From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lifeblood
Studio album by Manic Street Preachers
Released	November, 2004
Recorded	2003, New York & Wales
Genre	Rock
Length	45:26
Label	Epic Records
Producer(s)	Greg Haver, Tony Visconti, Tom Elmhirst
Manic Street Preachers chronology
Know Your Enemy (2001)	Lifeblood (2004)	Send Away The Tigers (2007)

Lifeblood is the seventh studio album by Manic Street Preachers. It was recorded in New York and Wales by Tony Visconti, Tom Elmhirst and frequent collaborator Greg Haver.

Released on November 1, 2004 and preceded by the number two single "The Love of Richard Nixon", the album entered the UK Albums Chart at #13 and only spent two weeks in the top 75.

The album includes a song about Emily Pankhurst ("Emily") but otherwise the band's earlier political lyrics have been replaced by personal reflection such as on the band's past ("1985") and former member Richey Edwards ("Cardiff Afterlife"). The album was also a departure musically, replacing the band's traditional guitar walls with more subtle and melodic playing, emphasis instead being given to keyboards and synthesizers. This results in a more softer sound, something Nicky Wire described as "elegiac pop" throughout the recording process.

"Empty Souls" was the second single released and like the previous single, it debuted and peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart. No further singles were released. Two tracks recorded during the Lifeblood recording sessions ("Antarctic" and "The Soulmates") remain unreleased except on the Japanese version of the album. All of the bonus tracks on the band's previous Japanese releases have subsequently been included on singles.

1. "1985" – 4:08
2. "The Love of Richard Nixon" – 3:38
3. "Empty Souls" – 4:05
4. "A Song for Departure" – 4:20
5. "I Live to Fall Asleep" – 3:57
6. "To Repel Ghosts" – 3:58
7. "Emily" – 3:34
8. "Glasnost" – 3:14
9. "Always/Never" – 3:42
10. "Solitude Sometimes Is" – 3:21
11. "Fragments" – 4:02
12. "Cardiff Afterlife" – 3:27

The working title of this album was Litany, hinting that the song 'Litany' recorded during the Lifeblood session's was originally intended for inclusion. The track however only featured a b-side to the Empty Souls CD-Single.

• All Songs Written By: Nicky Wire, James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore
• Additional Lyrics on "Fragments" by: Patrick Jones
• All Tracks Produced by Greg Haver except "Solitude Sometimes Is", "Cardiff Afterlife" and "Emily" produced by Tony Visconti.
• Additional Production on "1985", "The Love of Richard Nixon", "Solitude Sometimes Is", "Cardiff Afterlife" and "Emily" by Tom Elmhirst.