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Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(76/100)
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Clash	(8/10)
The Daily Telegraph
Drowned in Sound	(6/10)
The Guardian
The Independent
musicOMH
NME	(7/10)
Pitchfork Media	(7.5/10)
PopMatters	(6/10)
Uncut

Postcards from a Young Man is the tenth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 20 September 2010. The album was intended as "one last shot at mass communication". Postcards from a Young Man reached the number 3 spot on the UK charts. The Manics began recording the album (provisionally titled It's Not War - Just the End of Love) in October 2009 at their Faster Studio in Cardiff. The album was supported by the Manics' most extensive tour of the UK to date.

Background

In an interview for NME, Bradfield said, "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'." In pre-release interviews, Wire also compared the 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, 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 guests on one of the album's songs, "A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun," and four 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 was mixed in America by Chris Lord-Alge. It was released in a standard version, 2 CD deluxe version, and limited edition box set. The album cover art uses a black and white photograph of British actor Tim Roth.

The album went straight into the UK album charts at #3. In January 2011 the album was certified Gold status in the UK. The album was met with very positive reviews from critics.

Charts

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Nicky Wire; all music is composed by James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore, except where noted

Personnel

Manic Street Preachers

• James Dean Bradfield – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, and mandola on "I Think I Found It"
• Nicky Wire – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, lead vocals on "The Future Has Been Here 4Ever" and backing vocals
• Sean Moore – drums, percussion, trumpet

Production

• Tom Elmhirst - mixing on "Golden Pladitudes"
• Dave Eringa - production, engineer, mixing on "The Future Has Been Here 4Ever"
• Chris Lord-Alge - mixing
• Howie Weinberg - mastering
• Loz Williams - engineer

Additional personnel

• Ian McCulloch – co-lead vocals on "Some Kind of Nothingness"
• John Cale – keyboards and noise on "Auto-Intoxication"
• Duff McKagan – bass guitar on "A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun"
• Loz Williams – piano, Hammond organ and Mellotron
• Nick Naysmith – piano and Hammond organ
• Catrin Wyn Southall – vocal arrangement and backing vocals
• Melissa Henry – backing vocals
• Osian Rowlands – backing vocals
• Gareth Treseder – backing vocals
• Fflur Rowlands – backing vocals
• Roland George – backing vocals
• Aled Powys Williams – backing vocals
• Andy Walters – string arrangement and strings
• Joanna Walters – strings
• Carly Worsford – strings
• Bernard Kane – strings
• Simon Howes – strings
• Nathan Stone – strings
• Richard Phillips – strings
• Claudine Liddington – strings

References

1. ^ Lukowski, Andrzej (21 September 2010). "Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From a Young Man". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
2. "Critic Reviews for Postcards From a Young Man - Metacritic". Metacritic. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Postcards from a Young Man - Manic Street Preachers : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
4. James, Gareth (21 September 2010). "Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man". clashmusic.com. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
5. Perry, Andrew (17 September 2010). "Manic Street Preachers: Postcards From a Young Man, CD review". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
6. McLaren, James (16 September 2010). "Manic Street Preachers: Postcards from a Young Man". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
7. Gill, Andy (17 September 2010). "Album: Manic Street Preachers, Postcards from a Card (Columbia)". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
8. Burgess, Andrew. "Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man". MusicOMH. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
9. Denney, Alex (20 September 2010). "NME Album Reviews - Album Review: Manic Street Preachers - 'Postcards From A Young Man' (Columbia)". nme.com. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
10. Tangari, Joe. "Manic Street Preachers: Postcards From a Young Man". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
11. Schurr, Maria (20 September 2010). "Manic Street Preachers: Postcards from a Young Man". PopMatters. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
12. Quantick, David (October 2010). "Manic Street Preachers - Postcards from a Young Man". Uncut: 93. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
13. "postcard_june2010.png". manicstreetpreachers.com. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
14. "Postcards From A Young Man". manicstreetpreachers.com. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
15. "Manic Street Preachers announce UK tour and new album details". nme.com. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
16. ^ Nissim, Mayer (7 June 2010). "Ex-GN'R bassist features on new Manics LP". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
17. Cope, Chris (26 May 2010). "Manic Street Preachers Look to Aerosmith on New Album". spinnermusic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 June 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
18. "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.
19. 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.
21. "Preview: Manic Street Preachers in Blackburn". Lancashire Telegraph. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
22. "Postcards From A Young Man (Deluxe Edition)". Play.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
23. "Nuovo dei Manics a settembre" (in Italian). Indie-Rock. 6 June 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
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27. "Manic Street Preachers: Postcards from a Young Man" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
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30. "Swedishcharts.com – {{{artist}}} – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
31. "Ultratop.be – Manic Street Preachers – Postcards from a Young Man" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
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33. "Dutchcharts.nl – Manic Street Preachers – Postcards from a Young Man" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
34. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
35. "Swisscharts.com – Manic Street Preachers – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.

External links

• Album review on BBC Music

• Use dmy dates from December 2012
• Pages with empty short description
• Manic Street Preachers albums
• Columbia Records albums
• 2010 albums
• Power pop albums