Few bands rage and provoke like the Manics. Their early-'90s albums seethe with inflammatory vanity (“You Love Us”) and densely allegorical and cynical lyrics (“Faster"). These were jammed into a literary form of melodic hard rock by the passionate James Dean Bradfield, a true indie guitar hero. Equally romantic and honest, the breakthrough hit “A Design for Life” is a gently swung record of working-class pride and a statement of rebirth, coming just after the disappearance of totemic lyricist Richey James.