Journal For Plague Lovers

Manic Street Preachers return this year with their ninth studio album, ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’ released on May 18th on Columbia Records.

The album follows the hugely successful and critically acclaimed 2007 release ‘Send Away The Tigers’, and the induction of the band into the NME’s Hall Of Fame with their naming as the ‘NME Godlike Genius’ for 2008.

Produced by Steve Albini and recorded live at Rockfield Studios in Wales during the Winter of 2008, the album features lyrics left behind by former guitarist Richey Edwards across all 13 new tracks.

An original piece of Jenny Saville’s art is the cover of ‘Journal for Plague Lovers’, whose painting graced the cover of 1994’s ‘The Holy Bible’.

Nicky Wire said of the decision to use Richey’s words after all this time, "The brilliance and intelligence of the lyrics dictated that we had to finally use them. The use of language is stunning and topics include The Grande Odalisque by Ingres, Marlon Brando, Giant Haystacks, celebrity, consumerism and dysmorphia, all reiterating the genius and intellect of Richard James Edwards”.

Musically the band draw on their classic Holy Bible sound with elements of Nirvana’s ‘In Utero’, as well as a delicate, beautiful acoustic side.