Years of Acceptance: Morrissey IX

The album explodes at the start with Something Is Squeezing My Skull. There's a kind of punk frenzy joined with Moz's expressions of chemical unhappiness. Desperation and urban hysteria is laid out in searing statements of dissapointment. Compositionally its one of the stronger tracks on the album. He sings "life is nothing much to lose" on Mama Lay Softly On The River and "we'll be safe and sheltered in our grave." The gray world described is neither pretty nor safe. The single I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris feels like Morrissey at his best. Its taut, evocative, and swooning. The rejection received turns at every point into rejection projected and delivered.

The album picks up again with When Last I Spoke To Carol a song about domestic romance hanging by a slender thread. The track dances along to a spanish rhythm before escalating with brass. You Were Good In Your Time is one of the better narrative driven experiments. A slow burning candle for washed up artists all over.

As a whole the album is good but not great but consistency has never been a strong point for Morrissey, even going back to the earliest Smiths albums. Morrissey fans will enjoy the mixture of pining and backstabbing on his ninth studio album and there are several surprising moments fueled perhaps by recording allegedly in few takes with the band playing altogether in the studio.

Golden Years With The Old Legends

The new Moz album is out on the interweb. I only have had the chance to listen to it once through so I won't comment on it. But expect a full review by sundown tomorrow. Its not the only album to come out recently from an aging new wave legend, by nowI trust all of you have listened and/or purchased David Byrne and Brian Eno's latest collaboration. You probably heard about the big fancy building that Byrne turned into an instrument. He's a genius. He's made some great albums. If you rewind history, and take a seat on the set of The Old Grey Whistle I still think you see something that no amount of theatrics can provide.

When other "cool bands" in rock were still camping it up in glitter and costume, the Talking Heads hit the scene wearing slim fitting trousers and cotton polo shirts. They were effortlessly cool without the stupid outfits. Their sound was raw. Byrne's voice was peculiar and dramatic. It wasn't dramatic because he was trying to sound scary. It was odd because it was so honest that it tore through the rule books. The percussion section was literally married, Chris Frentz and Tina Weymouth. And Jerry Hanson played his heart out too, and he was good.

Here they are debuting Psycho Killer at the Old Grey Whistle many years ago.

Morrissey Releases A New (Pretty Awesome) Single

Speaking of maudlin, no one does it better than Morrissey. No one. Period. Before Elliott Smith there was a Moz. Before Jeff Buckley there was a Moz. In the beginning was Moz. Got it?

His great voice and his black humor combined continue to serve up great songs of loveless time and witty social commentary. New Wave junkies have been waiting to hear a new LP for a year and a half. Hopefully the album, Years of Refusal, sounds as good as the new single "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris". Moz is looking for love but only the city streets will show him some affection. I find this hard to believe a) having seen a dozen concert videos of men and women throwing themselves at Mr. Morrissey's feet b) having tried to love streets before (I'm looking at you Rivington! I gave you my heart!) and receiving nothing but tetanus and pneumonia.

Download it here: I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris