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MORRISSEY Ringleader of the Tormentors (InterGlobal) |
 THE importance of Morrissey's brilliant 2004 stage comeback You are the Quarry cannot be understated, proving as it did that he can successfully navigate the path between the cutting edge of alternative rock and his current role as elder statesman. Indeed, Quarry was so successful that Ringleader of the Tormentors seems to have arrived a little too swiftly on its heels. I don't know if Morrissey is still basking in the glow of the former's success, but there's something a little formulaic about this latest effort -- not that that would be discernible to new listeners, of course. You Have Killed Me is a little nugget of quintessential Morrissey, a wickedly addictive number beefed up with acerbically self-contradicting lyrics. I Will See You in Far Off Places is spicy and languid, while Dear God Please Help Me is frankly confessional. Even the likes of To Me You Were a Work of Art and The Youngest Was the Most Loved merit repeat listens, but how many? This record entertains, but never grabs a listener by the scruff of the neck to demand attention. It's an effort best described by two oxymorons Morrissey would probably be proud of -- it's typically bizarre and strangely familiar. |
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