Ever since the dissolution of the iconic Smiths, the career of
their legendary frontman Morrissey has been one of ups and downs. It's taken
him through undisputed genius (1994's Vauxhall
and I) to flat lifelessness (1991's Kill
Uncle) and everything inbetween, and now, five years after his last outing,
a tenth solo record is on the brink of release. Despite its name, World Peace Is None Of Your Business goes
beyond a predictable stab at a political statement; it's an intelligent,
soulful album which showcases Morrissey at his most life-affirming and
essential.
Now well into the third decade of his career, it would have
been all too easy for Morrissey to record an album as a homage to his past
rather than a vision of the future, but World
Peace... is quite the opposite. Indeed, there's an impressive level of
variety and experimentation on display as the singer explores a wide range of
instrumentation and technique. From the staccato guitar assault of Neal Cassady Drops Dead to the funk
elements of Istanbul, this is perhaps
Morrissey's most musically ambitious and widely influenced solo record to date.
However, themes honed to perfection since the days of The Smiths remain
unchanged and overused, most notably the disturbing juxtaposition of
black-hearted lyrics and sugar-sweet melody. While fresh and innovative on its
early uses in The Smith's 1986 masterpiece The
Queen Is Dead, this frequently copied technique now feels too much like an
uncle showing off the photos of his college years; unobjectionable, yet
ultimately dated and irrelevant. Despite this, the lyrics/music contrast is
still superbly executed, most brilliantly on I'm Not a Man, a bitingly personal portrait of domestic violence in
which Morrissey recalls a "picturesque wife beater."
On the subject of lyrics, the genius wordsmith behind the
likes of There is a Light That Never Goes
Out, First of the Gang to Die and
Boxers is on fine form thirty years
after his words were first heard on The Smith's debut album. World Peace... is not as brazenly
political as its name would have you believe; despite its opening track blaring
the slogan "each time you vote you support the process" its lyrics
are actually remarkably varied and rich. I'm Not
a Man is among the most focussed and complete efforts, but memorable
moments are rife elsewhere, such as on Neal
Cassady Drops Dead's study of infectious diseases "everyone has
babies, babies full of rabies, rabies full of scabies". It's unfortunate that
Morrissey appears to be straining on later tracks; Kiss Me a Lot is as
gut-wrenching mawkish as a teenage romantic novel, and Smiler With Knife also
lacks the quality of the album's first half. These low points cause an inconsistent
pace and feel like they simply shouldn't be there, and on an album that's
lengthy anyway little would have been lost by removing them.
While It's not without its blips and predictabilities, World Peace... remains a stellar entry
in Morrissey's extensive back catalogue. It's outspoken, explorative and at
times deeply humorous, and is without a doubt one of the best comebacks of the
year so far.
7/10
