.

I think I had this album back in the day, I remember the Manic's being everywhere in the 90's in the UK. Very distinctive vocals, interesting backstory in regards of the guitarist going missing and never to be found. I always found them ok nothing to special for me but nice to go back an hear it again now, its been a while. Stand out tracks: - A Design for Life - Kevin Carter - Small black flowers that grow in the sky - Removables - No surface all feeling

2 stars at 8:30am but 4 stars after a full workday a little overwrought and eventually it's like "alright that's enough of that" but good lyrics and love the guitarwork

...sometimes there songs seem random

Nice music but the lyrics sound like they picked random words out of a hat

Some really enjoyable tracks, but fades as it goes on.

Nothing to dislike but didn't feel too interested either but Kevin Carter did intrigue me

Primer acercamiento a Manic Street Preachers como banda. El año 1996 la escena britpop recibiría la llegada de este destacado trabajo, considerado un clásico dentro del Reino Unido y un punto de inflexión para la banda, ello debido a la ausencia de uno de sus miembros originales Richey Edwards, quien falleció bajo extrañas circunstancias. Entonces, ¿Qué nos ofrece este LP? A decir verdad, mucho y poco. El trabajo del actual trio contiene una importante mezcla de rock alternativo y britpop, la cual lleva consigo algunos fastuosos arreglos instrumentales y letras. No obstante, en lo personal me costó mucho conectar con este álbum, y la mayoría del tiempo estuve mirando la hora para que acabara. Ello puede deberse a que sentí que la voz del cantante nunca acababa de encajar en las canciones o también que las composiciones carecían de color y originalidad, haciendo que hubiese poca diversidad de sonido dentro del álbum. En síntesis: no me veo volviendo a escuchar este trabajo, pero respeto el esfuerzo de la banda al realizar este álbum pese a los hechos ocurridos. FAVTRAXS: Enola/Alone, Further Away, No Surface All Feeling LEASTFAV: Kevin Carter 2.5/5

The album sometimes has this surreal soundtrack feeling interwoven with the rock genre. I don't think I really understood what the album was going for until Enola/Alone. That track turned around my perception of the album, and the rest of it kind of clicked. I don't know that this is necessarily an elite album, though. I'll give the first couple tracks another listen, after I finish my first listen through. It is a complete album, and there isn't any large variation in song quality throughout, but it never is really good. I liked it, but it's not a great album. Favorite Song(s): Enola/Alone, No Surface All Feeling

Pleasant, middle-of-the-road ‘90s Britpop. I think this album has pretensions of wanting to rise above the common fare of the time, but the resulting problem is that, as the band has not fully succeeded in creating something expressive or poignant, they have also lost any sense of fun. Nonetheless, it is an enjoyable listen, even if a bit repetitive and not particularly memorable.

Not a band I remember at all, but a fun, highly listenable LP.

I've always found the Manics' lyrics and willingness to speak out on political issues more interesting than their actual music, which has a tendency towards middle of the road dad rock. There's a couple of songs that I enjoyed on this album, although, as it came out when I was 15, there's a degree of nostalgia colouring my thoughts. Really, the only truly good Manics' songs are Motorcycle Emptiness and a couple of tunes from the Holy Bible.

I didn't really expect another Manic Street Preachers album (beyond "The Holy Bible"), given that their lyricist committed suicide not long after that album was released, but here you go. Definitely less hard-edged than "The Holy Bible", and I guess more commercially successful, but kind of disappointing for being a bit more generic-sounding without Richey Edwards exploring down the spiral. My favorites on this album are probably "Kevin Carter" and "Interiors" (in part for how both of them get into tragic human conditions), but nothing really grabbed me, to be honest. Too bad, too, because some of the songs have some interesting titles and accompanying perspectives (and some inspired by or written by Edwards), but I couldn't go beyond comparing this album to "The Holy Bible", mainly unfavorably; I wish they hadn't jumped so hard on the Britpop train.

Very mid, very tame rock pop tunes 3/5

Pretty good

Back to back britpop albums! Giving a lot of these albums just a listen or two before moving on really doesn't do them the service they deserve. But with daily albums and 1001 to get through there's not a lot of room, especially considering I listen to a lot of albums outside of this list. I feel that this album may be one of the victims of the persistent nature of a list like this. There's something here. Some stand out songs like the title track, as well as the closing. If I had more time I could see the whole thing growing on me, but alas I must continue on. Maybe I'll come back at a later time.

A brilliant album with some songs that are so dear to me. Angry and doesn’t try to hide it. I wish the album tracks were stronger though. I love the singles

Not sounding great out of the gate. That 90s Brit pop-rock sound of super flat mixing with boosted vocals is among my least favorite trends. However, the inclusion of harp does win some favors here. Yeah this one just sort of washed over me without making any lasting impression. The flatness of the mix doesn't help, but in general Brit pop-rock rarely moves the needle for me. Normally would be a 2 / 5, but there were a few brighter moments that I actually enjoyed. The stretch from Removables to Interiors and Small Black Flowers among them. So with this in mind its a pretty low 3 / 5.

