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Postcards from a Young Man is the tenth studio album by the alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. The Manics have been recording the album (provisionally titled It's Not War - Just the End of Love) since October 2009. Due to be released on 20 September 2010, the album will be supported by the Manics' most extensive tour of the UK to date. Manics singer/lead guitarist James Dean Bradfield and bassist Nicky Wire have both referred to the album as "one last shot at mass communication".

In an interview for the NME, Bradfield said that "We're going for big radio hits on this one ... It isn't a follow-up to Journal For Plague Lovers." Nicky Wire has said, "We've always been about infiltrating the mainstream. It was a conscious decision this time to want to hear ourselves on the radio. Our mantra at the start was, 'If you've got something to say, say it to as many people as possible'." Wire has also compared the upcoming album to the Aerosmith album Pump, saying that "It's going to be an amazing album...Send Away The Tigers was Permanent Vacation, this next one is our Pump."

In July 2009, Wire said that the band's forthcoming album would "be heavy metal Tamla Motown. Van Halen playing The Supremes! I know there's a lot of creativity in us and obviously because I didn't write lyrics on the last record, I've got tons of words done." Manics biographer Simon Price reacted to Nicky's announcement with amusement: 'Heavy metal Motown? I’ll believe it when I hear it. That Nicky Wire certainly can talk a good game. The thing is with those three lads is they'll sit around before writing any songs and come up with all these wildly juxtaposing ideas and styles, all of which sound great in theory, but when they actually start working towards them it always comes across sounding very much like a Manics record ... I remember just before the Lifeblood album came out in 2004 Nicky had been telling me it was going to sound like Goldfrapp-meets-late ’70s era David Bowie. And I could see what he meant, but when I actually heard it just reminded me of a more subdued version of their other stuff. In a good way though. A lot of the time Nicky goes public with these bold statements and then it comes down to it [sic?], it's up to James to try and back them up. That's a lot of pressure to put one person under and sometimes I’m positive James is at home half the time going, "Oh no, what have you said this time?".'

Ex-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan is featured on one of the album's songs, "A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun," and three other tracks on the album feature a gospel choir. On their website on 24 June 2010, the Manics posted the message: "Magical day in Cardiff: Ian McCulloch singing duet & John Cale playing on a new Manics track in LA." Of the album's lead single, "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love," Nicky Wire claimed: "I believe in the tactile nature of rock 'n' roll. There's a generation missing out on what music meant to us...You can only elaborate on the stuff that compels you to. But "It's Not War..." is kind of saying, "Alright, we're not 18, but even at 40 the rage is still there"."

Postcards from a Young Man was recorded with producer (and longtime Manics collaborator) Dave Eringa and will be mixed in America by Chris Lord-Alge. It will be released in a standard version and a deluxe version. The album cover art uses a black and white photograph of British actor Tim Roth.

Tracklisting

The official tracklisting is as follows:

1. "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love"
2. "Postcards from a Young Man"
3. "Some Kind of Nothingness" (feat. Ian McCulloch)
4. "The Descent – (Pages 1 & 2)"
5. "Hazleton Avenue"
6. "Auto-Intoxication"
7. "Golden Platitudes"
8. "I Think I've Found It"
9. "A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun"
10. "All We Make Is Entertainment"
11. "The Future Has Been Here 4 Ever"
12. "Don't Be Evil"

Personnel

• James Dean Bradfield – lead vocals, guitars
• Sean Moore – drums, percussion, trumpet
• Nicky Wire – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "The Future Has Been Here 4 Ever"

References

1. "Postcards From A Young Man". Manic Street Preachers. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
2. "postcard_june2010.png". Manic Street Preachers. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
3. "Manic Street Preachers announce UK tour and new album details". NME. 1 June 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
4. ^ Mayer Nissim (7 June 2010). "Ex-GN'R bassist features on new Manics LP". digital spy. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
5. Chris Cope (26 May 2010). "Manic Street Preachers Look to Aerosmith on New Album". spinner UK. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
6. "Manic Street Preachers - Manic Street Preachers' New Direction". contactmusic.com. 20 July 2009. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
7. Nathan Bevan (22 July 2009). "Manics signal new direction for next album". WalesOnline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
8. "Preview: Manic Street Preachers in Blackburn". Lancashire Telegraph. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
9. "Postcards From A Young Man (Deluxe Edition)". Play.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
10. "Nuovo dei Manics a settembre". Indie-Rock. 6 June 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Language= ignored (|language= suggested) (help)
11. http://www.sonymusic.co.uk/news/17852//
12. http://www.manicstreetpreachers.com/global/news/global/2010/07/26/new_single_details_and_album_tracklisting

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