Since I've started off this blog with Morrissey, might as well continue in the same vein!
“Years of Refusal” is an appropriate title for me, since I largely boycotted 2006‘s “Ringleader of the Tormentors”. Admittedly I never really gave it a fair shake. This new effort is what I’d describe as “more”. It’s got more of the things we’ve come to expect from Morrissey lately…. only a bit more cozy, a bit more raw in sound, a bit more strained (especially the vocals). And, it seems as Moz grows more at ease (see “That‘s How People Grow Up“), more immersed in his American/Mexican fan base (see Latin guitar & brass on “When Last I Spoke to Carol”), and perhaps more comfortable sexually (see “It‘s Not Your Birthday Anymore”), he seems to be falling into complacency. And he’s ok with that. But as T.S. Eliot once said, “Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity”, thus contentment brings artistic sterility. A lot of Morrissey’s lyrical themes & imagery repeat from previous albums (geez, again about the taxman?) and things start feeling a bit stale. But then, that’s what we’re all here for, right? Would anyone who is not a long-time fan even look at a Morrissey album now? The track “All You Need Is Me” presents a poignant comment upon his fans and detractors:
“I was a small fat child in a welfare house,
there was only one thing I ever dreamed about
and fate has just handed it to me,
Whoopee!
You don’t like me but you love me
Either way, you’re wrong
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.”
A common criticism of Moz of late is that he’s gotten “too happy”, comparing The Smiths and his initial solo efforts to what he’s doing today. That is a bit unfair and we should try to think of the two as completely separate entities. I mean, the man turns 50 this year; can we really expect him to sustain the angst of a 20 year old forever? In the aptly named track “You Were Good in Your Time”, he succinctly sums up my feelings about his early career :
“You made me feel less alone
You made me feel not quite so
deformed, uninformed and hunchbacked…
You said more in one day
than most people say
in a lifetime,
it was our time
and we thank you.”
So, judging “Years of Refusal” purely on it’s own merits, my favourite tracks are “Something is Squeezing My Skull”(which includes a nice litany of the various medications he has been taking), “All You Need is Me” and “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell”.
(The image and all lyrics quoted for the purposes of review are copyright of Morrissey, naturally!)
“Years of Refusal” is an appropriate title for me, since I largely boycotted 2006‘s “Ringleader of the Tormentors”. Admittedly I never really gave it a fair shake. This new effort is what I’d describe as “more”. It’s got more of the things we’ve come to expect from Morrissey lately…. only a bit more cozy, a bit more raw in sound, a bit more strained (especially the vocals). And, it seems as Moz grows more at ease (see “That‘s How People Grow Up“), more immersed in his American/Mexican fan base (see Latin guitar & brass on “When Last I Spoke to Carol”), and perhaps more comfortable sexually (see “It‘s Not Your Birthday Anymore”), he seems to be falling into complacency. And he’s ok with that. But as T.S. Eliot once said, “Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity”, thus contentment brings artistic sterility. A lot of Morrissey’s lyrical themes & imagery repeat from previous albums (geez, again about the taxman?) and things start feeling a bit stale. But then, that’s what we’re all here for, right? Would anyone who is not a long-time fan even look at a Morrissey album now? The track “All You Need Is Me” presents a poignant comment upon his fans and detractors:
“I was a small fat child in a welfare house,
there was only one thing I ever dreamed about
and fate has just handed it to me,
Whoopee!
You don’t like me but you love me
Either way, you’re wrong
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.”
A common criticism of Moz of late is that he’s gotten “too happy”, comparing The Smiths and his initial solo efforts to what he’s doing today. That is a bit unfair and we should try to think of the two as completely separate entities. I mean, the man turns 50 this year; can we really expect him to sustain the angst of a 20 year old forever? In the aptly named track “You Were Good in Your Time”, he succinctly sums up my feelings about his early career :
“You made me feel less alone
You made me feel not quite so
deformed, uninformed and hunchbacked…
You said more in one day
than most people say
in a lifetime,
it was our time
and we thank you.”
So, judging “Years of Refusal” purely on it’s own merits, my favourite tracks are “Something is Squeezing My Skull”(which includes a nice litany of the various medications he has been taking), “All You Need is Me” and “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell”.
(The image and all lyrics quoted for the purposes of review are copyright of Morrissey, naturally!)
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