Feels like pretty standard early 00's alternative rock. Seeing as this is from 1996 I can see why its on this list. They used a fair amount of effects and let the guitarist do his thing a number of times which was neat, but ultimately this is just an album that I listened to and that's about the extent of my feelings toward it.

Pretty typical 90s rock. No highs or lows for me, just completely average

Halfway through and there is something so incredibly cheesy about this. Of course as I'm typing this I really like Removables. Can definitely hear some early Radiohead in some of this. Overall pretty run of the road brit-pop. Low 3

Ok, easy listen but wouldn't really come back for anything on here

It's a pretty solid album, but at the end of the day, this is simply Britpop that doesn't really offer anything new. Middle of the road 3 stars from me.

Surprise! More britpop!! This album is pretty catchy although maybe two songs too long. A couple of notable songs (not sure if they were hits or not) are "The Girl Who Wants To Be God" and 'Everything Must Go".

I’ve actually hear this album played in full live. Always thought it was decent at best

jangly-ass british pop-rock that i don't really need more of in my life

I'm only familiar with Manic Street Preachers through this project. If I'm honest, I didn't get into them from the last listen (The Holy Bible album) and was disappointed to see them again. But the more I listen to Everything Must Go the more I can appreciate them. I had written a ramshackle review of this record and have erased it all since the above is the better summary of the experience — and all that needs to be known of "my take" on it. For the truly curious, it ultimately boiled down to two things: First, while all of the songs are tunefully delivered, I prefer the ones that are louder and more bombastic in general (no surprise) and I noted that those don't necessarily correlate to what appear to be the more popular tracks on the record. Second, I made a Ted Leo comparison, speculated if he was a fan, and playfully asked if he should he be paying royalties on Further Away? Nothing novel and very little added but there you go.

I'm surprised I haven't heard of this before, if it was as popular as the wiki says. It has some of the rock/pop sound of that era but a little more ambitious. The production is good and the songs are okay, although not very sticky on one listen. I think it accomplishes what it was trying to do. 3.5

Mid, the instrumentals were sooo good but as soon as they starting singing whatever nonsense they were singing I hated it

Mag die MSP aber dies ist für mich eines ihrer schwächerer Alben ***

I had never heard this album until this set of listens. I applaud their efforts as a 1990’s post-grunge band, but for me it felt like a relic of the ‘90s offering little that I hadn’t heard before from other bands (eg, Pablo Honey-era Radiohead; the Verve; Gin Blossoms; etc). Key tracks Everything Must Go and Girl Who Wanted to be God.

It alright - but production hasn’t dated well!

I appreciate this a bit more than most Brit pop of it’s time. It felt like there was some serious thought given to the composition and instrumentation, especially on the title track. I got a sense of weight and movement that id normally hear in a Zedd song 🤌 Hard-earned 3, could come back to it and bump it up to a 4

It's an interesting album. Seems very innovative 90's style. I'm not a huge fan of it but I'm sure I would listen again under the right circumstances. 3/5 for innovation.

Banda particular, que muestra la variedad musical de los '90, más allá de la movida grunge. Sonidos del estilo de Weezer y con una estética más sobria, por fuera del reviente de esos años. Hoy, reseña sintética.

Pretty decent 90s rock but nothing amazing

It’s not bad at all, but it’s just a bit… meh. Baroque Pop instrumentation with hard rock style vocals on top. Ok.

Better than the Holy Bible, more overtly popish, but the songs still sounnd like cinderblocks to me I wish they gave a bit more space to their sound .

Not terrible at all, found it quite good, recognised some songs and will be coming back to it

short album. interesting. Not great.

Pretty much 'meh' for my taste. Not great, not bad, just OK.

Notable tracks: A Design for Life, Kevin Carter, Everything Must Go, The Girl Who Wanted to Be God, Australia, Interiors (Song for Willem de Kooning), No Surface All Feeling

When I read some of the other reviews, I thought, "Oh, Brit-pop, I'm sure I'll like this". Well, it was ok. I wasn't particularly impressed by the album. There wasn't a song on it that stuck in my mind. I probably won't listen to the album again. 3/5

I enjoyed this, but I don't see what's so exceptional about it that it deserves a place on this list.

Вторая половина меня качнула. поэтому ставлю трояк. Хотя хотел изначально ругаться

It’s a fine pretty generic 90s album. I didn’t hear greatness here. The second half was catchier for sure. Just a regular 3 spot here.

