2018 Contenders: Name That Manic Tune

After a couple of years mumbling about packing it all in, the Manics returned in early 2018 with a new album - and it was exactly the record they needed to make at this point in their career. No worthy, Richie-esque 6th form poetry set to screeching, discordant indie, this is the Manics doing big anthemic rock choruses, with Nicky indulging his Slash fantasies and James Dean confirming his position as the best vocalist in rock. It follows the pattern of all the most enjoyable Manics albums
of recent years (Know Your Enemy & Rewind The Film), even down to the duet with a special guest from a hip female indie star, this time The Anchoress on Dylan & Caitlin. And while it's not quite as good as Send Away The Tigers, their best album of the 21st Century, well... few records are.

The Manic Street Preachers - Resistance Is Futile

Perhaps the greatest joy of this new album though is spotting where Nicky and the lads have nicked their tunes from. Vivian (a thematic sequel to Kevin Carter) pilfers the guitar riff from Turning Japanese by The Vapors. Opening track People Give In owes a little debt to Yakety Yak by the Coasters (try not to sing "Take out the papers and the trash" once you've spotted it). Most shameless of all was lead single Distant Colours, which you may well have heard on the radio and wondered: "Why have the Manics rewritten the words to Rivers of Babylon"? There are probably other examples if you listen a bit harder, but there's nothing to be ashamed of here. If it was good enough for George Harrison (My Sweet Lord = He's So Fine) and The Jam (Town Called Malice = You Can't Hurry Love)... well, the only time such artful plagiarism isn't commendable is when you create a bad song from a good one (step forward Sam Smith, Tom Petty would like a word). I'm just glad the Manics haven't yet turned their back on the idea of being pop stars. If this is to be their last record (until the next one), it's a cracking farewell...