Is Morrissey in a massive musical rut?

[Happy Maudlin]

It's hard to tell, because I am such a fan of Morrissey. Honestly if I heard any of the three songs released in the Janice Long sessions not being a fan of Morrissey, I would have enjoyed them, but only see his act as novelty, not proof of artistic greatness. My reaction would've been: "Good but meh." With the social climate of the world we live in and the state of music today, I am just ecstatic that the man is releasing new stuff. At the same time, I am not satisfied with crumbs. "Scandinavia" has a daring musical landscape complete with the lyrical wit that Morrissey renowned for, and Art Hounds (as I have heard in the live versions) is a riotous stomper that I am pleased to hear-- Morrissey hasn't lost his edge it seems. He does need sensitivity though, the sensitivity that made the Smiths what it was. If he strikes a balance between unfaltering edge and fortitude with thoughtful sensitivity for this time of his career, all the stereotypical perceptions of Morrissey would more or less vanish, because the reality of what Morrissey sings about would be vindicated. I sense a disconnect with what Morrissey professes to believe and what he truly lives out at times. But he is the 'realest' thing we have right now.

 

[gwen]

The solution is really simple -- Morrissey needs backup dancers. Imagine Walker's pulsating snare drums synchronized with Moz and co.'s hip thrusts and gyrations, and air karate chops. Instantly rocket to #1.

 

[Worm]

He ceased being innovative after The Smiths split, but he did change it up enough to keep it interesting.

I agree, but in the main I'd put that down to his development rather than the artistry of the musicians with whom he's worked.

What a novel idea.

Part of my sudden antipathy to his musical direction came from hearing The Feelies recently. I am not a Feelies fan at all, really. They're not a patch on The Smiths. I was never a big fan. These days they can blast away in a highly entertaining fashion that calls to mind their glory days of the 80s (particularly the Peter Buck period) while breaking moderately new ground in 2011. They're just a good band, not a great one, and that's kind of why it was so striking: I said to myself, if they can do this, Morrissey can too. He has no excuse. The Feelies aren't selling out, they're not compromising themselves, they're not humiliating themselves by trading on former glory, and most of all they are not at all peddling cheap nostalgia. Believe me, the last point is crucial; I don't want to relive high school, I don't cling to old memories. I just want to hear a fantastic, skillful, tight band that knows how to rock the house. For whatever reason I don't hear that in Morrissey's current lineup and it irks me.

A producer can make or break a sound, it's true.

Right, but I'm saying the producer is critically important to Morrissey in a way that's different than the usual artist-producer relationship. When I listen to "Your Arsenal", I feel like I'm hearing Morrissey and Ronson talking to each other about Marc Bolan and David Bowie through a translating machine called S-BAG (Spencer/Boz/Alain/Gary). And this is pure speculation on my part, since I don't have any inside information and Morrissey's band is of course tight-lipped (under threat of punishment by Twinkle cover), but I would hazard the guess that every Boorer or Whyte composition entered the studio in rough demo form and Ronson tarted it up so thoroughly it more or less became his song (or his and Morrissey's, since we know how Morrissey's vocal melodies alter the musical arrangements).

The band is Dorian. The producer is Basil. Morrissey is Lord Henry. What happens in Wilde's story? Dorian comes in and poses on the divan. Lord Henry's words breathe a new spirit into Dorian's soul, subtly altering his appearance. Basil captures the result in pigment, adding his own artistic flourishes in the act of transmuting Dorian into art. The picture of Dorian Gray would not exist without Dorian's real physical beauty-- foolish to imagine a portrait without a sitter-- but it can rightly be said that only Basil and Lord Henry are responsible for his elevation into a work of art.

And you saw what came to pass when Dorian went solo.