The disappearance of Richey Edwards in 1994 casts a very long shadow over this album. I get the feeling that the band wanted to turn this up to 11 and throw everything into it, but the result sounds a bit bombastic and, well, preachy at times. It really is very loud and worthy, but the quieter track Small Black Flowers that Grow in the Sky (written by Edwards) shows what the album might have been if he was still present.

It's good britpop I guess? OK to listen too, but not really my cup of tea. For a band of the genre the music is not too pompous and stays pleasant but I won't go back to it.

Nothing offensive. Nothing interesting. Might as well be Muzak.

Best wel leuk

58% (3)

Sometimes I forgot to be listening. Which isn’t a great sign. This was ok. Just nothing to grab onto and hold my attention.

I don’t really know why there has to be more than 1 Manic Street Preachers album (The Holy Bible) on this list but this was OK. I liked the use of strings. In general I don’t really like the Manic Street Preachers much though.

Totally fine mid-90's rock. I didn't understand why The Holy Bible was included in this list and I don't understand this inclusion either. But it's fine!

sorry manic street preachers i wasn't familiar with your game!! i really wish i could do half star ratings cause this is definitely a 3.5 for me. not particularly groundbreaking but very listenable. faves: kevin carter, interiors

It's not a bad album at all! I do think it went on too long, but that could've been solved by having something more interesting going on with the instrumentation + melodies. Some songs like Australia really tested my nerves. But I do enjoy a good amount of the lyrics, especially the first track- but it really did start feeling like a full hour of commercial rock with frequently interesting lyrics, and I can't fuck with that, sorry :( A high three stars!

I can hear Oasis influence. Good stuff.

Had never heard of this group. They got some quality late 90s alternative sounds and they can definitely jam at times. This was enjoyable.

Interesting. Good.

Had their album 'The Holy Bible' before and enjoyed it a lot, seemed like a good addition to the list. This one I don't really see the reason for the inclusion. It's a solid album of pop/indie-rock, the singles especially are all great. I also was a big fan of the closing track, the guitars were a bit thicker and it felt closer to a shoegaze song than anything else here. Overall it's just fine though, don't think it needs to be here but i wasn't mad about hearing it.

Feels like music written explicitly for the band to be playing during the prom scene of 90s coming-of-age movie. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Props for the intro to The Girl Who Wanted to Be God, for giving Willem de Kooning a shoutout, and the guitar in No Surface All Feeling.

Thoughts before listening: These guys are a pretty big deal to a lot of music fans, but I don't really know anything about them. 90s British alt rock I think but not from the Britpop or Madchester scenes. I am not sure what to expect. Review: Okay so reading up on thesa guys, they started as a rebellion against the popular British alt rock bands of the time with a sound that leaned closer to punk rock and metal. However, after their guitarist/songwriter mysteriously disappeared, they regrouped and released this album which showed a move toward more accessible alt rock. I kind of remember that story from when I was a kid, but these guys were never huge in the US. Anyway, this is okay. I don't recognize any of this despite being VERY into alternative music in 1996, and that includes the hit "A Design for Life". I feel like a lot of mid-90s British bands ended up on MTV and college radio, but even these guys' big song didn't cross my path. The album is full of catchy rock music that sounds like a lot of other 90s bands, but there's definitely nothing groundbreaking here. I like the horns in "Kevin Carter" which is probably my 2nd favorite song. 3-stars

Correcto.

Ok album, only listened once. 3/5 for now because I didn’t have time to give it a second listen

Better than I expected it to be. Not great to me, but it's better than the other one on this list.

I have not heard of this band before. It wasn’t my typical style of music but I did enjoy listening. My least favourite track was Elvis Impersonator and my favorite was Enola/Alone. I will listen again!

Mid alt-rock. Not even distinguishable as a brit-pop imo

Overall felt like another typical British rock album. Not bad, but nothing I’d necessarily seek out. Australia was the song that stood out.

I think this was the first like proper "album" I owned, on cassette, in 1996. I subsequently got into the Manics in a big way, then found them a bit depressing and trite. My declining interest was nailed when I had a very drunk and absolutely hilarious conversation with Elbow's Guy Garvey about them at Glastonbury 2013. I won't repeat what he said, but it was not complementary to the Manics. So yeah, a bit of a strange one to revisit. I can totally see why it gave the band some well-deserved time in the spotlight, replacing the macabre, almost lo-fi production of "The Holy Bible" with a confident Britpop sheen. But this is also its weakest element; the extra layer of strings always feels unnecessary and waters down the songs, especially the title track. "Girl Who Wanted To Be God" is the strongest track here, it's perfectly placed in the album's ebbs and flows.

Good

the singer's voice takes some getting used to. interesting backstory about one of them disappearing before this album was made. Enola/Alone is a good song.

