Look, I have been a huge critic of Morrissey both musically, and politically, but I can't say that either of the past two album are bad, or anywhere near terrible.
I thought Istanbul was Morrissey's best single since Irish Blood, English Heart, and in my mind it's one of his best songs in the past thirteen years, and certainly one of his best ever.
I enjoyed the production on both albums. I think Low In High-school is a good album that I have little interest in listening to over, and over again.
I believe there are two factors at play when rating Morrissey's later work. Many who have aged, and have shifted into a different emotional state. Little is new anymore. They've been through the feelings, and maybe they're embarrassed by some of them now, but they still appreciate the past highs of when they could fully relate to Morrissey's world-view, and they could ignore the surrounding nonsense that has often followed Morrissey throughout his career.
The other factor at work is, Morrissey's world view has become more flippant, and clumsy, while his sense of humor seems to be vanishing like the brain matter of a dementia patient. There's nothing to counter the juvenile bluntness anymore. The best we got was him dancing like a kid in the elevator; which honestly had me pulling for him again.
I think it was Oscar Wilde who said, "When telling people the truth, make them laugh, or they'll kill you."
Morrissey's not making us laugh anymore, which makes his work seem much more vacant than it should be. Is there a drop of humor on LIHS? The humor placed next to the murderous intent is one of the things that made Morrissey interesting. When the humor goes, you just have a disgruntled man calling for everything to end along with him. It all sounds too serious, and agenda driven.
It's not that he has views contrary to mine, it's that he states them in ways that sound cavalier, and unintelligent. He seems to not possess any interest in nuance.
Music is about emotions, and when those emotions are colored by comments within, and outside of the songs, it becomes much more difficult to connect with whatever an artist is offering you. Your guard is up, and you require more courting than you did in the past.