In 1991, at the time of their debut album, The Manic Street Preachers bluffed that they were only going to make one record. Of that, they would easily sell millions. Then they would disband the band and 'retire to a concrete bunker', as bassist Nicky Wire once put it. It turned out differently and almost a quarter of a century after its foundation, the Manics are still there. The fleeting hype of
… yesteryear has turned into a solid rock band that can close the big British pop festivals. Futurology is the group's twelfth album and the Welsh trio is in great shape. The group recorded the album in Berlin and the Berliner Luft apparently provided renewed inspiration. The band sounds a bit more electronic than before: the sound of Bowie's Berlin records, German cult groups like Neu! and Kraftwerk and the early Simple Minds haunts Futurology emphatically. The highlight is the half-German-speaking Europe Geht Durch Mich with a beautiful guest role for the sultry singing German actress Nina Hoss. (PdK)more
