Morrissey was one of my favorite artists in my college years, and I associate his music very strongly with a certain old friend from that time of my life. I was always sorry to see the Moz drop off the map, and was thrilled with “You Are the Quarry” when it was released. I was less moved by “Ringleader of the Tormentors”, the follow-up, so I was a bit concerned about this latest collection.
1) Something is Squeezing My Skull – The album gets off to a rousing start with this track. The lyrics, as usual, are clever, cynical, and sardonic. I particularly the laundry list of antidepressants in the middle of the song. This is the kind of song that will be awesome live! (8/10)
2) Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed – This song has its good points, including a driving rhythm, but the middle section is a bit of an unnecessary noisy mess, and that takes a bit away from the overall effect. What is essentially a song about wanting to lie down and die next to a dead mother is remarkably perky. (6/10)
3) Black Cloud – Another good rocker, and another one that should be great live. Nothing particularly distinctive, but a solid addition nonetheless. (7/10)
4) I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris – This is the first single for the album, which I suppose I can understand. The song fits the classic Morrissey mold, both in musical style and tone. Even so, it’s nothing amazing, about on the level of “Alma Matters”. (7/10)
5) All You Need is Me – This brings the album back to a harder sound and a bit more vocal variety. This is sounds like a great bar song, especially as the end of a lively late-night set. (8/10)
6) When I Last Spoke to Carol – I’m not quite sure I get this song, from a lyrical point of view or the musical mash of rock rhythms and Latin horns. I’ll give them props for originality, but this is not the kind of song I would listen to often, that’s for sure. (6/10)
7) That’s How People Grow Up – This one starts out very oddly, with bizarre operatic singing over the usual rock chords. It never really transcends that beginning to find a particularly engaging identity. (7/10)
One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell – This is a dark little rocker that will likely become a live anthem for fans. Those horns come back in again close to the end of the song, and the keyboards are a bit much, but it’s still solid enough to compete. (7/10)
9) It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore – This builds into quite a cruel rock ballad, to say the least. I can see this being used to good effect in some film and television montages. It’s about as close to a soaring U2-esque arena anthem as Morrissey will ever get. (8/10)
10) You Were Good in Your Time – This is a lot slower than most tracks on the rest of the album, and it seems out of place right from the beginning as a result. And then the song descends into a morass of noise for half the running time. It might work for some, but it didn’t work for me. (5/10)
11) Sorry Doesn’t Help – This is certainly a lot more upbeat than the previous track, and gets the album back on its original rocking course. It’s nothing distinctive, but at least it has a solid beat and charge to it. (7/10)
12) I’m OK By Myself – This is very much like the prior track, and really, like most of the album. It has a solid heavy sound, and the lyrics have the same snap and crackle, but it’s not soaring. It does, however, gather into a much heavier sound than the rest of the album before it ends. (7/10)
If Morrissey was looking for the chance to put together an album that would work for a brawling bar tour, then he was for the most part successful. Other than the obvious leading single, this is not the most radio-friendly fare, and if it wasn’t for Morrissey’s typical crooning or poetically devious lyrics, it wouldn’t sound like a Morrissey album at all. It’s a solid enough album, but there’s definitely better Moz material out there.
Final Rating: 6.9/10 (average)
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