 

[Happy Maudlin]

The band is Dorian. The producer is Basil. Morrissey is Lord Henry. What happens in Wilde's story? Dorian comes in and poses on the divan. Lord Henry's words breathe a new spirit into Dorian's soul, subtly altering his appearance. Basil captures the result in pigment, adding his own artistic flourishes in the act of transmuting Dorian into art. The picture of Dorian Gray would not exist without Dorian's real physical beauty-- foolish to imagine a portrait without a sitter-- but it can rightly be said that only Basil and Lord Henry are responsible for his elevation into a work of art.

And you saw what came to pass when Dorian went solo.

That's a very imaginative way of putting it.

 

[Worm]

It's hard to tell, because I am such a fan of Morrissey. Honestly if I heard any of the three songs released in the Janice Long sessions not being a fan of Morrissey, I would have enjoyed them, but only see his act as novelty, not proof of artistic greatness. My reaction would've been: "Good but meh." With the social climate of the world we live in and the state of music today, I am just ecstatic that the man is releasing new stuff. At the same time, I am not satisfied with crumbs. "Scandinavia" has a daring musical landscape complete with the lyrical wit that Morrissey renowned for, and Art Hounds (as I have heard in the live versions) is a riotous stomper that I am pleased to hear-- Morrissey hasn't lost his edge it seems. He does need sensitivity though, the sensitivity that made the Smiths what it was. If he strikes a balance between unfaltering edge and fortitude with thoughtful sensitivity for this time of his career, all the stereotypical perceptions of Morrissey would more or less vanish, because the reality of what Morrissey sings about would be vindicated. I sense a disconnect with what Morrissey professes to believe and what he truly lives out at times. But he is the 'realest' thing we have right now.

This is an excellent post. I could probably come up with several words for what Morrissey lacks but "sensitivity" pretty much covers it. As you say I think you can have an edge and show fortitude and still show sensitivity (intelligence, an ear for nuance, empathy, compassion, touch)-- The Smiths were perfect at that, and many of Morrissey's solo songs are as well. I like his toughness now, I just feel that his response to the inhumanity of the world, and particularly the unprecedented levels of fakeness in the music industry, has been sadly limited to armoring up and firing off arrows of contempt rather than doing what The Smiths originally did in 1983: offer an alternative. He's content to bash away rather than offer something different. I don't need someone to call Lady Gaga a crashing bore. I want something beautiful to make me forget her. Just as, in 1983, the point of "This Charming Man" wasn't to make fun of Kajagoogoo and Simply Red, it was to say This is what pop music should be like. He still has the power to do that.

 

[Orson Swells]

The solution is really simple -- Morrissey needs backup dancers. Imagine Walker's pulsating snare drums synchronized with Moz and co.'s hip thrusts and gyrations, and air karate chops. Instantly rocket to #1.

Be careful what you wish for. James Maker is just a phone call away.

 

[Happy Maudlin]

This is an excellent post. I could probably come up with several words for what Morrissey lacks but "sensitivity" pretty much covers it. As you say I think you can have an edge and show fortitude and still show sensitivity (intelligence, an ear for nuance, empathy, compassion, touch)-- The Smiths were perfect at that, and many of Morrissey's solo songs are as well. I like his toughness now, I just feel that his response to the inhumanity of the world, and particularly the unprecedented levels of fakeness in the music industry, has been sadly limited to armoring up and firing off arrows of contempt rather than do what The Smiths originally did in 1983: offer an alternative. He's content to bash away rather than offer something different. I don't need someone to call Lady Gaga a crashing bore. I want something beautiful to make me forget her.

That's precisely it. It is infuriating when the alternative becomes a trend only though, not a call to action or appropriate forms of inaction. I believe you and Anaesthesine mentioned something about other artists having the ability to shape-sift and change and thus innovate music to new heights. David Bowie is that and there was mention of the Fall too. I recall seeing an interview of Bowie during the height of his "Ziggy Stardust" era and he said that was a collector, mainly of personalities. There came a time when he was boarding on the thin line of artistic vision and to frankly put it, insanity. Morrissey does not have that problem, not in the same way. He almost has too much knowledge of himself, and it deteriorates into self-sabotage... to a degree. Thoughts on this?

