Many British hypes ago there were the Manic Street Preachers, the Welsh quartet that from 1991 musically and externally mirrored The Clash and Sex Pistols and sang about Motorcycle Emptiness with great seriousness and 'angry young man' romance. There was even a victim: in 1995 the suicidal lyricist and guitarist Richey James disappeared into nothing. Fourteen years later, the three remaining members
… delved into the lyrics of James and added new music. A morbid fact, but Journal For Plague Lovers did not become a dark record. James' lyrics, with titles such as She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach and Me And Stephen Hawking, are full of dark humor and contemporary philosophies. Only in the closing track of Williams's Last Words does James seem to say something about his own malaise and longing for peace. Partly by wrapping the lyrics in catchy rock songs, Manic Street Preachers honors the legacy of a highly original lyricist without sentiment. This yields one of their better records since ages. (MR)more