When people ask me about my opinions on Morrissey, I normally joke and and reply where do they want me to start? For a career forever courting, embedded or shrouded in controversy, I find the modern day trope of cancellation of him quite amusing, doubly so that if anyone was genuine in wanting rid of him, then surely paying no attention to him would do more damage (although recent tour stats for tickets indicate this is already the case).
Regardless, it felt like a massive gap between Low in High School and previous album World Peace Is None of Your Business, Donald Trump took over the free-world leaving the fainthearted struggling for breath, Britain voted to leave the EU resulting in (at time of writing, three years) either the best thing to happen since sliced bread, the end of the world as you know it, or maniacal laughter.
Morrissey has continued being the music press' boogieman, so naturally, when an album like Low in High School, which even I (spoilers) think is a mixed bag popped up, everyone was ready for a good old evisceration.
This was one I did desperately wanted to cover back on it's release but alas, it's taken a global pandemic to reignite the review itch to cover the album.
The first half of the album is inexplicably the strongest, opener My Love, I'd Do Anything for You evokes flashbacks of the bombast of You Are the Quarry with the more modern introductions of brass instruments, it's a carnival ride of wailing and open declarations of some form of restricted love.
From there, the album refuses to pause, I Wish You Lonely is your typical three minutes of Morrissey blitz including all the old favourite subjects of hunting, drugs, anti-authoritarian self-pitying that you come to expect.
Jacky's Only Happy When She's Up on the Stage is a confusing one lyrically, or rather, the song screams that it's a dead obvious allegory for post-Brexit Britain in the form of Jacky who's literally only happy when all the attention is on her, although Morrissey has denied this several times. It's immediately followed by the best track on the album Home Is a Question Mark where Morrissey questions what constitutes a home which can easily be replaced or change into something utterly unrecognisable.
From here however, the album tilts and begins to collapse. I might like the fluffy Spent the Day in Bed although I can see why others don't. It's overtly simplistic to the point of parody and musically feels like a half finished left over from World Peace.... I Bury the Living is another seven plus minute song for the back catalogue, although it definitely feels like two songs inexplicably stitched together (the more jagged, angry three quarter start followed by the slow, sombre outro).
This followed by the second half which simply put, is not as good. Although musically there's some new inflections on the old Morrissey formula, nothing is as outstanding as the first half. Although I like the final two tracks on the album (Who Will Protect Us from the Police? and Israel), the tracks prior to it are a mix of either too long, too short or too aimless to offer anything new.
Overall, the irony is the album consensus appears to be either romance or the idea of romanticising life. There is a lot to like about Low in High School; the changes to music, the occasional menace or wit of the old days and Morrissey's vocal performance.
But there's nothing to truly love and that's the ultimate tragedy.
6/10
H
@Retcon_Nation
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