Postcards From a Young Man

It's packed with soaring string arrangements, massive choruses, guitar pyrotechnics, guest spots, and a gospel choir that shows up on four tracks. It's big, colorful, and determined in a way this band has pretty much perfected.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010

Everything here feels bigger than it ought to be, and to the album's credit, this aesthetic consistently overlays the whole thing; the curtain is never pushed aside to reveal the tangled mess of pulleys and disinterested stagehands in the wings.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010

This lack of organic feeling, when paired with the continuous mention of “commercial” aims, becomes troubling.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010

On the one hand, nobody believes that the next Manics record is going to be some sort of unfathomably obtuse excursion in drindcore. On the other, the fact that Postcards... is for the most part a foray into Seventies-style AOR and power-pop (think: Supertramp, ELO) suggests that the band aren’t entirely serious about gunning for 2010 chart gold here.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010