A Mans Man
A Mans Man
As comebacks go, Morrissey's was pretty special. His creativity seemed to have dried up at the end of the 90s/beginning of the 00s and he found himself without a record label. So when You Are The Quarry, his first album in seven years arrived in 2004, many were taken aback by the strength and vitality of the songs. Not only did it appease long-suffering Smiths fans, but it also delivered a new batch of Moz lovers.
Two years later, the Mancunian lengthened his winning streak with the Tony Visconti-produced Ringleader Of The Tormentors, which was a less immediate, but ultimately superior set of songs.
This, his third album of the decade and ninth solo effort in all, is not as consistent as either of its predecessors.
It's an exceptionally patchy affair, with the strong songs quite wonderful and the poor ones dismayingly bad.
Let's look at the positives first. It's Not Your Birthday Anymore is among the most captivating songs that Morrissey has penned in years. The moody, atmospheric intro is unexpected and the song dissolves into what is initially a tender ballad over a dreamy electro backdrop.
But, this being Morrissey, there's a sting in the tail, and sure enough the epic, angry second half of the song finds the singer in typically acerbic mood. "Did you think we meant all those syrupy, sentimental things that we said?"
Lead single, I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris is a polar opposite, in that it's exactly as you'd imagine a Morrissey song to sound like -- classic guitars, that voice, and a way with words that reminds you (if that were needed) just how intriguing a lyricist Steven Patrick can be. "I have decided I'm throwing my arms around all of Paris/ Because only stone and steel accept my love/ In the absence of your smiling face."
Heaven knows, he's as miserable now as ever.(hilarious wonder how long the reviewer spent thinking that up
)
Elsewhere, there are familiar songs. All You Need Is Me (which sounds like Morrissey-by-numbers to these ears), appeared on last year's Greatest Hits, while Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed, was successfully debuted at his Kilmainham, Dublin, show last summer.
Much of the album is underwhelming -- opener Something Is Squeezing My Skull is especially unremarkable (wtf?!
), and Sorry Doesn't Help is quite wretched. Trite lyrics, trite music and a whingeing Morrissey add up to a song that really should have been left in the bowels of the studio.
Jerry Finn, the producer of You Are The Quarry, is at the helm here and brings a robust quality to several of the songs. Tragically, Finn died of a brain haemorrhage just months after completing this album. He was 39.
Burn it: It's Not Your Birthday Anymore
Two years later, the Mancunian lengthened his winning streak with the Tony Visconti-produced Ringleader Of The Tormentors, which was a less immediate, but ultimately superior set of songs.
This, his third album of the decade and ninth solo effort in all, is not as consistent as either of its predecessors.
It's an exceptionally patchy affair, with the strong songs quite wonderful and the poor ones dismayingly bad.
Let's look at the positives first. It's Not Your Birthday Anymore is among the most captivating songs that Morrissey has penned in years. The moody, atmospheric intro is unexpected and the song dissolves into what is initially a tender ballad over a dreamy electro backdrop.
But, this being Morrissey, there's a sting in the tail, and sure enough the epic, angry second half of the song finds the singer in typically acerbic mood. "Did you think we meant all those syrupy, sentimental things that we said?"
Lead single, I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris is a polar opposite, in that it's exactly as you'd imagine a Morrissey song to sound like -- classic guitars, that voice, and a way with words that reminds you (if that were needed) just how intriguing a lyricist Steven Patrick can be. "I have decided I'm throwing my arms around all of Paris/ Because only stone and steel accept my love/ In the absence of your smiling face."
Heaven knows, he's as miserable now as ever.(hilarious wonder how long the reviewer spent thinking that up
)Elsewhere, there are familiar songs. All You Need Is Me (which sounds like Morrissey-by-numbers to these ears), appeared on last year's Greatest Hits, while Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed, was successfully debuted at his Kilmainham, Dublin, show last summer.
Much of the album is underwhelming -- opener Something Is Squeezing My Skull is especially unremarkable (wtf?!
), and Sorry Doesn't Help is quite wretched. Trite lyrics, trite music and a whingeing Morrissey add up to a song that really should have been left in the bowels of the studio.Jerry Finn, the producer of You Are The Quarry, is at the helm here and brings a robust quality to several of the songs. Tragically, Finn died of a brain haemorrhage just months after completing this album. He was 39.
Burn it: It's Not Your Birthday Anymore
