"Low In High School" reviews (Pitchfork, God Is In The TV, Daily Californian, Bob Stei)

"Low In High School" review by Sam Sodomsky (5.7 / 10) - Pitchfork. Link posted by BrummieBoy (original post).

"Low In High School" review by Tim Russell - God Is In The TV. Link posted by Billbones80 (original post).

Morrissey capitalizes on political controversy distastefully in new album ‘Low in High School’ by Maisy Menzies (Grade: N/A) - The Daily Californian. Link posted by BrummieBoy (original post).
Editor’s Note: The Daily Californian recognizes that a numerical grading system cannot always account for the problematic history of the artists whose work we are grading. Given the harm caused by this artist, this critic has decided not to give this album a grade.

"Low In High School" review by radio personality Bob Stei. Link from an anonymous person.


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I usually tend to avoid insulting people until I am attacked, in which case I will react. But saying you 'detest' Moz and then visiting the site every day makes no sense to me. Maybe it makes sense to others. Fair enough if it does. I'm not a Moz apostle. He makes mistakes, he says daft and hurtful things sometimes. But to me his music is still great and that is what I care about the most. If I 'detested' Moz I wouldn't be here day in day out like you are. I'd be on another fansite agreeing/disagreeing with people. But you only seem to agree with people who hate Moz too. Same for a few others on this site who seem to make it their life's purpose to annoy everyone. Maybe that is your life's purpose. Doesn't matter. It won't take away from the quality of the new album or stop my being thrilled to stand near the front row at Moz next year.
p.s. I'm not out to insult you. Please accept my apologies. We're all different and that's a good thing.

There is no requirement for me to explain or justify my debunking of Morrissey to your or to anyone else. There's no need to apologise. You are entitled to continue enjoying Morrissey. I'm not asking you to stop doing that. You do have the option to ignore views that disturb or annoy you. I regard Morrissey as just another in a long line of pop culture charlatans but he's deffo the worst of them all! Seriously, pop culture in general is a cancer that needs to be eradicated from society. It's a busted flush. A failure. But that's for another forum....
 
Of course you can think how you like. But the accumulated opinion of many more people than you shows otherwise.
And how are you tallying up this "Many more people"?
Metacritic has 2 solid negatives out of 24 reviews so far.
Also,metacritic doesn't say it is his worst album.
Liar liar pants on fire!
 
And how are you tallying up this "Many more people"?
Metacritic has 2 solid negatives out of 24 reviews so far.
Also,metacritic doesn't say it is his worst album.
Liar liar pants on fire!

Err...yes it does. Of all Morrissey albums on Metacritic, it scores the lowest. Do your research. I know your reflex is to gainsay everything I post, but you're just plain wrong.
 
Putting aside reviews as there are always agendas I personally think this is the worst Morrissey album ever .

Musically and production wise it is so uninspiring but they lyrics are a joke . The fact some are calling it genius on here is more a a testament to the blind worship than anything else I have read here .

Sure everyone has opinions but the lyrics ?? They are the most simplistic , uninformed joke at political commentary I have ever heard to the point of total embarrassment . It's like being lectured by a 14 year old who has just figured out what is wrong with the world . Seriously if you want to hear intelligent, thought out and intellectual political debate then check out someone like Bad Religion not this infantile garbage .

He is either on some serious medication , doing buckets of blow or drinking a bottle of vodka every night to think that the public need to hear this

I can't believe people think this is his supposed "punk " album . It's a bunch of unimaginative songs written by uncreative session heads fronted by a guy who has totally lost the plot .

I am certain that if Morrissey wrote a blatant white power song there are idiots on here who would praise it .

Lou Reed Berlin ? 70's Bowie ? Yeah right , you wish .
 
How stupid you have to be to think that "In Your Lap" is about oral sex? Maybe the line "and I'm dreaming of touching your arm" is about hand job then.
 
probably one of the truest and most accurate reviews I have read from Amazon


It’s difficult being a Morrissey fan these days. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to disentangle the creator from the created ; and I’m starting to feel like a fan of Indie version of the rightwing military-ball-playin’/Gene-Simmons-gropin’/pantomime-capitalist Kiss in recent years. Taking aside Morrissey’s questionably closed political views and everything that goes with it – including the cognitive dissonance that the man who penned “How Soon Is Now?” could then also say some of the things he has said, and where did that man go? Is THAT Morrissey still in THIS Morrissey? And if not, how do you know, where do they even go? Well I wonder – how could an artist that soared so high fall so dramatically?