Good album, bored me slightly

this is one of the better britpop albums, in my opinion, but that may be because i have recently heard a number of britpop albums that sounded very much the same. manic street preachers made this album worth it! i heard more of a modern sound, perhaps because i'm reminded of arcade fire? 1996 isn't that long ago, but it doesn't quite sound like it's from that year. one aspect that has the MSP stand out is their lyrics. something about them feels different and clever in comparison to other britpop, which seems so boring and straight forward in comparison.

Considering the Britpop mediocrity on this project, I was expecting worse. This album suffers from what a lot of Britpop suffers from -- most songs are just guitar forward and ultimately blend together. That said, this album in general was pleasantly different sounding than a lot of the Britpop on this project. All in all, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, either. But I did like it.

I'm struggling to see what makes this album notable as it seems pretty bland to me. But I guess that's a lot of British pop culture. For me, it's just okay.

Good album but not sure I would listen to it again

3.5/5 overall enjoyed it. But kinda sad vibes

Like the sound, a little pedestrian. Title cut and A Design for Life are the best songs. There aren’t any songs that you would want to skip or can’t listen to, so that’s a plus. Couldn’t figure out Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky… (2.9*s)

A Design for Life certainly caught my attention on the first listen. Not being famaliar with this band I wasn't really sure what to expect but the songs certainly grew on me on the second listen. 3 for now but could probably be a 4 with a few more listens.

A pretty good rock album. Inoffensive, enjoyable, and easy to move on from. Highlights: Enola / Alone, Everything Must Go, No Surface All Feeling

B- Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier 3 A Design For Life 4 Kevin Carter 4 Enola/Alone 3 Everything Must Go 4 Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky 3 The Girl Who Wanted To Be God 3 Removables 3 Australia 3 Interiors (Song For Willem De Kooning) 3 Further Away 3 No Surface All Feeling 3 This was a pleasant surprise.

Okay. Not really my thing.

Hard to get involved with this album. No thanks.

This was a pretty good album. Didn’t leave any impression on me, but I did save The Girl who wanted to be god.

Verges on the bland but considering the circumstances it's impressive and has some interesting ideas and good songs. I would revisit even if the soaring choruses tend to wear on.

что-то в этом есть, надо продолжить

Fine. Nothing more, nothing less

Enjoyed it. Listened to the extended anniversary version. Never heard of them before.

This is both good and bad, but the music was comfortable enough that I tuned it out. Didn’t pay attention but made for good thinking music.

Unremarkable

Bien, un poco cansinos.

It’s somewhere between a 3 and a 4. A very weird Elvis themed miserable Blackpool start going into an absolute banger really threw me for a loop. The rest of the album sat somewhere in the middle, although I liked Australia a lot. Would listen again.

Need to listen again

2,5

S'alright I suppose. Design For Life was the standout, though I knew it already. I don't think I'll be going back for a repeat listen.

i fell asleep when listening to this

Interesting. Must revisit.

I can tell this is a good album but for some reason I’m just not a fan of the sound of the singers voice. It’s not that it’s bad, but more that it’s not for me. I know there’s albums I find to be 5/5 albums that other people would say the same thing for. Unfortunately as good as I could tell this album is, I just couldn’t enjoy it.

3/5

Kann man sich anhören.

Good Rock album. Nothing outstanding though

I like this record, but it's far from essential. Like a lot of CD era albums, it's longer than it should have been. It sounds very 1990s. More American than most of their Brit pop colleagues. Reminds me of the Posies. Or maybe the Posies sound more British than other American bands. Favorite song: A Design For Life.

Not bad. Happy and interesting.

Kinda liked it, kinda didn't. At times, it felt like I should be enjoying it more, but I just wasn't.

Yep

Solid British alt-rock. I doubt I’m going to come back to listen to it again, but if somebody else put it on I wouldn’t be upset about it.

Not bad, I have to say I never knew that Manic was a Welsh band. It was nice to hear out of the blue, “A Design for Life” a song that I really do enjoy but had no idea it was a MSP song.

Apparently, MSP sought out Mike Hedges, who has been responsible for some of the finest music ever made to produce this album. Surely nothing can go wrong? Luckily for all involved, nothing does. At the time of release, they had never really been a band I got overly excited about. After what seems an eternity, revisiting this on a decent set up in my music room, it sounds bloody good for what it is - a good comercial indie rock blaster. Even the album tracks are quality. Maybe they benefitted by the shock departure of Ritchie Edwards, who either did jump of a bridge or became an ice cream seller in Aberystwyth - who knows? This is getting difficult again in grading, it gets a high 3

3 - It feels a tad odd starting with this one rather than Holy Bible, but this is just how things shook out. That second song really is the best one, but everything else is fine. I don't have a ton to say about it. I hope I like Holy Bible more.

It was good. Not really into them, but I can appreciate the album. Times like this, I wish you could give half stars because I would bump this one up.

