Archive for the ‘Morrisey’ Category

It’s fairly obvious to fans of Stephen Patrick Morrissey and his previous band, The Smiths, that he’s not always the happiest man on the planet.  You merely need to cite the lyric “Good times, for a change…” from the Smiths song “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” to prove that point, amongst countless of other lyrics.  Moz’s music can often be described as “razor to the wrists” kind of fare.  I think if he released a happy record talking about how content he is with his life, many fans might actually start to worry about him (example: it hardly ever works when The Cure tries to be happy).

Well, don’t you worry, this isn’t a happy album.  But here’s the thing, it sounds happy.  In a way, even though the lyrics still convey a state of unhappiness, despair, or even giving up, so much of the record is uptempo and peppy that it takes a few listens to realize that the guy’s still as melancholy as he’s always been, proving the validity of the grey hair he now dons in the temples.  And unlike a few of his more recent releases (Ringleader of the Tormented, You Are The Quarry, and Maladjusted), there’s more of a cohesive feel to this album.  It’s a fast paced record that clocks in just over 40 minutes (unless you get the ITunes version with 2 bonus tracks), and I never feel like the album is dragging.

It starts off with a bang with the excellent track “Something is Squeezing My Skull,” a rocky track that features the lyrics “Thank you, drop dead,” and a list of generic medications with their brand names… and it works.  This spring’s single “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris,” while one of the slower songs on the record, is also one of the better ones that basically says, “if you’re not going to be here for me and to hold me, I’m just going to Paris.”  Hey, who can blame him, right?

In my humble and scary opinion, every track on this album is a highlight, but if you had to nail me down to just a couple more than the ones listed in the previous paragraph, I’d go with “Mama Lay Softly On the Riverbed,” “When Last I Spoke To Carol” (which has a slight flamenco feeling in the guitar at times), and “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell.”  If I had to change 1 thing about this album, it would be the ending to “You Were Good In Your Time,” which sort of trails on for 2 minutes of just sounds and such that could have easily been condesnsed to about 30 seconds.  But if that’s the only complaint I have, I’d say this is a pretty strong record.

Why am I reviewing an album that came out this past winter now?  Because if you don’t have it yet, you need it.  Plain and simple.

5 out of 5 stars.

~Mark Massi