“Low In High School”, Morrissey’s twelveth solo studio album (and including live releases, compilations, and The Smiths, his twenty ninth album in all) suffers from the same problem every aging artist has. Where do you fit? Are you relevant? Are you a dinosaur watching the world pass you by, or are you offering an experienced view upon a planet gone mad? Identity has always been at the core of everything Morrissey has done, even now. Who are you?

How does he sing? He sings as well as ever ; albeit his voice has changed and deepened over the years, he still croons with a melodic power unmatched by his then-peers. His lyrics? Oh my God. Lets not be blunt here ; the talent that recorded for the first fifteen years of his life has been cruelly and slowly replaced by a far less effective lyrical position. The artistry, the wit, the power and the deft turn of phrase that changed worlds is absent, and there’s no trace now it was ever here. Lyrically, these are the type of songs that Morrissey would have made, at best, b-sides in a previous decade. The insights here are somewhat banal, the rhymes are basic and the words are… do they have to be dull? Every song has at least one line I pause and wonder “What were you thinking???”

Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder

Musically, it’s the same type of music Morrissey has been making for a decade ; since the departure of the deft Alain Whyte, Morrissey’s music has lacked a jaunty flourish, and instead his six piece band is now a powerful but unsubtle machine that paints in broad brushstrokes. His band are accomplished and capable, but there’s a sense that the music is almost always written to command, and bent to be subservient to the voice. Morrissey needs someone who pushes against him, to have a “No” man who forces him to work harder and better and sharper. He needs someone in his team that will tell him that no this will not do. By no means is “Low In High School” a bad record, but its an unexceptional late period Morrissey album – and lyrically some of it is obsessed with war, oil politics, but in an inarticulate, blunt, and uninformed way in a way that is almost embarrassing. The lyrics here are the type I would keep in my folder of bad poems. But it’s Morrissey’s name on the record, and a reflection of his vision, from the ill-advised cover art to the banal lyrics. Making no mistake of it, were the lyrics better, it would be a serviceable rock album made of midpaced somewhat pedestrian tracks, and what I am missing is the sheer Grab-You-By-The-Throat glory of old Morrissey, the sense that these songs absolutely must be written, and cannot and will not wait, the type of death-or-victory that encompassed even songs are relatively new as “You Have Killed Me”.

Ultimately, it’s just another solo Morrissey album, for good and bad, which sees a great voice matched with music that doesn’t really deserve that voice, and lyrics that would not win a local poetry slam, let alone be the voice of a generation. But still, I am a fan. Oh well, I’ll never learn.
 
probably one of the truest and most accurate reviews I have read from Amazon


It’s difficult being a Morrissey fan these days. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to disentangle the creator from the created ; and I’m starting to feel like a fan of Indie version of the rightwing military-ball-playin’/Gene-Simmons-gropin’/pantomime-capitalist Kiss in recent years. Taking aside Morrissey’s questionably closed political views and everything that goes with it – including the cognitive dissonance that the man who penned “How Soon Is Now?” could then also say some of the things he has said, and where did that man go? Is THAT Morrissey still in THIS Morrissey? And if not, how do you know, where do they even go? Well I wonder – how could an artist that soared so high fall so dramatically?

“Low In High School”, Morrissey’s twelveth solo studio album (and including live releases, compilations, and The Smiths, his twenty ninth album in all) suffers from the same problem every aging artist has. Where do you fit? Are you relevant? Are you a dinosaur watching the world pass you by, or are you offering an experienced view upon a planet gone mad? Identity has always been at the core of everything Morrissey has done, even now. Who are you?

How does he sing? He sings as well as ever ; albeit his voice has changed and deepened over the years, he still croons with a melodic power unmatched by his then-peers. His lyrics? Oh my God. Lets not be blunt here ; the talent that recorded for the first fifteen years of his life has been cruelly and slowly replaced by a far less effective lyrical position. The artistry, the wit, the power and the deft turn of phrase that changed worlds is absent, and there’s no trace now it was ever here. Lyrically, these are the type of songs that Morrissey would have made, at best, b-sides in a previous decade. The insights here are somewhat banal, the rhymes are basic and the words are… do they have to be dull? Every song has at least one line I pause and wonder “What were you thinking???”

Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder

Musically, it’s the same type of music Morrissey has been making for a decade ; since the departure of the deft Alain Whyte, Morrissey’s music has lacked a jaunty flourish, and instead his six piece band is now a powerful but unsubtle machine that paints in broad brushstrokes. His band are accomplished and capable, but there’s a sense that the music is almost always written to command, and bent to be subservient to the voice. Morrissey needs someone who pushes against him, to have a “No” man who forces him to work harder and better and sharper. He needs someone in his team that will tell him that no this will not do. By no means is “Low In High School” a bad record, but its an unexceptional late period Morrissey album – and lyrically some of it is obsessed with war, oil politics, but in an inarticulate, blunt, and uninformed way in a way that is almost embarrassing. The lyrics here are the type I would keep in my folder of bad poems. But it’s Morrissey’s name on the record, and a reflection of his vision, from the ill-advised cover art to the banal lyrics. Making no mistake of it, were the lyrics better, it would be a serviceable rock album made of midpaced somewhat pedestrian tracks, and what I am missing is the sheer Grab-You-By-The-Throat glory of old Morrissey, the sense that these songs absolutely must be written, and cannot and will not wait, the type of death-or-victory that encompassed even songs are relatively new as “You Have Killed Me”.

Ultimately, it’s just another solo Morrissey album, for good and bad, which sees a great voice matched with music that doesn’t really deserve that voice, and lyrics that would not win a local poetry slam, let alone be the voice of a generation. But still, I am a fan. Oh well, I’ll never learn.
Didn't read what you put, no idea, but the album is growing on me, maybe this is where Morrissey says bye bye to the Smiths tag forever, people need to listen to it, not the critics on here. Sit back, listen, enjoy,
 
probably one of the truest and most accurate reviews I have read from Amazon


It’s difficult being a Morrissey fan these days. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to disentangle the creator from the created ; and I’m starting to feel like a fan of Indie version of the rightwing military-ball-playin’/Gene-Simmons-gropin’/pantomime-capitalist Kiss in recent years. Taking aside Morrissey’s questionably closed political views and everything that goes with it – including the cognitive dissonance that the man who penned “How Soon Is Now?” could then also say some of the things he has said, and where did that man go? Is THAT Morrissey still in THIS Morrissey? And if not, how do you know, where do they even go? Well I wonder – how could an artist that soared so high fall so dramatically?

“Low In High School”, Morrissey’s twelveth solo studio album (and including live releases, compilations, and The Smiths, his twenty ninth album in all) suffers from the same problem every aging artist has. Where do you fit? Are you relevant? Are you a dinosaur watching the world pass you by, or are you offering an experienced view upon a planet gone mad? Identity has always been at the core of everything Morrissey has done, even now. Who are you?

How does he sing? He sings as well as ever ; albeit his voice has changed and deepened over the years, he still croons with a melodic power unmatched by his then-peers. His lyrics? Oh my God. Lets not be blunt here ; the talent that recorded for the first fifteen years of his life has been cruelly and slowly replaced by a far less effective lyrical position. The artistry, the wit, the power and the deft turn of phrase that changed worlds is absent, and there’s no trace now it was ever here. Lyrically, these are the type of songs that Morrissey would have made, at best, b-sides in a previous decade. The insights here are somewhat banal, the rhymes are basic and the words are… do they have to be dull? Every song has at least one line I pause and wonder “What were you thinking???”

Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder

Musically, it’s the same type of music Morrissey has been making for a decade ; since the departure of the deft Alain Whyte, Morrissey’s music has lacked a jaunty flourish, and instead his six piece band is now a powerful but unsubtle machine that paints in broad brushstrokes. His band are accomplished and capable, but there’s a sense that the music is almost always written to command, and bent to be subservient to the voice. Morrissey needs someone who pushes against him, to have a “No” man who forces him to work harder and better and sharper. He needs someone in his team that will tell him that no this will not do. By no means is “Low In High School” a bad record, but its an unexceptional late period Morrissey album – and lyrically some of it is obsessed with war, oil politics, but in an inarticulate, blunt, and uninformed way in a way that is almost embarrassing. The lyrics here are the type I would keep in my folder of bad poems. But it’s Morrissey’s name on the record, and a reflection of his vision, from the ill-advised cover art to the banal lyrics. Making no mistake of it, were the lyrics better, it would be a serviceable rock album made of midpaced somewhat pedestrian tracks, and what I am missing is the sheer Grab-You-By-The-Throat glory of old Morrissey, the sense that these songs absolutely must be written, and cannot and will not wait, the type of death-or-victory that encompassed even songs are relatively new as “You Have Killed Me”.