I like Brit-Pop and I had never heard an album by the Manic Street Preachers. Initially, I'm not sure what is so important about this album, as it sounds like the typical Brit-Pop that I tend to enjoy. So a pleasant listen and I will check out more of their albums.

Didnt enjoy that much

Surprised I hadn’t heard of this band. Pretty solid alt rock, added a few songs to playlists, however middle of album felt unmemorable at times. 3.8/5.

I like the band name. I think I'm still traumatized by the Oasis album a few days ago. There's so much stuff on this list from the UK late 70s through mid 90s where it's just not very good. This isn't as bad as some of it, but it's not exactly making any real progress, either. It's not like these guys are reinventing popular music, and this album isn't essential by a long stretch.

Everything Must Go is my style of music. 90s guitar rock. However it’s very unspectacular 90s guitar rock. 6.2/10

Bien, un poco cansinos.

It was far from the quality I found in the "Holy Bible" that I got some months ago on the list, but still an honest indie rock album that was enjoyable.

I enjoyed this. I hadn’t heard it. It was really solid

Bops: A Design for Life Everything Must Go

Still not a huge britpop fan. Some tracks were nice others just pop

I did enjoy this, but it was a bit mid

Je ne me souviens plus de cet album et la j'ai lancé un Nuzlocke de Pokemon Emeraude docn autant vous dire que j'ai d'autres chats à fouetter.

Very 90s

I didn't feel strongly about this album either way, felt like background noise to me, it did not do anything special. Not memorable at all for me. My favorite track was "The Girl Who Wanted to Be God".

Good album, not for me.

Just average

It's not my type of music

I enjoyed this as much as any other britpop

started pretty boring, but the second half had some good songs

Grand

Low 3. Average at best.

Sound like Jellyfish to me, another creative band that blended multiple styles and had a spoken poetry singing style. I certainly enjoy the style here, but the music doesn’t click. The voice is kind of all over the place, the guitar riffs are pretty good. I think the 90s got a little carried away with GRAND sound and covered up the weaker parts of the song with a string orchestra.

Ca sonnait un peu average rock au depart mais la qualité de leurs chansons se sont progressivement améliorées progressivement. Mérite une deuxième écoute

MSP were my favourite band as a teen and this was the first album of theirs I heard. While it's good, I think it was the start of the end of them being an interesting and surprising band. Holy bible is obviously the masterpiece but the first two were more interesting than this. This one sounded the beginning of the arena rock anthemic middle of the road era. This is my truth took that way further and they've mostly stayed in that space. And made a lot of money doing so tbf 7/10 but I've prob added a point for nostalgia

I hadn't heard these guys before, what a discovery! Good album.

Doesn't grab me

Solid but a bit the same throughout. Some standout tunes though.

This is a fairly solid album, the band is tight and focused. I enjoyed the couple of slower tracks, as well as the couple of louder, meatier ones. Everything in between, which was most of it, was somewhat forgettable. Won't go into rotation, as there's not much that will draw me back, and there are similar albums from this period id much rather go back to. Another one where I can't understand how it makes the list, but it's an alright album. Strong 2.5 Fav track: small flowers that grow in the sky

I can totally see the appeal here - anthemic tunes, lots of juice in the vocal delivery and playing, just divergent enough from mass market pop rock to feel unique. All that said, it still felt a bit lame for the most part? Modern sensibilities maybe. Two and a half. Fave track: Enola/Alone

This was an alright album however I find that the sound relied a significant amount on repetition.

Another meh album. It wasn't bad but just boring. So, so boring. Maybe I hated it more because this week has been constant boring British bands from the 80s and 90s. They all start to sound the same.

Bien, un poco cansinos.

Not bad to work out to

3.5

Thought I'd enjoy this more than I actually did. I like a lot of Manics songs, but a whole album is a bit too much for me. Kevin Carter and A Design For Life are brilliant, however.

mun betra en ég óttaðist. ekki frá því að þetta fái annan snúning. 3,5.

Me habría gustado mucho en la adolescencia.

I was the exact same person before and after listening to this album. It neither offends me or impresses me.

3.5 - A much Britpoppier record, a sort of "Baby Bends", compared to "The Holy Bible" released two years earlier. Though I personally disliked HB, it's definitely the more interesting record if far less listenable. "Small Black Flowers..." is a standout, with its gorgeous interplay of acoustic guitar and harp.

Was just ok. Sounded like generic rock. 6/10.

Encontré pasajes copados, pero no llegué a entender por donde venía

interesting upbeat britpop. catchy. rocks out when it wants to, but slows it down when appropriate. was pleasantly surprised. highlights: “elvis impersonator: blackpool pier”, “removables”, “australia”.

While I liked this when I listened, I don’t remember anything about it now. It’s good, I guess, but not as good as hearing about the band member that went missing right before this album came out. Now that was intriguing.

