"World Peace Is None of Your Business" Reviews

[Tbevie]

I agree with what a few people have been saying about 'World peace is none of your business'. It was initially my least favourite of the 4 singles but it somehow sounds better within the contents of the album.

 

[fredkocherpepsi]

I agree with what a few people have been saying about 'World peace is none of your business'. It was initially my least favourite of the 4 singles but it somehow sounds better within the contents of the album.

It sets the tone for the whole album, I think. It’s a great opener.

 

[Multi]

Good album. Production is grade A.

Best: I'm Not A Man, Instanbul, Staircase at the University, Smiler with Knife, Mountjoy, Oboe Concerto.

OK: World Peace, Neal Cassidy, The Bullfighter Dies, Kiss Me Alot (good tune, but the lyrics), Kick The Bride Down the Aisle.

Worst: Earth is the Loneliest Planet.

Debating on buying the UK vinyl pressing to go along with every other album of his career or the orange vinyl one. Sadly, I'm not a fan of giving Hot Topic my money. Anyways, bring on the next!

 

[Jamie]

It sets the tone for the whole album, I think. It’s a great opener.

It had the opposite effect on me - the clumsiness of the lyrics already has me skipping it. There really isn't a good opening track per se.

Neal Cassady has grown on me, though it feels more like a sketch that Chiccarelli spread some studio fairy dust on. The "disease rap" is the lyrical low point.

The first minute of I'm Not A Man is a total headscratcher. It would be perfectly effective to start with Morrissey a cappella. The primal scream was better through Alain's guitar pick-ups on Southpaw.

Mountjoy has great lyrics but an any-old-thing-will-do arrangement, really just a sketch from Boz that bears some resemblance to We'll Let You Know and The Public Image. I suppose the monotony is intentional to fit the prison theme, but the lyrics deserve more.I hear Jesse recycling parts of If You Don't Like Me on Kiss Me A Lot.

The fast-slow-fast tempo changes and Spanish guitar are a tad overused, as are the tape-slowing/signal-disruption noises.

All this said, it's fairly revolutionary for Morrissey and good to see him branch out. But I reserve the right to stew on it for a while before dropping "masterpiece" status on it. For me, there are some ho-hum moments.

 

[fredkocherpepsi]

I won’t call it a masterpiece yet either....I’ve only lived with it a few days! But I do stand by the fact that production wise, this is his best in decades.

 

[eyeball]

http://tracesofwaste.wordpress.com/tag/morrissey-review/

this is a good review I hope this hasn't been posted before

I like the description of kiss me a lot...

"the chorus is simply a clumsy “kiss me a lot”. It does almost sound as if Morrissey is poking fun at himself. Someone who is well versed in feelings of love and passion may come up something a bit more, romantic? Morrissey simply dives clumsily straight in to a world he has no right being in and demands that the object of his desire simply kisses him a lot. The stunning wordsmith of the morose is suddenly struggling and sputtering for words when the mood turns bright and he is in unfamiliar territory. Utterly charming."

 

[Layne]

I just hate how he dissed hockey.

 

[fredkocherpepsi]

I am curious though, as to how many people are praising this album and slagging the last couple....were these people super excited when ROTT and/or YOR were released and then got sick of them over time? I may like this new one MORE than those but that doesn’t mean I don’t still love those ones.

 

[nitrate21]

I have actually grown to like his last three albums more over time. They're all excellent albums with some marvelous b-sides. I have listened to them countless times. They're the work of a great artist. They reflect his growth and evolution. Many songs on them are among his best.

But World Peace just gobsmacked me in the way Moz used to up until Vauxhall. Each album since has been something that required some investment to really appreciate. My second spin of World Peace, I remembered how peak Morrissey used to make me feel. It grabs me and puts me in a spell. It resonates in my mind when I'm not listening to it. It brims with creative energy.

I'm always glad when Moz puts out a good album, but it's a good feeling to have a GREAT album again. I'm super excited there will be another in the pipeline guaranteed, and I really hope dearly that he never has a label snafu again. It's just silly to have such a significant artist without the ability to record and release whenever he wants.

 

[Head Singer Ritual]

Trivia

By the way, there were 3 cool things about THIS ALBUM, which I don't know if anybody else noticed them too!?

Anyway here it goes :


1st. Some of the songs on the album could be seen as sequels or another angles to earlier Smiths songs :

World Peace --> The Queen Is Dead
Bullfighter Dies --> Meat Is Murder
Kick the Bride Down the Aisle --> William It Was Really Nothing
Oboe Concerto --> Death of the Disco Dancer




2nd. There were a few songs which touched (or hinted) at animals :

I'm Not a Man (I'd never kill or eat an animal)
Bullfighter Dies (the whole song)
Kick the Bride Down the Aisle (Look at that cow in the field, It knows more than your bride knows now)




3rd. Morrissey in his lyrics seemed to use many check-list type verses :

for example :

World Peace
Brazil and Bahrain
Egypt, Ukraine

Neal Cassidy Drops Dead
Everyone has babies
Babies full of rabies
Rabies full of scabies

Liver full of fungus
Junior full of gangrene

etc...