Ultimately, it’s just another solo Morrissey album, for good and bad, which sees a great voice matched with music that doesn’t really deserve that voice, and lyrics that would not win a local poetry slam, let alone be the voice of a generation. But still, I am a fan. Oh well, I’ll never learn.

'Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder
Honour-mad cannon fodder'

what? that's a great part !

well, goes to show... to each his own,etc.
 
Err...yes it does. Of all Morrissey albums on Metacritic, it scores the lowest. Do your research. I know your reflex is to gainsay everything I post, but you're just plain wrong.
Who gives a scuttery shit what metacritic or any critic thinks. I make up my own mind. Music can be listened to free these days. If you like it you buy the album. If you don't you don't. It's not like Moz robbed our houses to fund the album. Fuk the critics. Even when they love what they are reviewing I'm not that interested.
 
Morrissey's new record is simply an amazing piece of art. I say this not only as a long time Mozzer fan, but as a working musician. I can't remember the last time I have felt so passionately about a record. I'm a huge Johnny Marr and Alain Whyte fan, but his current band, along with the stunning production by Joe Chiccarelli, have delivered something truly adventurous and epic. I have only ever commented on here once before, but I've read so many things lately that seem to get this record so wrong that I feel the need to again. I'm not even sure where to begin.

To make a record that sounds like this isn't easy. In fact, it's rarely done in modern times. This record has the decadent swagger of something out of the 70's, while also being modern enough that it feels fresh and alive and of the now. The dark brass of Lou Reed's Berlin, the synth squelches of Nico's The End, and the dramatic glam rock of Bowie all swirl together. But drums never sounded that big and powerful back then. There are also sounds from various global destinations and modern editing and manipulation at play. The mix is clear and yet warm. Everything sounds gigantic while still having space. Whoever mixed and mastered this record knows what the f*** they are doing. It sounds incredible on headphones. It's f***ing cinematic as hell!

The lyrics are somewhere between the poeticism of Ringleader and the blunt clarity of Quarry. When is the last time that anyone wrote lyrics that seemed to make so many people uncomfortable? That in itself is an achievement. This truly does feel like the work of someone that came up during the punk era, but never felt the need to abandon its confrontational outlook. That being said there is a lot more complexity and humanity than most people are giving him credit for.

The song that seems to give most people pause is Israel. I am against the occupation. However, anyone that thinks Morrissey is giving a blank check to the state of Israel simply hasn't read the lyrics to that song, nor viewed them through the context of the record as a whole. More than any other album Morrissey takes on military, security, and police forces. I'm an American that was against Bush's Iraq invasion. How dearly I wished at the time that others would see that it was our government and those that supported it, and not our people as a whole that created that situation. I voted against Bush twice, but that didn't stop the Iraq War from happening. Morrissey's outlook is actually extremely intelligent. He is not judging the people of an entire country by what their government is doing. That being said, I don't think the song Israel is that simple. The name Israel means roughly, "He who struggles with God." If it weren't for other songs dealing with Tel Aviv, I probably wouldn't think the lyrics of Israel had very little to do with the state of Israel at all. Even now, however, I think that they are more inspired by visiting their and the feelings he had while being there, than actually the state itself. The lyrics have more to do with the repression that comes from religion than any kind of expressly current political situation. Three of the worlds major religions come from that place, and they have helped pave the way to an earth that is an asylum for those that are outsiders in society. Israel and Jerusalem have also been used by poets throughout the ages to tackle big topics. I can't help but feel that Morrissey is using his experience there to talk about the topics that have always been near to his heart.

Also with I Bury the Living, Morrissey seems to be updating Buffy Sainte-Marie's Universal Soldier. You may not agree with the viewpoint of either, but it's a debate worth having. Are those that carry out violent orders culpable or not?

........................

There is so much more to say about this magnificent record, but I'll leave it there. Forget about the headlines, the reviews, and actually listen and think about this record. It's an amazing piece of art that I think will speak to us in the years ahead, every bit as much as it does now. Most people just can't seem to see it outside the narrow political climate of today.

