THE GOOD: Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors

***sorry for the delay...first blogspot was down...then ezarchive****

Why do people love Morrissey? And I don’t mean, why do they love his music? I mean why do people cry hysterical tears when they see him sing as if their parents were just killed in a car accident? I like his music…I don’t break out the Kleenex box when Everyday is Like A Sunday bursts through the stereo speakers. So what is it? Is it his masculine charisma? Doubtful. The guy’s a sworn celibate. Is it the smooth texture in his voice? Possibly. The guy can definitely croon like nobody’s business. Or is it the fact that the guy seems to be one of the few singers who can emotionally connect with his audience? No, it’s none of these.

People love Moz because he’s a passionate singer.

No matter what the guy is singing about, he makes you believe that he’s in love with the subject matter. Whether he’s singing about gang violence, fat people, hairdressers, or even the Bush administration, Moz makes you believe that this subject is his one true love and he would die just to prove his undying love to it. But maybe it’s more than that. Maybe it’s that Moz really does love everything and everyone. Maybe he’s in love with the world. And it’s hard to hate a man who has nothing but love in his soul. (if I write like moz sings, think it will boost my readership?)

Ringleader of the Tormentors

1. I Will See You In Far Off Places – The Eastern flare on this track extends Moz’s anti-US government policy siding with the “enemy’s” culture through sarcasm and smugness.
2. Dear God Please Help Me – The lyrics of the song find Moz doing some serious soul searching you would expect of a singer at the end of his career not in the middle of it. The music begins simple and slowly grows up as the song “evolves” in this exploration of this God-person Moz loves to question.
3. You Have Killed Me – A pure Morrissey rock track. Always a welcome treat.
4. The Youngest Was The Most Loved – A classic Moz track that would be the highlight on any of his albums. Brings back fond memories of Viva Hate and junior high school. Okay, I don’t have any fond memories of junior high school…but if I did…
5. In The Future When All’s Well – A jangle pop vibe serves as a nice vehicle for the Moz’s voice on the third upbeat track in row. And, he hasn’t three upbeat tracks in a row since Your Arsenal!
6. The Father Who Must Be Killed – A fourth upbeat track? And it’s about child abuse. Only Moz could pull of that kind of subject matter with a smile. The pulsating guitar beat through the speakers like they were on the assault.
7. Life Is A Pigsty – This epic piece borders the world of electronica with its ambient beats and rainfall that transport the song into an ethereal area we haven’t heard since the Smiths Last Night I Dreamed Somebody Loved Me.
8. I’ll Never Be Anybody’s Hero Now – For all those Moz haters who attack his music for being mopey and full of self-deprecation, don’t listen to this song.
9. On The Streets I Ran – The weakest of the upbeat songs on this album feels like he’s trying to sound more upbeat than he really wants to.
10. To Me You Are A Work Of Art – In ten years when Moz is headlining Vegas, this will be the song he sings to the old ladies to get them to throw their underwear at him.
11. I Just Want To See The Boy Happy – It’s not Suedehead 2006 but it’s pretty damn close.
12. At Last I Am Born – If Moz had to write a military march for the army…this would be the song.
    

How it compares to his other releases…

1. Viva Hate – A
2. Your Arsenal – B+
3. Ringleader of the Tormentors – B
4. Bona Drag – B
5. Vauxhall and I – B-
6. You Are The Quarry – C+
7. Kill Uncle – C
8. My Early Burglary Years - C
9. Maladjusted – C-
10. Southpaw Grammar – C-

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Ezarchive is down so no MP3s tonight.
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Amazon: Morrissey - Ringleaders