I'm not a man
Don Juan, Picaresque
Wife beater vest
Cold hand, Ice man
Warring cave man

Wheeler, dealer
Mover, shaker
Casanova
Beefaroni
A-ho but lonely

and many more on this song...

Staircase at the University
Cramming, jamming
Pack em’ in, ramming
Chock-a-block books
Power study, Polish up

Bullfighter Dies
Mad in Madrid
Ill in Seville
Lonely in Barcelona

Gaga in Málaga
No mercy in Murcia
Mental in Valencia

Kiss Me A Lot
Bastille mausoleum
Stockyard, churchyard
Your mammy's backyard


__

This album was absolutely fantastic.
I just found these ideas quite interesting, but i know they are not very important in the great scheme of things . Just for fun, of course...

 

[Pokey]

http://tracesofwaste.wordpress.com/tag/morrissey-review/

this is a good review I hope this hasn't been posted before

I like the description of kiss me a lot...

"the chorus is simply a clumsy “kiss me a lot”. It does almost sound as if Morrissey is poking fun at himself. Someone who is well versed in feelings of love and passion may come up something a bit more, romantic? Morrissey simply dives clumsily straight in to a world he has no right being in and demands that the object of his desire simply kisses him a lot. The stunning wordsmith of the morose is suddenly struggling and sputtering for words when the mood turns bright and he is in unfamiliar territory. Utterly charming."

lol that's my blog, I didn't think anyone would find it.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Trivia

By the way, there were 3 cool things about THIS ALBUM, which I don't know if anybody else noticed them too!?

Anyway here it goes :


1st. Some of the songs on the album could be seen as sequels or another angles to earlier Smiths songs :

World Peace --> The Queen Is Dead
Bullfighter Dies --> Meat Is Murder
Kick the Bride Down the Aisle --> William It Was Really Nothing
Oboe Concerto --> Death of the Disco Dancer




2nd. There were a few songs which touched (or hinted) at animals :

I'm Not a Man (I'd never kill or eat an animal)
Bullfighter Dies (the whole song)
Kick the Bride Down the Aisle (Look at that cow in the field, It knows more than your bride knows now)




3rd. Morrissey in his lyrics seemed to use many check-list type verses :

for example :

World Peace
Brazil and Bahrain
Egypt, Ukraine

Neal Cassidy Drops Dead
Everyone has babies
Babies full of rabies
Rabies full of scabies

Liver full of fungus
Junior full of gangrene

etc...

I'm not a man
Don Juan, Picaresque
Wife beater vest
Cold hand, Ice man
Warring cave man

Wheeler, dealer
Mover, shaker
Casanova
Beefaroni
A-ho but lonely

and many more on this song...

Staircase at the University[/B
Cramming, jamming
Pack em’ in, ramming
Chock-a-block books
Power study, Polish up

Bullfighter Dies
Mad in Madrid
Ill in Seville
Lonely in Barcelona

Gaga in Málaga
No mercy in Murcia
Mental in Valencia

Kiss Me A Lot
Bastille mausoleum
Stockyard, churchyard
Your mammy's backyard


__

This album was absolutely fantastic.
I just found these ideas quite interesting, but i know they are not very important in the great scheme of things . Just for fun, of course...

Probably one of the most interesting posts on this website ever.

 

[eyeball]

lol that's my blog, I didn't think anyone would find it.

I can't remember how I found it I think someone tweeted it?

you need to be a professional writer if you're not already

 

[Pokey]

I can't remember how I found it I think someone tweeted it?

you need to be a professional writer if you're not already

I used to write for a music magazine awhile back, but now I just do bits and pieces and update that thing between uni stuff. But that blog is just for fun and is awfully unedited. But thank you

 

[sorrow of stamford bridge]

I'm somehow resisting the temptation and waiting for the physical release. Questions though...

The songs as described sound darker and sometimes menacing, I am imagining (and hoping for) a vocal tone that is more Istanbul (or Jack The Ripper) and less I Like You. Is this the case?

Has anyone played Vauxhall or Arsenal after listening to WPINOYB? How did you feel afterwards?

And finally, does the album sound coherent...do we have any standard acoustic guitar, anything that comes close to the middle moments in Vauxhall?

 

[the raytownian]

http://tracesofwaste.wordpress.com/tag/morrissey-review/

this is a good review I hope this hasn't been posted before

I like the description of kiss me a lot...

