Morrissey - 'You Are The Quarry' (Attack)
4/5
By: Toby L
Maybe it's the heated climate that the world has found itself in since the dawn of the 21st Century, but - seemingly - arch miserabilism still has its place.
Enter Mozzer for the new-album cash-in, then - for, who does woe better?
No-one we know, nor would care to know, that's for sure. Sharing Stephen Patrick's angst and frustration of our surroundings has become a national say-so. Through The Smiths' questioning and uncertainty, and his early solo-works' sheer, all-out whimpering, somewhat perversely, Morrissey's pain has always made for cripplingly joyful listening.
In 'You Are The Quarry', his palpably vaunted, latest album - and first in seven years - whether the outlined nature of our present times, or merely the quality of the material, Morrissey remains and retains his pole position as the iconic solo-whinger the likes of which could never be rivalled. Perhaps it's that still-gleaming, quivering warble of his that we all try in earnest to impersonate when drunk (yet fail), or those unashamedly tragic lyrics. Or, perhaps, there is simply no-one quite as character-driven and fascinating to look up to in our current musical climes.
Whatever, Morrissey's new matter is immediately classic. This isn't a considerable change of direction - despite heavy rock-producer Jerry Finn (Blink-82, Green Day) at the helm - but, rather, an advancement of the stature of one of our modern legends - a man growing middle-aged, yet with the same ingrained distaste and inverse idealism that painted his earlier years.
'America Is Not The World' begins us, favourably, an amusing bitchslap to the country he chooses to now reside in, while top-five single comeback 'Irish Blood, English Heart' is a short, sharp dollop of trudging, dramatic riffage and lite-political ranting. So far, so good.
Then, it gets slightly monumental - right up to the teeming-in-beauty conclusion, and one of his finest ever songs, 'You Know I Couldn't Last' - this is a depresso-pop wonder; just coat your ears around the infectious jangle of 'First Of The Gang To Die', genuinely poignant 'How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel', bittersweet 'I Like You', or Moz's own equally valid update of REM's 'Losing My Religion' in the anxious 'I Have Forgiven Jesus'. Add the eternal pessimism of 'The World Is Full Of Crushing Bores' and 'Come Back To Camden', if you hadn't guessed by the song-titles already, this is up there as some of his most dynamic, engaging and ensconcing diatribes to date.
Heart-wrenching, traumatic dissatisfaction; even now, nobody does it better.
Artists in this article: Morrissey
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment