Review Summary: Under Neon Loneliness, CHAPTER 6: “Brain-Dead Motherfuckers…”
The success
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours afforded the Manic’s was difficult to articulate. While they’d now been accepted into the mainstream as one of Britain’s foremost rock bands, the vast majority of their dedicated fans had turned their backs on them for abandoning their guitar heavy sound for that of a more elegiac and esoteric approach. While it seemed easy to blame the fans for simply being close-minded, one couldn’t help but feel the distance that had been created now the band were creating pure and simple MOR rock. As they graced the covers of
Q and
NME and smash hit “If You Tolerate this Your Children Will Be Next” went to #1, they couldn’t help but be hit by the alienation of their core fans who were once so supportive. The Solution?
Release a single with everything the ‘dedicated’ loved about the Manic’s earlier material. Make the lyrics contrary to those found on “You Love Us”. Release it for 24 hours. Then delete it. Watch it go to #1.
Thus was the story of hate-baiting “The Masses Against the Classes”, which while reclaiming a small section of their fans back only served to worsen matters. Now, the Manic’s were being loved for reasons they were incapable of controlling, unable to distinguish who the enemy was as such. The masses were blindly buying while the true fans were ignoring their every word. As of 2001, the Manic’s had had enough. No more pandering to anybody, and in a turn of
Sandinista! motivated self-righteousness, the band went balls out in angering and alienating
everyone with a didactic, chaotic and mixed up release.
Know Your Enemy holds its place in the Manic’s career as being the point the band ‘lost it’, and such claims can be seen as true. Not since
Generation Terrorists had the band put out something so packed with filler and misguidance, and by now it was assumed the band had learnt their lesson, but to say that would be to ignore the purpose of
Know Your Enemy.
Enemy is essentially an album built to disappoint and provoke in equal measures, so much of its genre mashing and front-loaded nature is intended. However that’s not meant as an excuse at all- make not mistakes about it,
Know Your Enemy is a truly conflicting and difficult release.
As such, it is easy to distinguish the hard hitting content from the rather unappealing sections. Initial singles “Found that Soul” and “So Why So Sad” work on different impact, the former with a punching guitar heavy sound and constant fast-paced groove, the latter with a dreamy and chiming tune that’s both uplifting and constantly Manic’s throughout. The lumbering chaos of “Intravenous Agnostic” is propulsive and constantly impressive, while the lighter tones of “Let Robeson Sing” and “The Year of Purification” work to calm the storm started towards the front of the album. The two biggest moments of greatness however come from the second track, “Ocean Spray” and the experiment in disco that is “Miss Europa Disco Dancer”. “Ocean Spray” is a rather carefully constructed and beautifully done song, powered by the acoustic drive of Bradfield with his first take on lyrics, writing of how he wishes his mother to “stay awake/stay away” in her final dwindling moments. “Miss Europa Disco Dancer” however relates the story of fallen Roman god Europa set to a sublime disco number and ending in brilliantly Manic’s fashion with Nicky Wire chanting “Brain Dead Mother***ers” incessantly. Marvellous.
However towards the second half faults become more apparent second by second. The all-together dull nature of “Wattsville Blues” provides Nicky Wire’s first turn on vocals and leaves you stunned he was ever allowed near a microphone again. The muffled vocal effect and forgettable guitar riff gives it no favours, and could possibly be the worst song in the Manic’s back catalogue. The other songs don’t provide offensiveness as much as that of the sound of blending in- it’s almost difficult to distinguish “Dead Martyrs”, “Epicentre” and “Royal Correspondent” even after multiple listens. Things pick up on the final krautrock inspired number “Freedom of Speech Won’t Feed My Children”, but I’d honestly be surprised if you made it the 30+ minutes it takes to get there.
Know Your Enemy by default shoots itself in the foot, and whether it’s intentional or not it’s simply not entertaining.
And thus is the problem with
Know Your Enemy. While it provides the band with almost an albums worth of classic material, by purpose alone it also provides them with more than half-a-dozen songs to prove their lack of worth.
Know Your Enemy by nature had to be such a monstrosity, but it does leave the listener bitter that the Manic’s didn’t better explore the brilliant sounds they perfect on the initial section of the record. As the general beginning of the bands terrific fall from grace, it wouldn’t be until the quiet failure of
Lifeblood and shocking 0/10 for
Forever Delayed by the
NME that Sony would eventually withdraw support from the Manic’s and leave them out to dry for a good period of time. If your patience and stamina is up to it however,
Know Your Enemy provides ample if not a drawn out and worthwhile challenge.
NEXT: “I Have Never Been a Crook…”
