Manic Street Preachers

National Treasures - The Complete Singles Sony ****

Despite some people's love-hate relationship with the prolific Welsh band, even the most avid non-fan would surely have to agree that their strike rate is admirable. From their comeback album, 2007's Send Away the Tigers, the trio have clawed back enough commercial clout to release their second greatest hits collection. The 38 tracks, over two discs, cover pretty much everything (though, curiously, not their 1988 debut single, Suicide Alley). What impresses most is the artful mixture of political musing, philosophy and pop culture with some cracking melodies and bruising riffs. The band remain, if not quite the spike in the side of establishment rock'n'roll they once were, the kind of middle-aged rock act you can listen to without cringing. See manicstreetpreachers.com

Download tracks: Motorcycle Emptiness, She Is Suffering, Your Love Alone Is not Enough