(Single from album, "Rewind The Film")
Since 1991 and the sub-2 minute punk punch of “Motown Junk”, a #98 chart placing for the since renowned Welsh wonders, the Manics have slowly mellowed, and I can’t lie in saying that, so far, it’s been a brilliant journey to dip in and out of, from indie-rock staples “Motorcycle Emptiness” and “Love’s Sweet Exile” to recent pop numbers like “Postcards From A Young Man” and The The cover “This Is The Day”.
Frankly, for me at least, “Show Me The Wonder” is a bit too acoustic and middle-aged to be any fun, shifting the mood slightly from that of past chart successes. The punk edge, merely dwindling before, is now entirely absent and the chorus is irritating for it’s botched vocal phrasing; listening, you can’t help but feel that, sung a different way, it would have been a better, more memorable refrain. The most annoying thing is that the overall direction of the sound remains unchanged; it’s the same energy, the same tone, but emptier. It’s a confusing thing really, because the musicianship is 100% here; played superbly and filled by a vocal as tired and world-weary as the wisened jubilance of lyric demands. You can’t knock it for what it is, which is a sure-fire BBC Radio 2 ‘record of the week’, but it’s certainly noteworthy for prompting the question; ‘if this is what the future holds, should the Manics not just call it a day?’
★★★
Versions of "Show Me The Wonder"
Album/Single Version - 3:20
Instrumental Version - 3:20