Manic Street Preachers – Critical Thinking Review

A once-fiery band has, in recent years, settled on a tame sound with a few pops of glory. Manic Street Preachers’ work has a longevity to it quite unmatched, though it has been some time since they tapped into the lyrical clarity which is so difficult to kindle in times of strife. Critical Thinking has protest and power on the tongue but it slips away, back down their throats and out comes some more of the same, with subtle hints at what could have been. Their latest studio album compiles acts of projection where there should be innovation, or at the very least a glimpse into where Manic Street Preachers fit into the modern culture. They do not see themselves as a nostalgia act, and nor should listeners, who receive a few shots of what makes the band so consistent throughout Critical Thinking.

Those singles were nothing remarkable but the purpose of each track, now paired with the rest of Critical Thinking, is sensible. Its opening, title track references J.G. Ballard and marks one of many understandable but underwhelming contemporary crutches the band are using to spread their message of fatigue in the modern world. Generalised, listed criticisms of the world around us and the smart motorways which drive us to indifferent places are the point of this one, and while the band is well-placed to hammer home criticism of a culture without a sense of voice, it feels ironic to find they are relying on the words of other artists. Punchy guitar moments mark it as one of the better tracks of the album, and while their hearts are in the right place, their heads are far removed from commenting with any interest on the issues of the everyday experience. Fury and reflection pair nicely on a revised Decline and Fall, which sounds heavier than its single, underscoring this sense of being far removed from peak.  

But Manic Street Preachers are comfortable with where they are, still headlining sold-out tours. It marks Critical Thinking as tricky to interact with, yet relatively easy to understand. These cultural divides are collapsing, or at least artists are insisting they are, for the sake of unity in the face of some greater evil. Slight changes make all the difference for their lead single, which lacked the deeper, harsher tone heard elsewhere in the album. Critical Thinking gets that right. Manic Street Preachers may borrow and rely on the works of historic influences but it works, particularly on Brush Strokes of Reunion, the partnership between legacy act longevity and the need to push on highlighted here. A new depth is heard for the singles, some last-minute changes making all the difference to them, yet never elevating the core message. It remains relatively flat, yet sounds warmer, louder, and inconsequential. 

As slick as Critical Thinking may sound, the message Manic Street Preachers are aiming to serve, while admirable, is muddled by their lacklustre commentaries. They manage to avoid the potholes of love-adjacent songs or reflective tones, but in its place comes a relatively tame sound where the trio are never let off the leash. Admirable spots but a few moments do not make a whole experience. Dear Stephen and Being Baptised has the instrumental charm, and the slick vocal styling which remains after all these years, but does nothing with it. The same goes for Critical Thinking’s message. Whatever cultural commentaries Manic Street Preachers were hoping to tease in those opening tracks are lost to journeyman tracks like My Brave Friend, where the instrumentals do all the heavy lifting.  

And yet Critical Thinking remains one of the band’s stronger releases. An unremitting openness can be heard, a constant attempt at capturing these lightning-in-a-bottle observations, but failing to do so. At the very least, it makes for an interesting listen. A band who are so close to nailing their thoughts on immediate surroundings, on lessons learned since The Ultra Vivid Lament four years ago, but never quite reached. Hand-clapping on Out of Time Revival feels more like hand-wringing and yet, even in there, is a human edge to Critical Thinking displayed by the band in moments of fluttering clarity. Understanding how you feel is an endless trip, one with no end, as Deleted Scenes so nicely articulates. Manic Street Preachers fall short where it matters but Critical Thinking maintains a sense of pride, a purpose which is matched by the instrumental consistencies and emotive charms.