Cool to immediately get the next Manic Street Preachers album on this list after “The Holy Bible.” Apparently their lyricist tragically disappeared between the two albums and they sound like a different band on “Everything Must Go.” It’s much brighter and more pop-focused guitar rock in the vein of Oasis. I’m not as drawn to this album as the previous one but it’s still good.

Very ambitious sound. Glad I listened to this one through headphones because there was a lot of fun little nuances in the production and overall the quality was really top notch. Composition-wise there were a lot of solid songs with some memorable moments but I kind of felt like it could have used some more hooks to balance out the ambition. I often find that the best bands that center around this sort of epic sound usually have nice hooky choruses to keep the songs memorable. This could have used more of that I think as big epic ambitious compositions sometimes need to get reined in. The track "Design for Life" is probably my favorite. Really solid track and I love how the guitars go heavy metal. "Everything Must Go" is a great one too, with its galloping guitars and strings that fly over the top. One downside here is that there's so many elements in the production that the strings are really EQ'd to death and end up sounding pretty thin. The balance though is that they are heard and that is really the result you want. "Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky" was a nice respite following the previous tracks high energy. It was just a liiiitttle bit too stereotypically proggy for me to really love though. The arpeggiated acoustic guitars playing some dark 7th chords and chromatic walk down parts in the chorus are just kind of overdone for my ears. To be fair this album came out in 1996 though. "The Girl who Wanted to be God" was a cool track. More epic ambition and this felt like I was listening to Bono's little brother's band trying to write a U2 song. 3/5 but close to a 4. I enjoyed it a lot. Listened to it while flying from Brindisi, Italy, to Rome on a short one hour flight.

Two great singles, two fine singles and solid album tracks. At times the curse of the rock plodder strikes, and it's not aged that well.

I think I would have enjoyed this when it came out but it's nothing special now

An enjoyable album. 3*

I was pleasantly surprised by the previous MSP album. This was more like I remembered from the time...

Its good obviously but didnt warm to it at the time and still dont.

It's got some good stuff on, but all sounds very same-y.

not bad, but nothing that really grabbed me with this one. just a bit boring overall.

It was nice to hear 90s rock that I hadn't heard, but this was pretty average.

Was alright. Favorite track: A Design for Life

Some songs sounds just like generic alt-rocks songs that I’ve heard before. Also in half the songs it sounds like the guitar sound is up too high. Maybe just me. Design for Life, Kevin Carter (great trumpet solo), Enola/Alone, The Girl Who Wanted to be God, Australia and No Surface All Feeling. 7/10

normal human music for normal human consumption. its a 2 but im giving it a 3 because it might grow on me and I don't want this to get pavemented.

Good, but nothings stands out. I would probably never seek it out to listen to again.

An easy 3. Love the guitar sound esp. Nothing about this record really resembled a 'hook' though. If I had some nostalgia to mix in maybe this one would feel more important.

Was about what I expected going in, enjoyable.

Rock noventero un poco soso. Ni fu ni fa.

Bien, un poco cansinos.

Decent

I was unfair to the band back when this came out: they’ve some strong tunes with the different bits in the right places, literate lyrics, and can soar with the best. And I’ve a lot more time for Bradfield’s voice. I found it a little monotonous in tone and tempo on the first listen, but I’ve felt more generous to it on second and third goes. Still not sure, but a record with this many strong songs can’t be bad. A provisional three.

Another band whose name I've known for years but never listened to. They were OK, but didn't catch my ear enough for a return visit

It’s ok. I liked some songs but did not ‘feel’ it.

I didn't hate it, and kind of appreciated the overblown cinematic sounds, in the vein of U2 or Oasis. Will not be a part of my regular rotation but I suppose I am glad I listened to it before I die.

Completely average brit-rock. Sounds like their earlier material may sound more interesting to my tastes. Manic Street Preachers is a name I know of, but this is anything but manic nor preachy... unfortunately. It's fine... albeit a bit safe and boring.

i was not expecting this to go so hard

I can see why this one is on the list. There's definitely something about the sound that carried through early 2000s alternative.

Pretty decent Britpop with loud, distorted jangly guitars modeled after Oasis. It's a lot more accessible yet more generic than the gothic predecessor The Holy Bible. Most songs failed to stand out, and the second half felt mostly filler, but they're all decent compositions. Favorites: A Design for Life, Enola/Alone, Everything Must Go, Small Black Flowers, No Surface All Feelings

3.75

Released in 1996, this album marks a significant shift in the Welsh band Manic Street Preachers’ sound, as they move away from their punk-inspired roots towards a more polished, radio-friendly sound. Highlights include the melancholy ballad "Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky" and the upbeat rocker "Australia," which features a catchy guitar riff and sing-along chorus. Also ”A Design for Life," which features powerful lyrics about the struggles of working-class life and the desire for a better future. "Everything Must Go" is a mature and introspective album that showcases the Manic Street Preachers' growth as musicians and songwriters. It's also an album that resonates with many on a deep emotional level. A very decent album from a very interesting band.

