My Love, I'd Do Anything for You
Bombastic in the best of ways: it recalls for me some of the best soundtracks from the Connery - and even Moore - era of Bond. Very few artists could make "you know me well, my love I'd do anything for you / society's hell" phrasing. Even Tobias' rather metallic guitar tone works here. The horns at the halfway up the drama for me neatly. I think the last album opener that had the same emotional and intellectual effect was "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side." There's a gang mentality, at last.
I Wish You Lonely
Feels like a break from the above. Still drives hard in its way. I like the use of repetition "never giving up," "heroine," and "never giving in." The lead guitar tone doesn't help as much on this track, at least to my ears.
Jacky
I'm fond of songs that are stories in their own right. I've found myself wondering if the Jacky character is a composite of artists and, if so, who. The guitars feel tangled up to ill-effect whereas the sound effects and synth and drums enhance one another. The bit with just the bass strumming is a clever intermezzo. If it occurred in chess, it would be called an "in-between move." The repetition combined with drum rolling toward the end
Spent the Day in Bed
Has grown on me a bit since I wrote a mini-review of it on my blog here. The music much more than the lyric. A thought: give this to Neiman Marcus. The lyrics would suit the clientele.
Home is a Question Mark
Returns to the filmic approach. I think less telling and more showing would have given this one more weight and lyricism, namely showing how he's been brave rather than declaring it.
I Bury the Living
Enters quietly, even plaintively. I really enjoy how the sound effects rise and fall, then introduce what sounds like Electroclash Morrissey. Again, I like a song with a story and, again, showing improves telling. The vocal melody and lyrical content have less of an effect on me. The guitars slink and slither. The story of a soldier by way of Morrissey could have been of enduring merit. His delivery feels a touch aimless compared to the preceding songs. Denouncements from the ultranationalist Americans will soon follow. I'd like to hear more like this. It's adventurous. Morrissey's lyrical brilliance derives largely from converting his internal landscape into an external one, highly detailed and nuanced and often rather funny. The difficulty in this lyric is that the exterior landscape is the.... exterior landscape that is hardly populated compared to M.'s internal one.
In Your Lap
The war / conflict theme gets a more personal treatment that works a lot more than the fictive narrative in the previous song. Morrissey singing "I just want my face in your lap" torchsong style through my headphones is really unfair at 10 pm on a Thursday night, let it be known. On a less libidinous note, the recent standard for the relationship-war/conflict motif is still "Start a War" by The National. If you disagree or have another song in mind, please say so. And that said, 58 year old Morrissey puts in a moving effort.
The Girl from Tel Aviv
Repetition again! I really like how the bossanova (?) mode meets the geography and the lyrical detail in a friendly hug. "All of my friends are in trouble" is probably a true statement for more people in my life that I'd like. "There's no need to go into that now" feels cheap as does "the land weeps oil." No it doesn't. Israel is the only country in the middle east that's oil poor. Oh Morrissey, won't you brush up on your international affairs and commodities reading? I thought a fellow like you would understand that the good ol' USA spends more per Israeli citizen than American citizen. It's the "American way," you know. Please consider that half-sarcasm.
When You Open Your Legs
Less affecting than it's spreading cousin "In Your Lap." The structure and lyrics felt very predictable. Easily my least favorite track thus far. It would have been fun to compress this into two minutes to lead into...
Who Will Protect Us from the Police
Electroclash (and brass) Morrissey returns to my delight. Holy hell, give me more of this. Musically encouraging. "We must pay for what we believe" as chanted against the background of synth and drums leaves me wanting more. The "baby and daddy" lyrical portion I could do without. Morrissey has no business calling me daddy.
Israel
Let's stop fetishizing countries, shall we? The intonation of "Is-ray-el" plods. And then it keeps plodding. The platitudes mixed in don't help the content either. But then I'm in the clime of bitch and wine.
Edit: Yes, I forgot "All the Young People Must Fall in Love." I liked the music hall notion, and after that.... Well, pardon me while I pen my album closer "Palestine".
Yours in wine and bitches,
S.