..................

There are two other things I want to add to the discussions that have been going on in general:

1. As someone that has given interviews, I can say beyond a doubt that reporters almost never quote exactly what you have said. You combine that with a german translation and google translate and one can imagine how different what he actually said might be from what people are reading. Even if he did say exactly what he said in the German interview, I think we should at least view those comments in the context of his art and life as a whole. Morrissey's political views aren't always crystal clear, but I think it is pretty clear that he is disgusted by violence upon the innocent.

2. The Morrissey is a racist thing is so f***ing tired. His album is dedicated to Dick Gregory. His band is half Mexican. The kid on his cover is Mexican. Morrissey paid tribute to Istanbul, albeit in his usual backwards way. (I always took his line about Pittsburg from Ringleaders to be a wink towards his fans there with his usual dark humor.) Morrissey clearly, from his autobiography, loves his fans from all over the world. He has, however, criticized different cultural and religious beliefs. This is not the same thing as race. Race is something you are born with, that you have no decision in. Religion and culture are things one can leave behind, in the same way that Morrissey is a lapsed Catholic. It's fine to disagree with him on this, but don't confuse one with the other.
After reading this insightful post I scroll to the bottom of the text and there he is creeping up from the bottom of the page ready to pounce like some slippery stalker with his all too well known brand of Skinny nonsense.

Okay now that's out of the way I must say I wish music reviewers would write like this. Just in plain language without trying to be clever. If they were clever they'd be artists and not critics. When Morrissey goes high they go low.

The term cinematic is a great way of describing this album. I've listened to it about five times so far and each time I am becoming aware of new things to discover sonically and lyrically. I haven't even listened to the vinyl yet but when it arrives I'll begin to wear it down until it's paper thin.
 
After reading this insightful post I scroll to the bottom of the text and there he is creeping up from the bottom of the page ready to pounce like some slippery stalker with his all too well known brand of Skinny nonsense.

Okay now that's out of the way I must say I wish music reviewers would write like this. Just in plain language without trying to be clever. If they were clever they'd be artists and not critics. When Morrissey goes high they go low.

The term cinematic is a great way of describing this album. I've listened to it about five times so far and each time I am becoming aware of new things to discover sonically and lyrically. I haven't even listened to the vinyl yet but when it arrives I'll begin to wear it down until it's paper thin.

Agree. With no doubt, comparison with Berlin from Lou Reed (and Berlin was killed by critics when published) - in cinematic term - is very appropriate.
Morrissey did great on LIHS.
 
Agree. With no doubt, comparison with Berlin from Lou Reed (and Berlin was killed by critics when published) - in cinematic term - is very appropriate.
Morrissey did great on LIHS.
Now if only there were some B sides to keep the story going. Eighteen songs from WPINOYB and only twelve from LIHS seems a travesty.

Couldn't he release an EP and call it Homework?
 
How stupid you have to be to think that "In Your Lap" is about oral sex? Maybe the line "and I'm dreaming of touching your arm" is about hand job then.
It's not actually an arm - it's just a similar size. People are often confused.
 
Reckon me was at Bar 1200 tonight at The Sunset Marquis sitting under that stupid pic of Ozzy and they played LIHS completely. Reckon it sounds like that Yank group Steely Dan meets Wynton Marsalis. It's the kind of music to have on in the background while you wash your knickers and empty out the chamber pots chaps.

Reckon me wish Uncle Steve will be able to record his dream album one day of covers of the Beach Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Los Lobos.
 
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Who gives a scuttery shit what metacritic or any critic thinks. I make up my own mind. Music can be listened to free these days. If you like it you buy the album. If you don't you don't. It's not like Moz robbed our houses to fund the album. Fuk the critics. Even when they love what they are reviewing I'm not that interested.

You're royally missing the point. You can like something. I can like something. You can hate something. I can hate something. That's fine.That's good. But looking back, how does a piece of art get judged? Not one opinion - that is skewed. you have to accumulate lots, and get an average opinion. That' what metacritic does. For what it's worth, another similar site, Allmusic, gives a similar rating, based on their own and 54 users. The figures don't lie. They're right there. And they show it's his worst received. You can like or hate it all you like, but those are the figures, from many, many users, on more than one site.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/low-in-high-school-mw0003107720
 
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