Show Me The Wonder (Single) - Manic Street Preachers

The first official single from the Manics’ forthcoming eleventh studio album is now available, and just like the previously released non-single ‘Rewind The Film’ (feat. Richard Hawley) it showcases a different musical direction for the Welsh trio. Both tracks dispense with the heavy electric guitar which has been particularly prevalent on their most recent albums – evident on singles such as ‘(It’s Not War) Just The End Of Love’, ‘Jackie Collins Existential Question Time’, ‘Your Love Alone Is Not Enough’ – and instead creating a more atmospheric and thoughtful sound. 

‘Show Me The Wonder’ replaces the electric guitar with trumpets and horns, an instrument previously used on the group’s 2001 single ‘Ocean Spray’, although here the tone is significantly more upbeat. The electric guitar’s absence is certainly felt, Nicky Wire stated in an interview that he thought the track might be the first ever single from the band to not feature James’ guitar. As the first verse progresses with James Dean Bradfield’s vocals over a drum beat it almost sounds as though the electric guitar sound has been lifted out in the studio. 

Such a notable change allows the single to take on its own identity, and is less comparable to previous singles as a result. With that said, the track doesn’t feel entirely new, and there is certainly a feeling of familiarity about the way it sounds. The trumpet and horns sections in the chorus especially (as well as the later verses when they truly take centre stage) elevate the tone of the track. This combined with the upbeat nature and simple structure could very well gain a lot of radio exposure, and as such it makes sense for this to be the lead single. Hopefully the band’s dedicated fans will not be put off by the more acoustic feel of these new tracks.

The horns sections, along with the occasional acoustic guitar picking riffs remind me of ‘Waterfall’ (from James’ 2008 album “Hey Ma”) as well as R.E.M.’s ‘Uberlin’ (from “Collapse Into Now”). Both of those tracks came from band’s that were also quite far into their careers, with their sounds firmly established. The Manics have pretty much done it all by now, “Journal For Plague Lovers” would have satisfied the lovers of their earlier, angrier work, and “Postcards From A Young Man” was their “last shot at mass communication”. With such albums already under their belts “Rewind The Film” can be whatever the band wants it to be, and the tracks released so far seem to demonstrate that.