 

[Worm]

That's precisely it. It is infuriating when the alternative becomes a trend only though, not a call to action or appropriate forms of inaction. I believe you and Anaesthesine mentioned something about other artists having the ability to shape-sift and change and thus innovate music to new heights. David Bowie is that and there was mention of the Fall too. I recall seeing an interview of Bowie during the height of his "Ziggy Stardust" era and he said that was a collector, mainly of personalities. There came a time when he was boarding on the thin line of artistic vision and to frankly put it, insanity. Morrissey does not have that problem, not in the same way. He almost has too much knowledge of himself, and it deteriorates into self-sabotage... to a degree. Thoughts on this?

The question of Morrissey's self-sabotage is a tough one to address. On the one hand I don't believe for a minute that Morrissey would ever intentionally sabotage himself or his career (he would object to the word "career" but never mind). I think that's silly talk. He wants to be successful. Maybe on his own terms, sure, but I think there's no question that he wants to write and record great music and have oodles of folks buy it. On the other hand, there's the whole "glorious defeat" complex hanging over his music which is undeniable. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy type deal. Is Morrissey constantly thwarted because he expects to be thwarted, or does he expect to be thwarted because he is constantly thwarted?

For some, a big part of Wilde's darkly romantic appeal was the way he embraced his own doom. Ellmann, among others, points to his love of the Greeks and his sense of tragic fate as forming a crucial backdrop for his decision not to flee England before his trials. It is speculated that Wilde might have secretly believed he was fated first to seduce English society and then confront it with its own hypocrisies-- and suffer defeat even as he triumphed. Which is what happened, more or less. Despite his cruel treatment at the hands of the law, Wilde is a hero and the society that condemned him has in turn been condemned. Personally I don't think it's a stretch to say that Morrissey probably feels similarly about his position in English society. It's a paradoxical one in that he stands aloof even within the belly of the beast. And, as with all profound paradoxes, it can only be negotiated step by step, year by year. Now he's in favor, now he's not. Now he's a legend, now he's down to the back page of a faded annual. The point being that in his eyes, success and failure are two sides of the same coin. For every triumph he can imagine an impending fall from grace, and for every setback he can envision a greater triumph to come. I think it creates a willingness to accept things that come along, be they good or bad, as part of a larger design.

And so you cover Cilla Black, knowing history will vindicate you. You refuse to take anything less than a traditional music biz record deal, believing that you're big and "it's the pictures that got small". You do this because whatever the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, from another perspective you are doing just fine. The sentiment is--to adapt Tupac--"Only God can judge me". He might be right. Compared to Morrissey, what are the judgments of a cringing worm?

 

[Anaesthesine]

Thank goodness that Morrissey is still inscrutable...

 

[Worm]

Thank goodness that Morrissey is still inscrutable...

Exodus 3:14: "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM"

 

[goinghome]

Is something squeezing the skull of Claude Brasseur?

Whatever the chatter, whoopee.

[youtube]VWTibZkqPNU&feature=related[/youtube]

 

[Mozza220559]

I think if you start making sweeping statements about The Fall you need to listen to a good few albums first before dismissing it as samey when it's f***ing obviously not. How the f*** can nearly 30 albums spanning over 4 decades with countless new band members sound the same?

Qvist hit the nail on the head in the first post about The Fall.

How does Psycho Mafia sound the same as Dr Bucks Letter or Garden sound the same as I Am Frank? Tell me.

Sort your heads out.

 

[CrystalGeezer]

Is something squeezing the skull of Claude Brasseur?

Whatever the chatter, whoopee.

[youtube]VWTibZkqPNU&feature=related[/youtube]

"And I will shoot oop." *swoooooooooon* Are you kidding me? Keep talking. That accent is KILLING me.

