Re: Reviews in. Haters have hated. You have debated. 2 weeks on what do you think of "World Peace" n
I've had this on perpetual rotation since it came out. Loved it when I first heard it; love it still, particularly:
Neal Cassady. "... Allen Ginsberg's hosed down in a barn" made me laugh out loud when I first heard it. Like many of the songs on his album it feels like several songs have been involved in a violent collision but, miraculously, no one was hurt; and, in each case, the end result just
works.
Staircase. Pure pop melodrama, and a Morrissey song you can dance to without actually having to dance like Morrissey. Plus, it has hand-claps. Who doesn't love a song with hand-claps?
Kiss Me a Lot. The most joyful song Morrissey has ever recorded. Makes Fatty seem grim and maudlin. My seven-year-old daughter keeps singing this one. She has exceptionally good taste in music. If this isn't the next single, I'll eat my slippers.
I'm Not a Man. From the Lynchian intro to the strange and lovely woo-woos, it's wonderful.
Istanbul. A dark, cinematic little masterpiece. Song of 2014 for me.
Mountjoy. The icing on the cake. Magnificent. Sorrowful, angry and dignified. It kind of fills your chest.
The production is so intriguing and textured, creating Morrissey's most cohesive, album-like album since Vauxhall. I keep hearing little flourishes and details I hadn't noticed before, especially when listening through headphones.
It is also, without doubt, Morrissey's most assured and confident album. It feels pure and uncompromised.
I haven't felt the urge to mix-and-match the songs from the second disc into the original album's running order; it's fine as it is. Plus, Disc 2 works perfectly as a mini album, and those marvellous songs deserve a review all of their own.
I really think Morrissey is entering a phase of renewed creativity and vigour.
I appreciate this record isn't to everyone's taste. In fact, it appears to be Morrissey's Marmite album. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing (except in terms of cash register receipts, of course). Everyone's entitled to an opinion / beauty's in the eye of the beholder / it takes all sorts to make a world... etc.
To those who dislike the album. Never mind. Maybe you'll like the next one.