[.ca] You Are the Quarry

From Amazon.com:
Morrissey's first new album since the nineties is a triumph. Powered by a formidable quartet, the twin guitars spit fire that matches every wounded issue Morrissey tears into. Never one to mince words, he comes out swinging, taking America to task and then turning his attention on his homeland with the blistering "Irish Blood, English Heart." You Are the Quarry is so effective because it's less an overt rallying cry than a heartfelt plea for the world to make sense to him again. Elsewhere, relationships are given such a uniquely vibrant vantage point as to render any other angle blind. His wordplay mixes the coy invention of Cole Porter with a feisty contemporary showman's sense of stagecraft, wit, and drama. "Close your eyes, and think of someone you physically admire, and let me kiss you." It doesn't get much better to that. And wedded to charging hooks, these songs will move into your head and never leave. --David Greenberger

Moz is BACK!:
Morrissey's past few solo efforts haven't been much to sing about, but like any good fan I have them all. Quarry proves that even at 45, Moz can still be the self-absored siren he was 20 years ago. This album is wonderful! It is reminiscent of Bona Drag. His self-deprecation is as catchy now as it ever was and ever will be. Any fan of Morrissey must own this album. He is the Lazarus of pop music. Moz is BACK!

Honest opinon...:
It's hard to get an unbiased review around here, and Morrissey's fans are an especially biased group. But I'll tell you what. Im going to give it to you straight. I haven't grown up with The Smiths. I only discovered them last year and Im 20. Of course I had heard of them but I was by no means a 'rabid fan'. I never actually felt that the music was all that tormented or miserable, because I didn't know anything about the actual members of the band. So the music was always the number one concern for me. Ok, so now that I've verified my love for the music and right to write this review I will do so: He's a crooner! Its more rat pack than Ratt distortion pedal. But maybe somewhere in between would cover it. The lyrics are as smart as ever. Very clever and current. Captain America would have a hard time swallowing some of this though, so patriots beware. Moz has a lot to say about Americas role in global politics and I'll tell you now he isn't happy. The words "gay, black, female, fat, pig, humorless" all appear in the first song, 'America is not the world'. Musically this album is up there with any of his past and even some of the Smiths stuff. 'Irish blood, English heart' is one of the best crafted songs I've heard in a long time. No fluff, every fill and riff are perfectly placed, never over the top. Although Andy Rourke would find the bass playing boorish Im sure, it is appropriate for these new, more tightly crafted tunes. Strings, accordion, organ, and yes - even a bit of electronica support Moz's sometimes angry & resentful lyrics ('your royalties bring you luxuries/ oh but the squalor of the mind') but hold up equally if not more appropriately on the more laid back, and even funny tracks. The major dud is 'Im not sorry'. We really could have done without it and somewhere nearer the end would have been better. It kills the momentum of the first four songs. The lyrics are interesting ('im slipping below the water line') but the song lumbers on for almost five minutes with nothing much more than one long verse (although the flute is reminiscent of a certain favorite Smiths song of ours...) Once past this log the listener is in for a real treat. The album has many highs, few lows, and a lot of references to areas of Morrissey's life that have been of interest to Smiths fans for years now. References to his lack of a love life, crazy teenage fans, court battles, and label troubles appear all over the album. You are really able to get inside his head and understand what it must be like for people to want to crown you 'The most miserable man in the world' - ('Jesus, do you hate me?/why did you stick me in such self deprecating skin?') He really invested a lot emotionally into the album which is rare these days. Ready make pop stars have done a real number on the development of career musicians. So few artists have been around long enough to really do these kinds of songs and make it believable. It's a great album with a lot of heart - heavy on melody and a quick tounge, but with a tinge of resentment for the world that martyred him in the name of Misery.

Glad to have you back Mozzer:
People will forever be split on anything Morrissey has done, or ever will do since the Smiths. Some can't quite come to terms with his poppier (even) more miserable side, others think the new melodies fit in well with everything he is trying to convey to his fans. I happen to find myself in the latter group. Of course nothing he ever does will quite topple any Smiths efforts, in all truth, what band or artist really has to that extent. But one thing is for sure, Mozzer has a way with words and he'll forever be a brilliant poet if nothing else. This album happens to be a perfect example of Mozzer back in fine form, writing about the cliched anti-American subject (of which he does with an insurmountable amount of wit that few others could even hope to possess) to being deemed the misery messiah on songs such as 'I Have Forgiven Jesus' and 'This World is Full of Crashing Bores'. The rest of the songs have equally witty and adventurous lyrics that give more insight into his twisted, lonely and opinionated mind; the best of these would have to be the lead single Irish Blood, English Heart which is a fine rant on Englishism, same as we remembered from the 80s. The music itself is often more hit than miss. Overall they are quite well crafted with enough intensity and musicianship to keep people more interested in the tunes themselves rather than the lyrics coming back for more. At times however the music can seem a bit slow and a touch too poppy for what Mozzer is saying. But you have to keep in mind that he is in fact more a 'pop' icon than a rock and so it is to be expected. 'How Could Anyone Know How I Feel' and 'I'm not Sorry' fall into this category. However most times the tunes are spot on, albeit often simple, but they get your head moving and your ears perked right up because quite frankly they can really be irresistable. Special mention goes out to 'First of the Gang to Die' 'I Like You' 'You Know I Couldn't Last' 'Irish Blood English Hear' and 'America is Not the World' which frankly make this album worth the purchase right then and there. The album flows well together on the greater scheme of things and is without question his best work since Vauxhall and I. It may have taken ten years, but it is DEFINITELY cool to dig Morrissey again. I say this without a second thought.

Definetly Worth Buying:
This is Morrissey's best CD since Vauxhall and I, which I thought was great. Sure, there are a few songs that miss the mark a bit, but the majority of the songs are top notch. I particularly like Come Back to Camden, a beautiful song lyrically that I think Morrissey sings better than any song I've heard him sing. I also like First of the Gang to Die, which is a catchy tune that will stick in your head. The World is Full of Crashing Bores and You Know I Couldn't Last also have good melodies and lyrics. I don't feel this album is a "come back" to the style of the Smiths or Morrissey's earliest solo albums. I think it is Morrissey developing into his own style along the lines of Vauxhall. I was a bit disappointed in the last few albums, but I feel alot more effort was put into this one musically and lyrically. Alot of the reviewers who totally discount this album probably can't stomach some of the political views expressed, rather than judging the musicianship. If you liked Vauxhall, and you don't mind a few songs that jab at the current government, then get this album and you will enjoy it.

Come Back, Morrissey!:
Morrissey has been in a slump since the early 90s. In the wake of politcal "activism" (read: appear cerebral and be the 60's folk hero you always wanted to be), Morrissey has seen fit to ry to make himself relevant again by joining this bandwagon. Write a few songs trashing Bush or America, and you are in this prestigious club. Like most "protest" songs written today, I doubt that any of these tracks will be remebered by any but the most serious leftie or Morrissey fan 20 years from now. (And I challenge my fellow reviewers to name one that will). "Blowing in the Wind" it ain't. What we have here is a tired man belatedly joining a rush of anti-Bushies in an attempt to justify his prescence socio-politically on the music scene, which is something a lot of musicians (MTV and non) seem to worrying a lot about today instead of writing decent songs. It hurts me to write this review, because I was a huge fan in the days of the early Smiths. But with efforts like this, I cannot see myself buying another Morrissey CD in the concievable future. This is not about "censorship" or fighting fascism, as some easily excitable reviewers would have you believe. This is about a man who just can't seem to get back on track with anything close to his melodic past. What does it profit a man to gain world aproval and lose his music's soul?

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