This album has an incredibly 90's pop rock sound. I enjoyed the fusion of stringed instruments throughout (electric & acoustic guitars, violins, harps, etc.). The overall sound, especially the guitar work, are reminiscent of early Radiohead, only with louder vocals and percussion closer to the front of the stage. I lost track of the lyrics while listening, and didn't stay captivated the whole time, but the album is fairly solid despite these stretches of monotony. Fave tracks: A Design for Life, Everything Must Go

Pretty standard alt-rock album. There's some good songs on here, interesting lyrics with tight instrumentation, and some others that sound indistinguishable from many others at the time. Overall an enjoyable listen, but not something I will likely be coming back to in the future. Fav Tracks: Small Black Flowers That Grown In The Sky, The Girl Who Wanted To Be God, Interiors

It's alright. worth another listen.

HL: "Enola/Alone", "Interiors", "Small Black Flowers...", “No Surface All Feeling” Heard “The Holy Bible” before this one, didn’t expect so much harp 3.5 April 2, 2023

I've heard the name but honestly somehow I don't think I've ever listened. I don't know what I expected them to sound like but it wasn't this. Pretty cool, sounds almost emo. I should explore more.

Less dreary than I thought, though I started to drift away from it about half way through.

A Design for Life, reszta mocno przeciętna

Best hits albumiko... Heh...... En yleensä kokelmalevyistä piittaa..

I did try and give this some extra time, but I couldn't really connect with it. The first four or five songs never made an impression on me with their somewhat generic 90s rock sound. Upon re-listening in the car with others, the album was vetoed and banned before we could get to the two songs I found interesting, "Small Black Flowers that Grow in the Sky" and "The Girls Who Wanted to be God." Based on those, the album goes up a point. Overall, there was nothing I disliked about this album, but not much I really liked, either.

some good ones just a bit long

álbum genérico, nada especial comparado ao restante dos álbuns alternativos.

Acho que foi o melhor álbum de rock "alternativo" até o momento - não que isso seja um grande elogio, visto que até agora "alternativo" parece ser o título dado a álbuns que falharam na tentativa de revolucionar ou aprimorar um estilo já consagrado. O álbum em si não me chamou muita atenção, nem negativamente nem positivamente - it was aiight to listen to, wouldn't play it myself but wouldn't change the radio station cause of it.

Brit pop usually is something I'm okay with however with this I couldn't attach to it.

So far it's got some crunchy rock bit it's all a bit samey. The lead singer is a hair's breadth away from being painful. Then we get a nice light touch with Small Black Flowers. The Girl Who Wanted to be God had a nice funky bass. Removables starts off like Nirvana Unplugged work the lead singer getting a bit of Kurt, except he doesn't sound funereal.

Rätt trevligt album.

It's hard for me to get excited about a wall of sound 90s alternative album with no standout tracks. Best track: ? They were kind of all the same

Cool

ok

Makes me wish there were half-stars because I'd give this a 3.5. It was a good album and though I didn't care enough about most of the songs to say I like them, a lot of them were close I'd say. None of the songs were bad imo and I loved "A Design For Life" for a long while before I set out to listen to entire albums!

Pretty difficult to decide whether or not I like this. The whole thing is kind of a mess in the way that usually comes together as whole to be something good, but this doesn't quite make the mark and ends up just being muddled. Not a fan of the singer's voice or the production. The lyrics are alright as well as the instrumentation. Not a big fan of anything here, but nothing awful either, just not quite sure what to make of the entire thing. 3/5

I had enjoy another Manic Street Preachers album on the list - The Holy Bible, but this is not an album I would deem as a must listen. So another instance of the author(s) cramming their BritPop bias down our throats. 2.5/5.

A couple of era-defining tunes here, but the album overall has an element of sameyness to it.

Not quite my tempo

Liked this far less than I remember!

Pretty solid alt rock kinda stuff, I may revisit this at some point. 3.5 rounded down.

Ok

Good vibes

It's OK '90s stuff.

I generally like Britpop and British 90s rock, but I could never really get into Manic Street Preachers. This is the first full album of theirs I’ve heard from start to finish and it’s ok, but for me there are better 90s rock albums out there. This one’s a little too big, a little too anthemic for my taste.

Not bad, but pretty generic brit pop with some "fancy" arrangements. Had an ok time, but I don't think it will cross my ear canal any time soon.

Nothing too bad, neither too good. Already forgot every single note

Just not enough variation for me to enjoy. It’s fine rock, 3.0

yeah, yeah, brit alt-rock. good example, uninspiring to me.

