Know Your Enemy

Early on, the Manic Street Preachers were derided as punk poseurs, but after guitarist Richey Edwards bungee-jumped off a bridge sans bungee in 1995, folks stopped questioning their authenticity. Geez…the lengths people will go to for street cred. They’ve actually grown less interested in punk since his demise, settling on a sound that draws less from the Sex Pistols and more from Brit-poppers like Blur and Elastica. Tracks like “Ocean Spray,” from their latest, Know Your Enemy, offer the best of both of these opposing sensibilities: wiry, jagged guitar lines, and recognizable pop hooks. Occasionally, bits of the Beach Boys (“So Why So Sad”) and REM (“The Year of Purification”) rise out of the din, displaying their growing (if not always well-directed) musical ambition. Their strong lefty leanings (check out “Let Robeson Sing” and “Baby Elian”) make them a favorite of noted music critic, Fidel Castro, but the Manics show some finesse when shoving their views down our throats, making even such obvious political grandstanding palatable.