The Guardian: Low in High School review – old greatness spoiled by ugliness and spite

Famous when dead

Vulgarian
Moderator
3/5*s by Alexis Petridis.

Some brilliant lines gleam through the noise on Morrissey’s 11th album, but others – about war and Israel – are sneering and reactionary.

Excerpt:

"In a world of flux and change, there’s a certain comforting familiarity about the arrival of a new Morrissey album. We’ve had stage one: the signing of a fresh record contract, replete with gushing praise. And, indeed, stage two: promotion of new album overshadowed by Morrissey’s inclination to make public statements that suggest – and let us pick our words carefully here – that some of his views may tend a little towards the reactionary. This time, he used a BBC 6 Music live broadcast to complain that Ukip’s leadership contest was rigged to prevent a win by Anne Marie Waters, an openly anti-Islam candidate. If nothing else, it was a comment that offered a chilling insight into everyday goings-on chez Moz: sequestered away in his Hollywood mansion, spending his downtime fulminating over the leadership elections of such a party back home. What a life."

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...w-old-greatness-spoiled-by-ugliness-and-spite

Another review picking up on production 'noise'.
Regards,
FWD.
 
Low in High School is Alexis' album of the week btw!

That just means its the most high profile, not that it's any good, which this clearly isn't.

The more I read about this album the more it becomes anathema to me.
 
Interesting - Alexis always reviews the Moz albums and usually gives 3 or 4 stars.
The album is effectively getting one of three marks according to the reviewers feelings towards Morrissey himself.
Relatively neutral - 6/10
Very positive - 8/10
Can't stand him - 4/10
The Independent review is out now and it's a 4/10. The final comment is something like 'this man is ghastly'.
 
Interesting - Alexis always reviews the Moz albums and usually gives 3 or 4 stars.
The album is effectively getting one of three marks according to the reviewers feelings towards Morrissey himself.
Relatively neutral - 6/10
Very positive - 8/10
Can't stand him - 4/10
The Independent review is out now and it's a 4/10. The final comment is something like 'this man is ghastly'.

"Especially when the second half of “I Bury The Living” consists of him mocking bereaved parents with the sneering chant “It’s funny how the war goes on without our John”, before literally ending the track with background bellowings of fake laughter at their loss. What a ghastly man."

It's funny. I don't think the song is doing this at all. The "funny how the war goes on without our John" is obviously sympathetic to their plight; the laughing is by the government/generals/whoever behind the war. It's certainly a song that divides opinion...
 
"Especially when the second half of “I Bury The Living” consists of him mocking bereaved parents with the sneering chant “It’s funny how the war goes on without our John”, before literally ending the track with background bellowings of fake laughter at their loss. What a ghastly man."

It's funny. I don't think the song is doing this at all. The "funny how the war goes on without our John" is obviously sympathetic to their plight; the laughing is by the government/generals/whoever behind the war. It's certainly a song that divides opinion...

Yeah I don't think he's intending to mock dead soldiers, it's anti-war if anything. He's exploring personal responsibility, not unlike Buffy Sainte-Marie's 'Universal Soldier'. It comes across a bit clumsy and personally I don't think it really works, but he's not sneering. He seems more angry at pointless wars and people willingly giving their lives for them than anything.
 
3/5*s by Alexis Petridis.

Some brilliant lines gleam through the noise on Morrissey’s 11th album, but others – about war and Israel – are sneering and reactionary.

Excerpt:

"In a world of flux and change, there’s a certain comforting familiarity about the arrival of a new Morrissey album. We’ve had stage one: the signing of a fresh record contract, replete with gushing praise. And, indeed, stage two: promotion of new album overshadowed by Morrissey’s inclination to make public statements that suggest – and let us pick our words carefully here – that some of his views may tend a little towards the reactionary. This time, he used a BBC 6 Music live broadcast to complain that Ukip’s leadership contest was rigged to prevent a win by Anne Marie Waters, an openly anti-Islam candidate. If nothing else, it was a comment that offered a chilling insight into everyday goings-on chez Moz: sequestered away in his Hollywood mansion, spending his downtime fulminating over the leadership elections of such a party back home. What a life."

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...w-old-greatness-spoiled-by-ugliness-and-spite

Another review picking up on production 'noise'.
Regards,
FWD.

Spot on about the UKIP stuff. It's the isolationism. Like we're all like that. We're not. We're really not.
 
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