Decent rock album, pretty diverse sounds and instrumentation.

Good sounding 90s rock. More gentle/radio friendly than any kind of hard rock. Feel like they could've/should've been a more commonly know group but Iver never heard of them. Good stuff though

Not all bangers, but like their sound

2.5/5 a bit boring and annoying vocals

Good angst levels. Enjoyable.

Good songs good guitar based indie.

Queen? Weezer? Interesting straight ahead rock nothin fancy.

Worth another listen, accomplished rock

En del trevliga delar och bitar men helheten va lite eh

Detta album must go!!!

Good emotionally charged alternative rock songs. Didn’t fully click with me unfortunately

76/100: This was a pretty decent album, they reminded me of a grunge-influenced The Killers. I would potentially listen to more of their stuff, as I'm definitely interested, but if I were to find this is the best they get, I'd be pretty disappointed. This isn't really an album I see myself listening to again very much in the future; however, it's a sound I could get behind if further matured in their other works. I specifically really liked the song "No Surface All Feeling," I'd definitely love to find more songs like that. I think it's a really cool mix of soft and hard rock with little to no transition between the two when the chorus hits, which is super cool.

It is a decent album that has a few very noticeable highlights. I can't see myself listening to this album again (I have listened to it twice so far), but some of the individual tracks are worth repeating. 'A Design for Life' has a very good melody and solid instrumental backing. The title track is solid too, as is 'The Girl Who Wanted To Be God', with its very catchy melody. The rest of the album, bar a few more decent tracks, feels like filler to me. FAVORITE SONGS: - A Design for Life - Everything Must Go - The Girl Who Wanted To Be God - No Surface All Feeling 3/5

I never liked the Manic Street Preachers and I was really into indie around this time. Listening now, the instrumentals are actually pretty good, the use of strings and brass is nice, subtle and pretentious or anything. I think it’s the vocals that rubbed me the wrong way. Just shouting the title of the song with a slightly different infection does not make a chorus. It’s all very faux poetry, seems deep and meaningful but as far as I can tell it’s actually silly nonsense. Better that I expected but I’m still not a fan.

I'd listened to the first few Manic Street Preachers CDs and like them quite a bit, especially Holy Bible, but had never heard this one. Originally I liked it quite a bit, but it didn't hold up as well on repeat listen, certainly not as well as Holy Bible. The big change vs. their earlier work is that it's much less punk - slower, less aggressive guitar and drums, less aggressive vocals, and more orchestral instrumentation. That's normally OK by me, but the shift just doesn't suit their style as well, and in particular the lyrics are still fairly dark and the tone pretty nasty, so I think a more stripped-down punk treatment would've worked better. The biggest issue I have with the composition is that the translation from lyrics to melody lines is really clunky, the singer ends up delivering a fair number of lines in a very forced style that doesn't sound at all conversational. I don't know if that's related to the fact that this is their first CD without their original lyricist, but it makes the sound overall a lot less smooth. Then they also use a fair number of poorly-motivated harmonic sequences - a great example is on the lead track, where they change keys for a couple bars mid-verse (possibly into two different keys) and then suddenly back again with little in the way of motivation either in the bass or in the extension. That's colorful at least, but it's a little sloppy, and I just think it would've worked better for a punk-rock treatment. This CD is certainly far from all bad though. I liked it quite a bit on the first listen. The more upbeat tracks, especially "Kevin Carter" and the title track, are great, very catchy, and you can hear the influence on later British garage rock. And their singer doesn't have the greatest voice but he does have the courage to really go for it, which works to his advantage. Solid but nothing special.

Greit albi

Not bad.

This is alright.

Pretty cool and interesting choices with instrumentation

Starts strong, but the second half loses some steam. Still, a nice album by Manic Street Preachers, even though I prefer This Is My Truth .... 3/5

Ok, probably won't listen to it again tho

ya pas quelqu’un qui a le meme là du gars qui est pas convaincu qui fait la moue genre en ASCII art ou jsp

Not their best album

The sound appeals to me the most, the lead singer sounds very emotional in his deliveries. The music is also very grandiose in tune. Overall this album delivers a solid punch and is one that I certainly enjoy very much. Enough to give it a 7.5/10.

It hasn't aged well ... surprised the Australia Tourist Board never hijacked the track mind.

The album following this one is their masterpiece imho. Definitely worth a listen if you’re not familiar with it

I relatively enjoyed my time with this album, but it was just pretty much 90s alternative rock, and nothing more than that. Nothing bad, but nothing absolutely remarkable either.

I mean I didn't hate this but I certainly didn't love it. Just found it a bit cringe... Along the same lines I find Elvis Costello cringe. But it wasn't anywhere near as bad.

Again felt this was too dad music for me but it wasn't too bad, just a little meh