Death Disco

Named after a lyric from Magazine’s ground-breaking hit, ‘Shot By Both Sides’, TO THE OUTSIDE OF EVERYTHING tells a musical story of how the UK’s post-punk scene evolved from the spirit of 1977 and the arrival of key labels such as Fast, Rough Trade, Zoo, Factory and Cherry Red.

Always aware of the import of even their slightest movement, Manic Street Preachers place a lot of weight on their album titles and 2014's Futurology is designed as a conscious counterpoint to 2013's Rewind the Film. That record wound up closing an era where the Manics looked back toward their own history as a way of moving forward, but Futurology definitively opens a new chapter for the Welsh trio, one where they're pushing into uncharted territory. Never mind that, by most standards this charge toward the future is also predicated on the past, with the group finding fuel within the robotic rhythms of Krautrock and the arty fallout of punk; within the context of the Manics, this is a bracing, necessary shift in direction. All the death disco, free-range electronics, Low homages, and Teutonic grooves, suit the situational politics of the Manics, perhaps even better than the AOR-inspired anthems that have been their stock in trade, but the words – crafted, as ever, by Nicky Wire, who remains obsessed with self-recriminations, injustice and rallying cries – aren't the focus here. Unique among Manics albums, Futurology is primarily about the music, with the surging synthesizers and jagged arrangements providing not an emotional blood-letting or call to arms, but rather an internal journey.

SLIP OF THE TONGUE: 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION features unreleased versions of every album track, as well as monitor mixes for the album recorded in 1989. In addition, the collection includes nearly two dozen previously unreleased tracks taken from the session tapes that highlight working versions of album tracks and more. The set also includes the CD debut of Slip of the Tongue: The Wagging Tongue Edition. Released exclusively on vinyl in 1989, it features Coverdale being interviewed about each track followed by the song…