Morrissey

Morrissey, "The Youngest Was The Most Loved"

Morrissey, "I'll Never Be Anybodys Hero Now"

There are some days that are just more important than other days. You wanna believe the idea that every day counts, that any day could be special. Fourth of July, Halloween, Thansgiving. Tomorrow is one of those days, as Morrissey's new album, Ringleader of the Tormentors, drops. I say that tomorrow is as great as all three of those holidays above put together, simply for the fact that this happens once every few years. You don't get to wake up to a brand new Morrissey CD annually.

I'm not sure what to say about this album, as I know that I'm too biased an observer. I admit it, I love the Smiths, Morrissey, and am as much a fanboy as my cold, dead heart allows. I actually beat my younger brother into a coma when he argued with me that The Queen Is Dead is not the greatest album of all-time. To this day, I do not regret doing so.

However, I hope that you have come to trust my critical judgements and adherence at all costs. With that said, this is a great CD, a great Morrissey solo album, a contender for album of the year. It has a more of a rocking sound than classics like Bona Drag and Viva Hate, a louder, more defiant sound. It makes sense, having heard Moz speaking recently, as he seems to be looking for trouble, calling out Canada, the Arctic Monkeys and Kate Moss. I like it, as he seems to be singing and writing with an eye to the world today, moving away from that depressed, self-absorbed person who speaks so clearly to me. Well, not that far away, evidenced by song titles like the ones above or the main single "You Have Killed Me." There are some references throughout to the war, to the mess that the world is, and none of it seems forced.

That being said, it is still a Morrissey album, and I don't know if this will change your thoughts on him. You either love him or hate him, and nothing on this album suggests that he will be getting a lot of new fans from this one. There's a little more balance lyrically, not all doom and gloom, so I hope that skeptics will give it a listen.

Make sure to buy the album tomorrow, as I'd like to see this one hold the #1 spot on Billboard. That would be a harbinger of great things to come for me, us, and the whole damn world.

Follow this man, people:



Follow Moz wherever he wants to take you.