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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There is a spite that never goes out . . ., 5 Jul 2004
'You Are The Quarry' sees Morrissey at his most lyrically uncompromising. The ambiguity of his earlier career lyrics have pretty much gone out the window. Gone are the poetic and quixotic lyrics which characterised his Smiths and ealry solo work - the message of this album is fairly blunt, as pop's 'Gloomy Gus' takes aim at his 'quarry'. In line with this, our man, the handsome chisel-jawed king of self-righteous melancholy appears on the sleeve cradling a Tommy Gun and by gum, Morrissey's foes are certainly peppered with more than a few rounds of ammo. Charting the Moz-father's targets sequentially the subjects of his bitterness and misanthropy on this record include (fat) Americans, George Bush, the meat industry, the music press (the NME in particular), the English, the Labour and Tory parties, Oliver Cromwell, the monarchy, Jesus, policewomen, policemen, silly women, taxmen, 'thicker than pigshit' popstars, agents of the state in 'smelly uniform', magistrates, the music press (again), his fanbase, and critics. Not a bad hit-list for 47 minutes worth of music. However, it's not all unmitigated savagery. There are some uproarious jokes on this album, moments of high drama and emotion, wonderful use of language and in addition Morrissey never fails to temper his savage misanthropy, arrogance and self-righteousness with witty self-deprecation, vulnerability and irony. Morrissey admits us the pleasure of a journey inside his head and how many popular artists genuinely afford us such a privelege? Not many. For an album primarily fuelled by disappointment and indignation, ironically the two highlights of the album, which are indeed highlights of Morrissey's 300+ song career, are two songs which do not dwell on life's travails. The sumptious ballad 'Come Back To Camden' sees Morrissey perform a stunning vocal, complete with dramatic operatic vocal inflections and falsetto applenty. In addition to this 'The First of The Gang To Die' is a fast paced character-based pop song relaying the story of Hector, a 'pretty petty thief', a 'silly boy' who in the course of his illicit gangland activities takes a 'bullet in the gullet'. The 'romance of crime' is a theme explored by Morrissey is earlier work but this outstandingly catchy romp constitutes his definitive coverage of the subject. Musically diverse, Morrissey has never created such a commercial piece of work as 'You Are The Quarry'. The style of the songs ranges from light whimsy pop ('Let Me Kiss You', 'I'm Not Sorry', 'All The Lazy Dykes') to orchestral ballad ('Come Back To Camden'), from heavy 80s generic rock ('Irish Blood, English Heart') to electronic music ('I Like You') and to what sounds like Moz performing a Queen tribute song ('You Know I Couldn't Last'). For the long-time Morrissey fans, succour will be found in a number of more recognisable angular guitar pop/rock songs ('First of the Gang To Die, 'The World is Full Of Crashing Bores' and 'How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel'). This album is a triumph for one of the icons of popular art. Not only does Morrissey have the most enviable back-catalogue of any living musical artist under the age of 50 (though Paul Weller is a close challenger), this album further enhances his reputation as the only figure in modern pop music with an original and genuine 'persona' and with the promise of yet more to offer.
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