★★★★☆

The cover of the Manic Street Preachers’ 13th album features a photograph of one of the last samurai warriors, a look of resignation in his eyes capturing the sadness of a figure now relegated to history. The image reflects the Welsh band’s position as a once-revolutionary and provocative act who now face dwindling returns after 30 years in the game. By tackling the issue head-on, however, the Manics have made their best album in years. “People get tired, people get old, people get forgotten,” sings James Dean Bradfield on People Give In, turning the essential tragedy of life into a hands-aloft anthem, while the bassist, Nicky Wire, sings about “feeling like an animal, the one that time forgot” on The Left Behind,