 

[Mozza220559]

You'd be amazed how similar they sound to people who truly don't give a shit.

f*** off you ignorant c***

 

[Peterb]

f*** off you ignorant c***

Bloody Hell Mozza220559, that's bit stiff don't you think? It's not as if any of this really matters. ExTed was only stating a fact. It's true, if you are not into a certain type of music, it does all sound the same. To some people classical music sounds the same and that genre covered hundreds of years. To be insulted like that by a stranger for something so trivial is very unpleasant.

 

[Mozza220559]

Bloody Hell Mozza220559, that's bit stiff don't you think? It's not as if any of this really matters. ExTed was only stating a fact. It's true, if you are not into a certain type of music, it does all sound the same. To some people classical music sounds the same and that genre covered hundreds of years. To be insulted like that by a stranger for something so trivial is very unpleasant.

I've not got a problem he's the ignorant narrow-minded c*** trying to act clever

 

[Emotional Guide Dog]

Has it ever occurred to anyone that Morrissey might actually like the songs he's making, the style of music they live in & the musicians that make them?

He could make an album with Graham Coxon, Stuart from Belle & Sebastian, Animal from the Muppets & the London Philharmonic (Produced by Nigel Godrich) but he's been making music for almost thirty years. If he can't be arsed, I don't blame him in the slightest.

And if the public don't like it, too bad. It's not like he needs our money.

 

[Amy]

Has it ever occurred to anyone that Morrissey might actually like the songs he's making, the style of music they live in & the musicians that make them?

He could make an album with Graham Coxon, Stuart from Belle & Sebastian, Animal from the Muppets & the London Philharmonic (Produced by Nigel Godrich) but he's been making music for almost thirty years. If he can't be arsed, I don't blame him in the slightest.

And if the public don't like it, too bad. It's not like he needs our money.

He hasn't needed the money in 20 years, but he craves fames and he obviously doesn't enjoy being without a record deal. Don't you think the "f*** M-Solo" t-shirts were at least remotely related to the fact that the new songs had more scorn poured on them than Kill Uncle?

 

[Peterb]

He hasn't needed the money in 20 years, but he craves fames and he obviously doesn't enjoy being without a record deal. Don't you think the "f*** M-Solo" t-shirts were at least remotely related to the fact that the new songs had more scorn poured on them than Kill Uncle?

Hey Amy, I see a lot of your posts around this site. Always a good read and never descending to personal insults (as we often see). You are not, by any chance Amy Le May, Morrissey lover from the Danny Baker show are you?
If you are right about the t-shirts I'm amazed at the pettiness of my favourite singer. Surely if you get a lot of poor feedback the issue is not political, it's an indicator of where he is going musically and the reaction of a number of his fans. And that is something he should remember, critical we may be but we buy his bloody records and keep him in the luxury in which he lives.

 

[Amy]

Hey Amy, I see a lot of your posts around this site. Always a good read and never descending to personal insults (as we often see). You are not, by any chance Amy Le May, Morrissey lover from the Danny Baker show are you?
If you are right about the t-shirts I'm amazed at the pettiness of my favourite singer. Surely if you get a lot of poor feedback the issue is not political, it's an indicator of where he is going musically and the reaction of a number of his fans. And that is something he should remember, critical we may be but we buy his bloody records and keep him in the luxury in which he lives.

Hello Peterb. I'm not Amy Lamé (thankfully?!). Regarding the T-shirts...I'm sure the poor feedback was only one part of the story, but I think Moz has always been very quick to take offence if his pride is wounded and come back with some gleefully sharp retort to put the critics in their place. It's not quite so simple when he's facing his own fans of course, and the T-shirts were crass but I don't see the gesture as anything hugely out of character. I think he takes criticism of the band especially seriously in the post-wilderness years, because he's spent a lot of time trying to portray them as his 'gang' rather than his backing musicians and he doesn't want that to be undermined by fans telling him to sack everyone . Add to that his famous stubborn streak and the army of sycophants on his payroll, and well...it doesn't seem too surprising, really. I am learning to care more about the music than the man.