“There's an often harrowing conviction to Rewind The Film's primarily acoustic arrangements and elegant melodies, heralding a new level of artistry for this unique band.” (MOJO)

“Rewind The Film is misschien wel hun beste plaat van de laatste tien jaar.” (ENOLA)

“A downbeat and occasionally poetic work with some unexpected reference points.” (UNCUT)

James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore – together forming Wales' Manic Street Preachers – can certainly call themselves Knights of the Order of Brit-pop. Although they strived for a somewhat more alternative sound than Brit-pop icons like Suede, Pulp, Oasis or Blur in their early days, they still surfed along on the great wave of British rock/pop that flooded the entire world in the '90s.

The Welshmen wrote up a whole series of hits in their their 28(!) year existence – ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’, ‘A Design For Life’, ‘If You Tolerate This (Your Children Will Be Next)’, ‘You Stole The Sun From My Heart’, ‘Your Love Alone Is Not Enough’, ‘The Love Of Richard Nixon’, ‘Just The End Of Love’ anyone? – hits that have helped to define European rock history and that have effortlessly stood the test of time.

Even so, the desire to further heighten their musical legacy has not yet been sated. With ‘Rewind The Film’, their eleventh(!) studio album, The Manics demonstrate their continued relevance and that they still have hits in their fingers. De Morgen placed the album at 21 in their ’50 Beste Albums Van 2013’ and critics the world over have unanimously praised the album. Be sure to check out the duet with hip, up-and-coming talent like Cate Le Bon and Lucy Rose, and the unparalleled Richard Hawley…

The album is a half of a two-part project, of which ‘Futurology’ will appear later this year. Entirely appropriate, the Camus quote "Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present" adorns the CD booklet from ‘Rewind The Film’. These preachers have clearly not finished their sermon yet…