Morrissey
Ringleader of the Tormentors
Anyone who has found Morrissey's solo work disappointing as of late needs to shut the hell up. Now.
Or at least for 50 minutes, which is how long it will take you to listen once to this very, very solid album.
Speaking in all honesty, I must admit to having to do a considerable amount of skipping when playing Morrissey albums. While many songs stand out as being incredible, and fill out a greatest hits record with aplomb, his solo albums just don't always stand the test of a sustained listen. At least not without some (albeit rewarded) effort.
Ringleader of the Tormentors is a welcome exception to this phenomenon. While I must further admit to being partial to the order in which iTunes loaded these songs (ie not in the intended order), there is only platinum to found amongst gold.
Starting (way out of order) with "At Last I Am Born," Morrissey delivers his trademark "vocal gymnastics". Highlights, if they can be called that, include "To Me You Are A Work Of Art," "I'll Never Be Anybodys Hero Now," "Life Is A Pigsty," "The Father Who Must Be Killed," "In The Future When All's Well," "You Have Killed Me," "Dear God Please Help Me," and "I Will See You In Far Off Places." The last of which contains possible allusions to Osama Bin Laden.
Brilliant.
When I am not sidetracked by the beauty that is Yacht Rock, the new Morrissey album is in very heavy rotation. This is as high praise as I can give.
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