Review Summary: With a different lyricist to inject fresh ideas into Bradfield’s work, Even in Exile ends up being substantially better than recent offerings from the Manic Street Preachers.
Let me get this out of the way, to avoid a conflict of interest: I’m a huge fan of the Manics. Sure, their backlog of material is very hit-or-miss, but, somehow, I love it all. Of course, there are certified classics like The Holy Bible and Everything Must Go, but for every Archives of Pain there’s a Wattsville Blues (a song that I still like, in spite of everything).
James Dean Bradfield, lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the Manics, has now released his second solo effort, Even in Exile. Although JDB has a few lyric credits to his name, the music has always been his main strength. This was evident on Bradfield’s first solo output, The Great Western, which had passable but forgettable lyrics with a few notable exceptions. The album was a pleasant but rather bland affair. Without Nicky Wire, the usual wordsmith of the band since the disappearance of Richey Edwards, to pen the words, JDB produced music that was nice to listen to but without much real substance. Love him or hate him, Wire has a distinctive style and lots to say (most of the time).
With Even in Exile, JDB has brought onboard Wire’s very own brother, poet and playwright Patrick Jones, to handle lyrical duties. To cut to the chase, this was a very smart move on Bradfield’s behalf, as it really allows him to play to his strengths. Although Jones lacks his brother’s catchy punk sloganeering, he has his own delicate way with words, and the subject matter at hand — the life death of Chilean activist, VÃ*ctor Jara — is handled with the care it deserves. I won’t offer analyses of Jara here, as it feels rather empty to pontificate on subjects I’ve only recently become familiar with. I will, however, say this: the messages communicated through this collection of songs feel earnest, and are never over-egged (an oft-criticised facet of the Manics), and I very much enjoyed learning about Jara through the songs.
The music itself is quite diverse, but not to the point of being scattered or unfocused. Opener Recuerda mixes gentle acoustic passages with roaring electric guitar led choruses beautifully, and lead single The Boy From The Plantation’s woozy arpeggios paint a startlingly vivid picture. Throughout the rest of the album’s runtime, Bradfield treats us to varying manners of indie-rock, with occasional surprising elements, such as brief psychedelic and prog moments, thrown in to impressively good effect.
The album breezes by for the most part, and the slower second half surprises us with album highlight Without Knowing The End (Joan’s Song). With a different lyricist to inject fresh ideas into Bradfield’s work, Even in Exile ends up being substantially better than recent offerings from the Manic Street Preachers.
