Cormsypoos's Full Review: You Are the Quarry by Kelis/Morrissey
Delicious, smart, funny, witty, wonderful. These are the best adjectives I can come up with to desribe the triumphant return CD of El Morrissey, oh how we missed him. All but completely silent since 1997's post-Smiths "Maladjusted," he's back -- New, fresh, and more electric than before, and in such a big-bad-in-your-face-kind-of-way, it's just impossible to think anything other than that this guy is something special, love him or hate him.
Even my from-a-different-planet-than-mine partner appreciated this album, especially Morrissey's willingness to diss himself and his countrymen right along with America and all the other problem children.
This is how Morrissey ends up singing wonderfully poignant things like: "America Is Not The World" where he simply and matter-of-factly points out that America, though the self-proclaimed land of the free is one "where the president is never black, a woman or gay" and one where the Americans know where they "can shove your hamburger." Most of the rest of the CD sticks to the mid-tempo, ethereally dreamy elctronic beat.
Among the things that are so truly brilliant about Morrissey is that his politics are consistent. His first single from the album, "Irish Blood, English Heart" explains not only the tension therebetween but also underscores the issues and problems with loyaly to being Either English or Irish or claiming loyalty to any other Nation, or combination thereof. Brilliant!
Picking up and moving on, “I Have Forgiven Jesus,” explores themes of religion, sexuality and convention; all the while telling the story of someone swimming against stream. This is a song easily dismissed as blasphemy but more easily and (in this writer's opinion) better characterized as an individual's tough struggle against the mainstream and ultimate realization of pride and comfort in who and what he himself is.
“Come Back To Camden” is Morrissean meloncholia at its best, with our boy waxing nostalgically to the cusp of whiningly about his hometown.
"The World Is Full of Crushing Bores” sticks to old-school Morrisssean complaints of outsider-ness, exclusion, and general atypicality. This is the Morrissey we know and love, slowish, saddish, and self-segregating. WE MISSED YOU!
“Let Me Kiss You” is the high point of the album, the culmination of Morrissey's 21st century electric sound and good ol' 1990s post-The Cure, post-grunge melancholy. It is a track that explores the sexuality, exclusion, desire and discomfort in one's own skin all set to a moody, brooding and dreamy mid-tempo. "All The Lazy Dykes” sticks as par for the course, reflecting despair and downtempo melodrama.
With “I Like You,” Morrissey picks up the pace and turns self-mockingly pop-ish in a song that generally wonders why the singer allows a certain person to "get away" with all kinds of things, then admonishingly admits "Could it be I like you?/ It’s so shameful of me/ I like you."
Taking a page from the same book, “You Know I Couldn’t Last” keeps the self-mocking up-tempo, while revelling in stories of once-adoring fans and fair weather friends and recognizing and acknowledging those who remain interested or rather, those who keep Morrissey relevant to date.
All in all, You Are the Quarry is brooding and melancholic at times, self-mocking and/or self-celebratory at others. It is a long-awaited return that far surpasses any possible expectations from our very favorite misanthrope, may he stay within earshot for years of moaning to come!
You Are the Quarry, the first new solo material from Morrissey in seven years; it is an album of original songs using keyboards interwoven with crunch...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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