More about: Morrissey
Track-by-track guide to the hugely anticipated album...
For a man who tends to shed his skin (and his shirt) onstage, standing in the middle of one today Morrissey looks uncomfortable; out of place even. “This is my new album,” he says to the crowd of journalists. “Please God you'll like it.”
Morrissey’s anxiety is understandable – he’s standing on the verge of a landmark release in ‘Years of Refusal’. Recorded in Los Angeles earlier this year with the late Jerry Finn, the album, Morrissey’s ninth as a solo artist, will arrive next February as the singer prepares to celebrate his 50th birthday.
A retrospective occasion for anyone, it seems even more poignant for Morrissey – a man people still know so little about. The question is then on ‘Years of Refusal’, has he maintained that sense of mystery, or exposed it for the world to hear for the first time?
'Something Is Squeezing My Skull'
Morrissey lays down his intentions for the whole album with 'Something Is Squeezing My Skull'. It's a rampant conglomeration of powerful guitar chords, hurtling drumbeats and lyrics that detail the singer's cathartic state of mind. “I'm doing very well, I can block out the present and the past now,” Morrissey sings as the song opens. “I know by now you think I should have straightened myself out / Thank you, Drop dead.” As guitars continue to swirl aggressively, he talks about there being “no love” and “no hope” in modern life.
'Mama Lay Softly On The River Bed'
The message is once again heavy with reflection. “Mama, why did you do it? / Mama, who drove you to it?” Morrissey laments as a military drumbeat hits hard in the background. It continues for the following three minutes, as Morrissey evocatively details – one presumes – the fraught experiences of his own mother when he was a still child. It's a song riddled with questions which Morrissey sounds desperate to find the answer to. “Was it the pigs in grey suits?” he asks tragically. The rather funereal drumbeat colours the whole song alongside occasional flashes of psychedelic guitars.
'Black Cloud'
After two intense tracks, 'Black Cloud' hints at something a little different. A midway acoustic guitar breakdown provides a relaxing pause – albeit one that sounds like it's taken in a Spanish Tapas bar. Lyrically, Morrissey is still in an intense place of frustration and self-doubt. As his quest for a love he can't obtain develops, the song's energy builds amid a hectic climax of raw guitar and powerful, infectious basslines.
'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris'
The album's first single proper, 'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris' is awash with melodic guitar riffs which are reminiscent of Morrissey's legendary former band, The Smiths. As good as that will sound for some fans, the song develops into a rather uninspiring, wistful effort. “In the absence of your smiling face, I travel all over the place,” Morrissey sings. Again the message is inspired by love – and Morrissey's inability to obtain it. Here he has to settle for the “steel” of the French city.
'All You Need Is Me'
Released earlier this year year to coincide with the singer's greatest hits, 'All You Need Is Me' is still the same pompous stomp of thrusting guitars and wails that it was as a single. The bassline gallivants up and down the guitar neck beautifully as well. Suddenly, like the music, Morrissey sounds intent, purposeful again – boasting that his love will “miss me when I'm gone.”
'When I Last Spoke To Carol'
Six tracks in and a real gem. The Spanish guitar from 'Black Cloud' is introduced again along with a brash horn section that gives the whole track a carnival feeling. To the production credit of the late Jerry Finn, the music is a complete juxtaposition to Morrissey's stunning lyrics, which are some of the darkest on the album. As he sings, “When I said goodbye to Carol, black earth upon the casket fell,” Morrissey sounds like he's amid an intense bullfight. Sure to be an absolutely unforgettable track live. Morrrissey will do well to keep his shirt on.
'That's How People Grow Up'
Another one fans will have heard plenty of already. The song is textured with power chords that will resonate right into the listeners heart. Although great as a single, the song's role on the album is much more subliminal. One feels it exists simply to maintain momentum.
'One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell'
'One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell' continues the pace thanks to a drum beat of urgent snare rolls. Lyrically, Morrissey provides a warning to the listener. “Always be careful when you abuse the one you love,” he sings. “...One day goodbye will be farewell.” This sounds like a man who has learned his lessons in love the hard way. Again the guitars are reminiscent of much of Morrissey's more recent releases.
'It's Not Your Birthday Anymore'
A power ballad – and one that serves an important reminder to just how much Morrissey has personalised his lyrics in his ageing years. Here, like throughout much of the album, Morrissey appears to be divulging the feelings and emotions he once repressed. “Did you really think we meant all of those syrupy, sentimental things we said?” he ask, before adding: “All of the gifts that they gave can't compare to the love I am now giving you right here right now on the floor.” It's a deeply passionate, melodic and ambitious sounding track that's delivered by a fraught sounding Morrissey. Watch out for the huge guitar part.
'You Were Good In Your Time'
Another slow number but far more sparse than its predecessor. Simple jazz club-esque brush strokes combine with a soft, reverberating bassline. The song only takes on more depth as Morrssiey's sings sombrely – but with all his usual ambiguity – about a person on their death bed. As a soft string section flowers in the background, he sings: “Then you grip your hand now so small in mine, are you aware wherever you are that you have just died?” As the song ends, an inaudible voice wails in the background.
'Sorry Doesn't Help'
Normal service resumes as grandiose guitar riffs return to once again power the three and a half minute song to its conclusion. Only the occasional breakdown help gives the song any sense of depth and change in direction. But it's the lyrics (and just who they're about) that Morrissey sings so raucously that will get people talking. “But sorry doesn't help us, but sorry will not save us / And sorry will not bring my teen years back to me (any time soon).”
'I'm OK By Myself'
After spending much of the record searching for love and sounding more at ease with himself than ever, Morrissey brings the record to an end on a deeply paranoid note with 'I'm OK By Myself'. “Could this be an arm around my waist?” he asks himself. “Well, surely the hand contains a knife?” Stubbornly he adds: “I find I'm OK by myself”. The song's relentless BPM complements the sense of hedonistic independence and finality in Morrissey's voice. The guitars are again powerful - and on occasion quite experimental. This is an angry ending; an ending where Morrissey tries to grab back any details he may have carelessly, and uncharacteristically, unveiled to the listener.
So how will ‘Years of Refusal’ come to be remembered? Is it, as many hoped, Morrissey’s musical autobiography? Well, not quite. While there’s no doubt that he tackles certain issues - most notably humanity’s two biggest emotions, love and death - Morrissey's explanations are still shrouded in ambiguity. Where ‘Years of Refusal’ really does shine, however, is musically. It’s here that, on the verge of turning 50, Morrissey has just shifted into Top Gear.
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More about: Morrissey
