Morrissey, You Are the Quarry

Mozzer’s post-Smiths solo work grew steadily less compelling through the nineties, so much so that while our fickle fanboy hearts wanted to sanctify Stephen Patrick Morrissey in 1986, by 2004 we were unaware that he hadn’t released anything for seven years. If you can make a sliding scale out of that timeline, we feel pretty 1991 about this record, which ain’t bad. Quarry is rich with lush musical arrangements and the undiluted power of Morrissey’s voice, but while he can still emote the hell out of any song, the lyrics are comparatively flat; for instance, he sings “America, it brought you the hamburger” with the same passion as he once sang “I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar.” Which is not to say there are no gems to be mined from Quarry—“First of the Gang To Die” is a terrific example of why we fell for the big-haired galoot in the first place. (Available now)