Manic Street Preachers - Send Away the Tigers

Fans of Welsh rockers the Manic Street Preachers have been holding their breath for the arrival of the band's eighth studio album. Will Send Away the Tigers be evidence of another new musical twist? Might they revert to their old fiery ways? In fact, Send Away the Tigers does both. An intriguing blend of backwards-looking nostalgia and forward motion, fans might be pleased to learn, first of all, that the album features its fair share of anthems. "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (which features Cardigans singer Nina Persson), "Indian Summer," "Autumnsong," and "The Second Great Depression" all boast catchy choruses and are underpinned by the stadium-rock aesthetic of the good old days. The Manic's political fire also remains intact, shifting emphasis to the Iraq war with mediocre songs like "Imperial Bodybags," while the title track and "Rendition" indicate a slightly more innovative direction. It's no Holy Bible, nor a Generation Terrorists - but Send Away the Tigers does show the boys can still make a glorious racket when they try. --Danny McKenna Amazon.co.uk

great album, must have

if you are a manic street preacher fan you will love this album it is a must have! i can''t stop playing track 4 Indian Summer it is addictive.
October 18, 2008

This Album Rocks!!

I have only recently gotten into the MSP's. Funnily enough from hearing the track "Your Love Alone" from this album. And I loved it so much I just went mad and got 3 of their albums including this one. As I said I am new to them, so I don't know anything about their politics, in fact I don't usually like music that is too political. But this album is just full of great songs. From the title track to of course "Your Love Alone",
"Autumnsong" is a big favourite, "Indian Summer", the whole album is just great music. The sad part is, like alot of great music these days it seems to be getting no air play at all. September 25, 2008

Simply Stunning!

Manics are back!

This is an outstanding collection of music which brings back the energy and "most of" the rawness of Generation Terrorists with the melodic backing found in EMG. After the last couple of releases I am happy to say that whatever it is they wanted to get out of their system seems to be gone, hopefully for ever. Having been a fan of this band since the early 90's, I have been extremely disappointed with their recent offerings. The good news is that this is melodic but not another weird attempt at 'clever' pop. If we can forget everything they have done since EMG, this would have been a brilliant follow up. Simply fantastic. There are no bad songs on here, and trying to pick highlights is very difficult to do. This is simply the Manics back to what they do best, strong, energetic, melodic songs with strong lyrics. Welcome back guys! March 30, 2008

Yep; They Sent the Tigers Away Alright - Bring 'em Back

A lot of reviews make it clear that people are tickled pink over this album. After about 10 runs through it, I ended up somewhere on the other side. Interestingly, many have have made mention of it being reminiscent of the Holy Bible (which is a fabulous album). I'd say this is more like the holy new testament, and they're at the crucification scene in the story where it all seems like a flop.

I'm imaging that this could be a really great album to hear live, but the recording unfortunately suffers from being way to clean and controlled. Also, JDB doesn't sound passionate so you're mostly left with reused hooks and well known riffs that have been repeated from their catalog.

"I'm just a patsy" is the only song that makes my head turn the other way. Autumnsong and Imperial Bodybags, while suffering from the same challenges as their siblings on the album are what I consider to be the highlights. As much as I like the cardigans, YLAINE should be a B-Side. I guess they had to include it since the total play time is barely more than 30 minutes with it. BOO =( *Thumbs Down*

On the whole, the album is decent (maybe 3/5), but for a 12 year fan it left me reaching for the salt. February 29, 2008

another era is not forthcoming / who sees the interiors like young Willem once did

Send Away The Tigers is packed with loud, up-tempo guitar songs with riffs and catchy choruses, often backed by grandiose strings. Where the music might lack memorable riffs, it charms with pure energy. Even something like James Dean Bradfield's background chant of "na na na" in "Winterlovers" sounds manly and strong. There are some obvious retreads -- the opening riff in "Autumnsong" is very similar the one in "No Surface All Feeling" -- but overall the music sounds fresh. Songs like "Send Away The Tigers," "I'm Just A Patsy" and "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" are full of sing-along lines. And each song is short, so the album feels concise and tight.

