The Ultra Vivid Lament

by Manic Street Preachers

Overview

The Ultra Vivid Lament almost plays like a riposte to Resistance Is Futile, the 2018 album that found the Manic Street Preachers attempting to return to the roar of their younger years. There's no such feint toward harder rock here. James Dean Bradfield wrote the majority of the album after learning to play piano, so the record's 11 songs have sculpted, crafted melodies that call for the kind of introspection Nicky Wire gravitates to in his set of lyrics. Writing during the global COVID-19 pandemic -- the kind of world-historic event that seems like catnip to a songwriter as socially conscious as Wire -- the bassist/lyricist turned inward, searching for humanity and common bonds in an age of digital disassociation. Wire's introspection is given a cinematic lift by Bradfield's melodies and the Manics' painterly anthemic soft rock. This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours is the touchstone for The Ultra Vivid Lament, as the album achieves a similar sense of heightened emotional reality, but the record feels deeper and more resonant delivered by middle-aged Manics. No longer urgent yet still passionate, the band conjure a sense of operatic melancholy on The Ultra Vivid Lament that feels reassuring, even consoling. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/17/2021
Label:	Columbia
UPC:	0194398954325

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Manic Street Preachers   Primary Artist
Julia Cumming   Featured Artist
Sean Moore   Percussion,Drums
Cat Southall   Vocals (Background)
James Dean Bradfield   Piano,Guitar,Vocals
Mark Lanegan   Featured Artist
Nick Nasmyth   Keyboards
Dave Eringa   Keyboards
Nicky Wire   Bass
Wayne Murray   Vocals (Background)
Gavin Fitzjohn   Guitar,Keyboards
Bernard Kane   Strings

Technical Credits

Tony O'Flaherty   Engineer
Jake Faber   Engineer
Michael Hall   Management
James Isaacs   Design
David Wrench   Mixing,Programming
Martin Hall   Management
Loz Williams   Engineer
Dave Eringa   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Nicky Wire   Photography,Original Design Concept
Manic Street Preachers   Composer
Gavin Fitzjohn   Producer
Matt Colton   Mastering
Bernard Kane   Arranger
Jack Boston   Engineer
Grace Banks   Assistant