Tuesday 17 February 2009
You’re the one for me, Fatty
Not since “You’re Gonna Need Someone On Your Side” introduced glam-rock to the Morrissey musical lexicon has he opened an album with such a bold and beautiful statement as “Something Is Squeezing My Skull”, the LA-punk rock ditty that kicks off Years Of Refusal, his ninth solo album. Morrissey bites at and spits the lyrics out with such voracious attitude that you’d be excused for forgetting that he has been making music for well over twenty-five years now, and will be celebrating his 50th birthday in May. “It’s a miracle I’ve even made it this far,” he sings, and you kind of have to agree with him. His work since the demise of The Smiths has been spotty to say the least: first album Viva Hate and the string of singles that followed (collected on Bona Drag) far outshone the spotty Kill Uncle; Your Arsenal could only be topped by the lavish and layered Vauxhall & I, both albums masterpieces the likes his career would not see very soon, thanks to the mediocre Southpaw Grammar (great idea, poor execution) and the absolutely forgetful Maladjusted (“Alma Matters” and “Trouble Loves Me” not withstanding). Fans had to wait until the new millennium for anything to truly get excited about, and Morrissey paid dividends in full: You Are The Quarry growled and moaned, and Morrissey appeared to be pulling a Benjamin Button by finding a new youthful vibe in his old(er) age. Ringleader of the Tormentors continued in the same vein, revealing a sexy and sultry Morrissey.
Still, the argument can be made that Morrissey has been making the same music for much of his career. Lyrical themes don’t stray far from his past work, but it’s the musical dressing he sits the words in that make Years Of Refusal a fresh take on an old idea. Quarry producer Jerry Finn (who died of a cerebral hemorrhage in August 2008 after finishing the record) returns to the producer’s chair, giving Morrissey his most defined and consistent sound since Mick Ronson worked the boards for Your Arsenal. I don’t know whether it’s worth noting that Moz’s two greatest producers both died after working with him, but the coincidence is startling, given the similarity in tone and attitude of both producers’ last albums. Both album’s were the third in a series, Your Arsenal being his third studio album after The Smiths, and now Years Of Refusal being the third since his return from self-imposed exile.
There’s another spectral-like influence on Refusal, in the guise of former guitarist Alain Whyte. He doesn’t play on the album, but he does collaborate on the lion’s share of songs, most notably the aforementioned opening track and the poignant, spiteful “It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore”. Of all his musical collaborators, Whyte perhaps comes closest to knowing how best to set Morrissey’s distinctive vocals, bettered only by Johnny Marr. Again, the comparisons between this new work and Your Arsenal abound, as Whyte was the chief songwriter for all but two of that album’s songs. New songwriting partner Jesse Tobias brings the muscle on “All You Need Is Me”, a stomp along rocker whose opening bars sound oddly like U2’s “Zoo Station”. “You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone,” smirks Morrissey, at the conclusion of this lament on legacy and mortality. It’s a delicious slice of ego-stroking lyrical playfulness, and one of the album’s highlights. Flourishes of Latin music dress up “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell” and “When Last I Spoke To Carol”, but the real precious gems are the alterna-punk injected tracks that seem to fit Moz like a (hand in) glove.
Musically, Morrissey and his band can deliver a knockout punch. Yet, by the time you reach the end of closing song “I’m OK By Myself”, the repeated hard-done-by lyrics, and come-get-yours attitude wears thin. An old story, but it still goes on, as it were. We can toast Morrissey’s coming 50th birthday with wishes of happiness, peace of mind and acceptance, but you get the sense that after all this time, that seems as unlikely as a Smiths reunion. Years Of Refusal is a better album than anyone would have expected Morrissey to release in 2009, and is consistent with the best material of his past. He may still be bitter, biting, and refusing to act his age, but that’s always been how Morrissey grows up.
MP3: Morrissey “All You Need Is Me”
Facebook: Morrissey
Myspace: Morrissey
Buy: Morrissey Years Of Refusal
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