Bloggers on Ringleader of the Tormentors

• Permanent Records: I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
  from Confessions of a Pop Fan
  
  
• Defending Morrissey (although he scarcely needs it)
  from tired of london

 

Come on to my house...

Ringleader of the Tormentors
Morrissey

Though the album will not be released until April 4, resourceful Morrissey fans have recorded the audio stream of the album via Amazon and made it available for download. The quality of this stream is not the best; instruments and ambient sound are a bit muddy though Morrissey's voice comes through well. So, given this version of the album, I preface this review with the caveat that I may adjust a few observations once I get my hands on the authentic item.

Before I write about the record, I hope you can indulge me as I jot down a metaphorical approach to the album that has been in my mind these past few days.

Listening to Ringleader of the Tormentors leaves me feeling as if I have been allowed unfettered access inside Morrissey's home. The home of a stylish recluse who, over the decades, has accrued ornate furniture, intriguing personal objects and luxurious fabrics strewn about the house. A home that feels lived-in and is loved by its owner. Walking through the house, you feel blessed as a fan to have finally been allowed to study its details. At the same time, however, it becomes clear that the home houses someone who is deviant. Someone who has accepted his deviance and takes pleasure in his decadent tastes. Someone who does not need to shield such tastes anymore and who trusts his visitors to luxuriate with him in the house.

As such, people who do not share his aesthetic sensibilities will find the visit disconcerting. Whether people remain feeling unsettled or find themselves warming to the home will depend, in part, whether they share some of that deviance or decadence themselves. The home is uncompromising; it is not configured to please all guests. This said, the home is a work of art.

Ringleader is one of Morrissey's best solo albums; the best since Vauxhall and I. It is the first solo album that seems designed to have sonic and thematic coherence. It posits solitary figures careening through scenes packed with sexual come-ons, abuse, murderous impulses, bruised love and catharsis. This progression is propelled by something quite unusual and paradoxical in Morrissey-land: optimism -- albeit, a guarded optimism. He also projects absolute command and self-confidence; there are no references to being wronged by the courts or attempts to justify his oddness. He is odd; and he will yodel happily about it for an hour.

More frequently than in the past, he sings at the higher end of his range -- and the results are heart-achingly beautiful. The record ends up stirring together familiar ingredients of Morrissey's taste (crunchy glam, rockabilly spikiness, Elvis, Roy Orbison-esque crooning, yodeling) with unusual flecks of bass-heavy electronica and string arrangements courtesy of Ennio Morricone. The results, particularly in the sweeping and devastating "Life is A Pigsty," make you wonder why he had not done this before. This song, in particular, should become a classic in the Morrissey canon - deservedly so.

Morrissey has always been known for the unusual, yet effective, way he fits his lyrics into a musical structure. This prowess is present throughout Ringleader; in fact, some songs may leave you breathless as you try to catch up to the amount of sheer content that he has packed into them. This is not a record that you can sing along to after a few listens or that you can follow easily as you walk down crowded city streets. It demands and repays sustained attention. It has been said before, but it remains true: his songs can be as suggestive and rich as some short stories. That said, there are a couple of "singles" in the album that allow you to take a breather: "You Have Killed Me" and "The Youngest Was The Most Loved."

There are some rough spots. I think Morrissey's lyrics, in the past few years, have become less subtle and more direct. This, by itself, is not a flaw, but there are a couple of choices that, I believe, distract from the narrative flow of his storytelling. This is particularly apparent when references to current events peep out in "I Will See You In Far-Off Places" and when odd metaphors appear in the midst of a delicate musical moment (e.g., the explosive kegs in "Dear God, Please Help Me"). Actually, I do enjoy the reference to Morrissey's kegs, but it does derail my engagement with the song for a few seconds. On the face of it, it is a silly metaphor, but then respect for having the courage to make such a move takes hold.

I also believe that the record begins with its weakest song, "I Will See You In Far-Off Places." It is intriguing to hear Morrissey backed by an electro-track that is reminiscent of some of Massive Attack's atmospheric pieces, but the song settles into a constant drone. I think it would be an excellent theme for a James Bond film - probably one of the best themes, actually. In my view, the ten song stretch of the album that begins with "You Have Killed Me" is the brilliant, moving and cohesive heart of the album - quite a large heart.

This is a hermetic record. Those who love or are predisposed toward the sensibility expressed by Morrissey's lyrics and persona should adore being shut inside; padding around the house swaddled in melodrama. Though, I can see how some people who might have been indifferent or thought they disliked Morrissey may be seduced by this record. One can often be seduced by being given clear access to another person's psyche (or, at least, being given the impression of clear access). It's a conspiratorial folie à deux.

I will probably have more to say as time passes, the album is released, additional B-sides are unleashed and I attend at least a half dozen of his shows (London and Oxford in May being the first two). At this point, I am very happy with Ringleader. My first impression evaluations have ranged from considering it an excellent Morrissey record to considering it his best to considering it a classic record, period.

• Morrissey, Ringleader of the Tormentors - The Observer
• Carry On Caesar! Part I | Part II - Word magazine
• La Dolce Vita - Mojo magazine
• Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors - Manchester Online
• Italian Stallion: Part I | Part II - Q magazine