Love him or hate him, and trust me, most people fall into one of these categories, Morrissey to this day remains an enigma: paradoxically able to evoke more passion and genuine emotion within his fans that any other musical icon in history, while at the same time almost deliberately alienating himself from the love, and indeed company, of people. On stage, the man is witty, enigmatic and oozing confidence – however, this stage presence masks a real life shrouded by introversion.
This is of course both recognised by Morrissey himself, and as any Smiths fan will realise, the subject of many of his greatest works. His latest solo release, “You are the Quarry”, is no exception – listen, for instance, to the heart-wrenching “How Can Anybody Possibly Know how I Feel”, or indeed the epic closer “You Know I Couldn’t Last”.
Perhaps the most intriguing song on the album, however, is “I Have Forgiven Jesus”; intriguing if only for its contradictory nature: Morrissey spends almost an entire song letting us know how he no longer resents Jesus for giving him “such love…when there’s no-one I can turn to, to offer this love.” However, the worm turns, so to speak come the end of the track, at which point Morrissey lashing out at Jesus giving him such “self-deprecating bones and skin”, concluding the track with the repeated cry of “do you hate me?” It is clear Morrissey hasn’t forgiven Jesus, and in fact seems to be looking for someone to blame rather than excuse, making this a brilliantly paradoxical track reminding us one more time why Morrissey is such a unique character.
I would also like to take this opportunity to correct (yes, I did say correct, as you are wrong) those who dismiss Morrissey’s work as depressing. Upon listening to his lyrics there is much wit and irony embedded, and again, this album is no exception. Try, for instance, America is not the world: “America your head’s too big… ‘cos America, your belly’s too big.”
“You are the Quarry” also benefits from two other important factors. Firstly, this is the closest album, in terms of sound and lyricism, to the work Morrissey did with The Smiths. The trademark wit, the storytelling, the eighties indie-style tuneful guitar melodies, and the vocal parodies which all typified the Smiths are recalled here, even after the seventeen years since the Smiths split. This is, of course, a good thing: while on the one hand it doesn’t show progression, Morrissey was undeniably at his best during the Smiths, and anything that can recall, if not quite live up to, those heady days must surely be a bonus. All we need now is a little Marr magic and… hey, I think I’m dreaming here. Secondly, the lead single, “Irish Blood, English Heart”, is arguably his best since “Suedehead”.
So, perhaps Morrissey’s best solo album, and certainly a welcome return to form. Buy it. Enjoy it. See him live. It’s the closest you’ll get to seeing the Smiths.
