Morrissey’s Latest Lament

Morrissey has been the forefather of emotional rock, each song as heartfelt and intense as the last. He pioneered the whole Emo movement for close to 10 years during the late 80’s and 90’s, whether he was working through The Smiths or on his own. He has never branched out. He has never changed. For hardcore Morrissey fans, this is fantastic. His new album, You Are the Quarry, is as full of earnest griping as any of his previous ones. With his opening song “America is Not the World”, a love-hate bitch session with complaints of how its presidents are never black, women, or gay, an American listener might be inclined to take a slight bit of offense. Never fear, though. He doesn’t exclude his own heritage. The following track, “Irish Blood, English Heart” also whines of the UK, with lines like “I am dreaming of a time when the English are sick to death of labor and Tories…” Each song melodramatically sighs about most of his qualms with society and life. Even just skimming through the song titles might bring the listener down an emotional peg, as the only title with a modicum of happiness is the second to last track “I Like You”.

As for the music of the album, it can simply be described as pure Morrissey. It is sedate and smooth, flowing easily. Each song melds into the next. It is sometimes dark, but mostly light and unencumbered. It is like Morrissey never aged; his music and his faithful lamenting are still the same.