But alas, the Manics still look old. I don't mean their age. Trent Reznor is over forty, and he just released a creative and original album that differs greatly from the music that made him famous. The Manics are old by choice. Ever since Know Your Enemy, if not Everything Must Go, they've been fixated on their own past. Many times, they've gazed back at their own legacy, re-summarized and re-packaged it. They eulogized Paul Robeson and Emmeline Pankhurst, and sang about the Spanish Civil War, attempting to assert themselves as the rightful successors to their historical heroes. They've returned to Richey Edwards' disappearance on every album except Know Your Enemy, which was scorned by critics. Everyone expects them to live in the past, and they do.

Here, they look back again with a song called "Underdogs" dedicated to their fans. It is so hilariously vain that it's actually very enjoyable. Nicky Wire affectionately describes his loving fans as "freaks" who are "lost and weak," "beaten down and crushed," and "shy and withdrawn." Which means precisely that their favourite band, the Manic Street Preachers, are nothing less than the noble champions of the beaten down and crushed. Wire then explains the Manics' latter-day career as follows: "And like the underdogs we are / Shining bright but now disappeared." The last time the Manics could credibly call themselves underdogs was in 1994. Then they became the biggest band in England. For that matter, U2 are past their peak now also, but that don't make them underdogs, sugar. Wire finishes with some hilarious obscene lines ("People like you need to...") that Manics fans everywhere have doubtless heard many, many times from annoyed friends. Now it's official!

This time, however, Nicky actually makes an honest effort to comment on some of the issues of the day. That puts this album above Lifeblood, where he demonstratively avoided saying anything specific about anything. Unfortunately, the credit is for effort only. "Rendition" sounds like Wire just copied the headlines from the evening news. It has words like "revolution," but these are just stock Manics words with a slight topical veneer, although the line, "Oh, good god, I sound like a liberal," is funny. The music just makes Wire's political commentary sound even more tossed-off and obligatory. There are scary martial drums in the beginning, but then they kick into an upbeat groove fit for a party song. Which basically is what this is. Compare it with the dark, paranoid sound of Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails, or Demon Days by Gorillaz. Or even the longing sound of the Manics' own "Motorcycle Emptiness."

The other topical song is better, since it has the best music on the album (including some great bass playing from Nicky himself). And yet, it feels toothless. Remember, when these issues were at their most pressing, Wire flatly refused to comment on them. Only now, after Green Day, Neil Young, Nine Inch Nails, Gorillaz, Massive Attack and all of their grandmothers have expressed their opinion and that opinion has become more accepted, do the supposedly controversial Manics decide to join in. What could Nicky possibly add to the discourse now?

The only song on the entire album with the same effect that the Manics' best songs used to have, is the single "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough." It's about Richey, the only subject that still truly inspires Nicky. But unlike all of his previous songs about Richey, this one takes a downright condescending, paternal tone. Wire portrays his former bandmate as weak and ineffectual: "Traded all your heroes in for ghosts / They're always the ones who love you most" and then "With no excuses, just fell apart / No, you won't make a mess of me / For you're as blind as a man can be."

This description is very convincing, probably accurate, and thus devastating to Richey's myth. It may be that Wire just got tired of hearing all the praise for the band's best albums showered on Edwards. But even so, his tone is refreshing and honest. And after all, what else could Nicky possibly say about Richey at this point?

The album ends with a hidden track, a cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero." Many years ago, the Manics ridiculed Lennon specifically for this song, on the grounds that he was too rich and famous to have any claim to being a working-class hero. I could now make a snide remark about their change in attitude, but I won't -- the cover is the second-best song on the album. Say what you will about Lennon's motives, but this song shows that he was a fine writer. The verses are more observant and incisive than anything Nicky has written on this album. The bass-heavy, rumbling music strongly accentuates the hopeless situation described in the lyrics.

Well, if you need some music to listen to while you're driving to the park, or while your friends are over for a barbecue, then I strongly recommend this album. But if you're one of the old guard who still listens to the first three albums, your idols have left you. Perhaps you should start your own band. October 14, 2007

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