"the chorus is simply a clumsy “kiss me a lot”. It does almost sound as if Morrissey is poking fun at himself. Someone who is well versed in feelings of love and passion may come up something a bit more, romantic? Morrissey simply dives clumsily straight in to a world he has no right being in and demands that the object of his desire simply kisses him a lot. The stunning wordsmith of the morose is suddenly struggling and sputtering for words when the mood turns bright and he is in unfamiliar territory. Utterly charming."

My initial reaction to the chorus in "KMAL" was one of near annoyance. I had to resist bringing this up more than once based on how much people seemed to like it. Meanwhile, it struck me as being far too grating and "sing-songy"... I thought it really brought down an otherwise really good song.

I kept listening to the album, though, and it did what most annoying pop songs do, which is get stuck in my head. I can remember doing the dishes yesterday and hearing that goofy chorus, "KISS ME A LOT! KISS ME A LOT! KISS ME ALL OVER MY FAAAAYYYYYYCE! KISS ME A LOT! KISS ME A LOT! KISS ME ALL OVER THE PLAAAAAYAAAAYAAAYUUUSSS!" repeating in my head and imagining those professional rumba dancers doing their thing to it, and I found I actually enjoyed their company.

It seems willfully twee in an affectionately tongue-in-cheek way I find very funny and endearing, kind of like Acid House Kings. I can't help but think Moz was channeling his inner 60's girl group.

 

[billybu69]

lol that's my blog, I didn't think anyone would find it.

Well written fan revue, nice.

 

[Pokey]

I'm somehow resisting the temptation and waiting for the physical release. Questions though...

The songs as described sound darker and sometimes menacing, I am imagining (and hoping for) a vocal tone that is more Istanbul (or Jack The Ripper) and less I Like You. Is this the case?

Has anyone played Vauxhall or Arsenal after listening to WPINOYB? How did you feel afterwards?

And finally, does the album sound coherent...do we have any standard acoustic guitar, anything that comes close to the middle moments in Vauxhall?

Not really any whispered menacing like Jack the Ripper. Smiler with Knife is one you can imagine if you were laying in bed at 3am in the dark and Morrissey is laying next to you, singing softly into your ear in a sort of "hush hush, it'll all be ok, it'll be over soon" type of way. Which, now that I read that back, sounds a little rapey, but it's not really. It's menacing in a non-threatening way, if that makes sense.

I did actually listen to the Vauxhall re-release last night too. They're hard to compare, WPINOYB is so much more bombastic and in your face than Vauxhall. But at the same time, the best way that they are comparable is their use of instruments. This is the first album since Vauxhall that seems to want to be creative with not only how they use their instruments, but the number of instruments used.

I think it sounds coherent. I remember one of the early reviews saying it just sounded like a bunch of random songs thrown together. But the production value is really consistent, the themes are consistent. It sounds like a proper album. Acoustic guitars do turn up quite a bit. Smiler with Knife is heavily acoustic. Mountjoy is totally acoustic. It really doesn't sound too electrified or anything.

 

[the raytownian]

I'd say the 2nd half is a lot closer to Vauxhall than the first... in general, the album kinda slows down and some of the more bombastic acoustic and electronic elements make way for slower, more subdued acoustic-heavy numbers and the occasional weird, mellow 80's synth lead/texture. It's mostly the deluxe bonus tracks that really feature this subdued V&I "vibe", so it's a little different listening to the standard tracklisting, but I think they flow into one another very organically all the same.

All the disparate elements people have been describing (flamenco guitars, 80's synths, acoustic stuff, weird electronic noise and distortion) make appearances throughout the album so that they all seem to be logical and cohesive in their gestalt... or whatever...

In short, the tone of the album changes as it goes on, from strange, almost Industrial overtones and an occasionally Viva Hate-esque sound, into raucous, Spanish-inflected early 90's Morrissey tropes and then into more calm, acoustic-oriented Vauxhaull-esque tunes. It makes these transitions very fluidly, though, because these elements are featured throughout the album in varying degrees.

The one exception that comes to mind is the (to me) entirely out of place "Neal Cassidy" (I'm not sure it fits anywhere on this record) and its quick transition from digitally-distorted Industrial crunch into the sparse, lo-fi synth Tibetan singing bowl/wine glass intro of "I'm Not a Man"... When listening to the whole album, having such a loud, "edgy" (ugh!) track leading into the extended ambient intro of INAM feels like a dead spot on the album.

 

[Lazarus]

I listened to it carefully on headphones last night, has anyone else noticed how Istanbul sounds awful (the sound/production i mean) compared to the rest of the songs ??
It sounds like a demo, or would it be the leak that had a bad encoding on that song ?