Morrissey 'Years of Refusal'

This week I saw an interview with Morrissey where he acknowleged the devotion and loyalty of his fans and was asked if he worried about letting them down by making a bad album. "No" was the answer.

He is probably right to feel confident that his fans will stick with him. There seems to be an unspoken agreement that runs somewhat like this:

1. Morrissey releases an album every 2-3 years which will have a great cover, be heralded as his best since....and will contain at least a couple of tracks good enough to appear on a 'best of' (one of which will also be released every couple of years).

2. Fans buy at least two of the numerous formats and special editions made available.

3. Morrissey tours and plays enough Smiths songs to keep the fans happy and the cycle starts again in a couple of years.

If all this sounds cynical, it probably isn't. It is just that none of this has much to do with creativity and sometimes a Morrissey album reminds me a little of painting by numbers. There are several standard verse/chorus/verse songs here on which Morrissey appears to be on auto-pilot. 'Thats How People Grow Up' must have been on at least two of his previous albums surely? The same applies to three or four other songs, the band play the same tune (or sound) and Morrissey sings about the usual things over the top. You've heard it all before.

Yet...yet....there is 'Something Is Squeezing My Skull' which is just thrilling. A critique of modern life, sung with legitimate passion and edge. And there is 'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris', nothing new but a catchy feel-good (well as feel-good as any song with the line "only stone and steel accept my love" can be) Morrissey single done well. On 'Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed' he sympathises with a woman driven to distraction by the modern world and 'On You Were Good In Your Time' he sings a lament to a hero who is percieved to be past his best. I wonder who he is referring to?

Lyrically Morrissey is generally on good form here. He attacks and he criticises hatred and greed and settles old scores, he seems to revel in his isolation. Its just a shame that the mid-section of the album is dragged down by stodgy, predictable anthems where Morrissey sounds bored. Musically the only variation of the drum and guitar heavy sound are a few brass flourishes here and there. Morrissey and his fans (of which I am one. I will be at the Albert Hall in May to see him) were probably hoping for five or six songs good enough to fit well into his setlists for the year and he achieves that easily but this lacks the consistency needed to be his first truly great album since 'Vauxhall and I'.

7.0

['Years of Refusal' is out now on various formats including a cd/dvd with a conversation between Morrissey and Russell Brand which is far from essential. Morrissey tours in May and T&G can confirm that a Morrissey gig is almost always a lot of fun]