Album of the Week: Morrissey - Years of Refusal

To say that Morrissey’s post-Smiths solo material is a bit uneven is quite an understatement. Since his 1988 debut Viva Hate, the singer has spent most of his career criss-crossing between albums that range from the exceptional (Your Arsenal, Vauxhall and I) to the utterly bad (Kill Uncle, Southpaw Grammar, Maladjusted). Yet as of the mid-2000s, Moz’s career surprisingly took an upswing. Starting with 2004’s You Are the Quarry, and continuing on with 2006’s Ringleader of the Tormentors, Morrissey began writing and releasing material that arguably matched the quality of his stint with the Smiths (or at least the best parts of his solo career) while hardly dipping into the maudlin self-parody that the singer was present on his late-ninety faux-pas releases. Years of Refusal continues this resurgence of quality in Morrissey’s work, but ups the ante. This album is probably the best thing Moz has released to the public in the past 15 years, a barrage of intense glam-punk compositions fronted by Morrissey’s trademark croon and barbed-wire wit. His intoning of mutilation on “Something is Squeezing my Skull” sounds like its from a man half his age, proving that even nearing his sixties, Morrissey’s vocal range is still verbose and elastic. Lyrically, Moz’s themes of isolation, sexual frustration, and social deviance are just as present as they ever were, but are fine tuned to be their most impacting and comedic in ages. “All You Need is Me” is an attack on Morrissey’s critics who despite their distain for the singer cannot seem to help but to pay attention to him (resulting in one the best lines ever: “There's a naked man standing /Laughing in your dreams /You know who it is /But you don't like what it means”). Meanwhile, “That’s How People Grow Up” turns the tables on listeners who expect romantic panning from Morrissey (“I was driving my car/I crashed and broke my spine /So yes, there are things worse in life than /Never being someone's sweetie”). It’s not all gold though. “It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore” is the type of maudlin dirge that made albums like Maladjusted exercises in boredom while “You Were Good in Your Time” is hardly memorable aside from the annoying tape-looped outro. As well, it should be mentioned that Years of Refusal already has my vote for the worst album cover art of the year (really, he just looks creepy holding that baby). Yet beside a few weak points, this is the best Morrissey release of the decade, and undoubtedly one of the best in his solo career.

Listen To: All You Need is Me, Something is Squeezing My Skull, That’s How People Grow Up

RIYL: The Smiths, The Dears, Suede