Everything has started going a little odd recently. For starters, it's just the start of March but London is acting like it's summertime. I walked to work today without a coat, didn't take a coat out with me on Saturday night and more importantly the first real summery song landed in my inbox. It also happened to be the week I was asked to name my current favourite song for our work newsletter - this would be a great opportunity to tell 60 or so pretty influential people when it comes to music about an amazing new band they'd perhaps never heard about - but instead I chose that great new summery thing - the new Manics single.I could never have imagined tipping a Manics single to be honest. I remember being rather irritated when "If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next" held that week's favourite song "Outside" by George Michael off the #1 shift (yeah I was a chart geek already in 1998). The first time I actually thought they were good was "So Why So Sad" (a song I think most Manics fans hate), and obviously now I've heard most of their singles and don't only like pop music, their greatest hits collection is pretty good.
Anyway I digress.. ignoring a free mp3 single, the first song to be taken from the new Manics album "Send Away The Tigers" is the gloriously titled "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough", a duet with Nina Persson of The Cardigans, set to be released on April 30th. Now, The Cardigans hold pride of place as the first "indie" band I ever liked ("Gran Turismo" remains one of my favourite albums) and it's hard to not like anything Nina puts her sweet yet pained voice on. Confident and typically anthemic "Your Love Is Not Alone" makes the first rays of spring sunlight into the evenings and rollicks along at an uptempo shoulder shuffling manner. Looking forward to the video lots.
You're so right about this being the sound of early summer 2007. It's playinng on my laptop as I sit in my garret in Zurich (listening to 6 Music). It's the first time I'd heard it and I was a bit snooty for the opening few bars or so. But then I got over myself, opened the curtains and realised it was sunny!
ReplyDeleteYour Love Alone is Not Enough is a fantastic song - it is the Manics at their very best again. I am a huge fan, but feared that they had lost their spark a bit over the last few years. This song, is big, bold and has the epic quality of their material from the Everything Must Go and This is My Truth eras. From what I have heard, the new album is very much on the same lines. I really think that we are in for an overdue revial of one of Britian's best bands.
ReplyDeleteIm hooked on the song. 2 thumbs up ;P
ReplyDelete