Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors
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Free Music Notes for Ringleader of the Tormentors
Free Music Review: If you like Morrissey, this is a very good album.
Hit: 5 Stars
I think there are at least five very strong songs on this album. Buy it.Free Music Review: Ringleader Of The Tormentors: A Triumph!
Hit: 4 Stars
Morrissey's career has been full of surprises; a melodramatic ride that's full of fabulous highs and lows. but through all the drama and a rather patchy few albums here and there, the godfather of modern rock has one flair that never ceases to impress: charm. Moz has it in spades and it's his saving grace for many of his falling moments. but...for every one of those winceful times, there's plenty to rejoice about. because not only is Ringleader Of The Tormentors a great record; but it shows that the comeback Quarry album was no fluke and that Moz is here to stay.
the album opener "I Will See You In Far Off Places" thunders along with a dreamy and swirling pounce that caught me off guard with it's self assured stride. it's overflowing with purpose and as an opening statement to this album...it couldn't be better. it seems to have a bit of a dark hue to it similiar to Viva Hate's opening number "Alsatian Cousin". mix in a bit of Led Zep's "Kashmir" and a dash of "Army Of Me" by Bjork and voila! a killer song.
with the gentle pluck of strings and a warm organ welcoming into "Dear God, Please Help Me" we're right back in Vauxhall & I territory. this is a lovely song with Morrissey's vocals crooning ever so sweetly over a simple and heartfelt musical backdrop. thank god that someone had the sense to imploy real strings on this number rather than settle for the cheesy synthesized ones that have reared their ugly heads on albums previous.
after the one two punch of the first two songs, "You Have Killed Me" feels like a warm hug from a friend. it's choice as being the lead single of the album was a perfect decision. it's a simple, but very effective song whose melody creeps into the brain and nests for days (as any good pop song will do). very very nice, and it's timing fits perfectly within the context of the record.
the next three songs show the band's strong songwriting skills with effective and solid tunes that brim with confidence and seem to hint at the type of number that would not be out of place on Moz's most rocking album Your Arsenal. "In The Future When All's Well" is especially impressive and has turned out to be probably my favorite track on Ringleaders at the time of this writing.
the seven-plus minute song "Life Is A Pigsty" seems to be the fan favorite and it's a really great song that is at turns impressive and annoying. upon first listen, i was dimayed to find that the rainstorm effect was not just an intro, but part of the entire song's accompaniment. upon further listens, the song's melody and feeling was more apparent, but the cheap sounding effect of the storm and the unnecessary percussive clatter towards the end of the track make it really hard for me to fully embrace. it does serve as a great album centerpiece though.
the next few songs are good tracks...nothing terribly great, but considering their place in the album, they are quite nice and have grown on me more and more with each repeated spin. "I'll Never Be Anyone's Hero Now" is the most mediocre track on the album, in my opinion. but the chorus finds Morrissey singing in quite a lovely manner. once again...that charm works it's way into the tune and saves it from being a complete washout.
tracks 10 and 11 sound very Southpaw Grammar/Maladjusted era Moz. with loud guitars and a brash rock sound that even employs some trumpets blaring out over the noise. it's a nice touch and both songs have alot of style and class. lyrically, they are both a bit weak...and Morrissey seems to have run out of words for second verses and just repeats the same thing each time...which is dissapointing, but the choruses soar with such amazing melodies that i find myself turning my ears close to the speaker to fully grasp their beauty.
album closer "At Last I Am Born" is a real curious number, with kettle drums, spanish trills, and ghostly Italian western style guitars. a nice song with some inspired lyrical touches and a very theatrical way to end a great album. too bad about the synthesized string in the song's intro.
Ringleader boasts some amazing production. the drums sound especially great. and it goes without saying that Morrissey's voice sounds immaculate. their are a few flaws with this record that keep it from being on par with the mighty Your Arsenal or Vauxhall & I albums...but i think it's a step up from You Are the Quarry and i'm quite excited and anxious to see what kind of b-sides will be released from these recording sessions. Morrissey fans have alot to rejoice about with this triumphant and strong new album. Ringleader Of The Tormentors is an album that contains many of the greatest elements of his past records but combines new inspirations and the end results are nothing short of thrilling and impressive. Viva Moz!
Free Music Review: Another Solid Effort...Songs for the Dying...All of Us
Hit: 4 Stars
Morrissey is a genius. OK, now that that is out of the way.
I always find Morrissey albums somewhat inconsistent. There are songs that I find to be truly great and I can listen to them and sing with them over and over. Then, there are his ones that sound like he was willing to take almost any music and sing over it like it doesn't really matter what the music is. Bottom Line: Who he collaborates with is important.
This album is a bit of a departure because he writes some songs with Alain Whyte (long time collaborator) but most of the others are with his touring guitarist Jesse Tobias. One song is with Mike Farrell, his keyboard player. No songs are written with Boz Boorer, another long time collaborator.
Thematically, the album is interesting because he seems to be writing more about his own mortality. He has always had a morbid streak, however, there tended to be more poetry and humor involved. Now, in his mid-40s, there seems to be more detached views about what life is given that it's soon to end. It's not a sad outlook; it's more a peaceful resignation. Or, maybe it's just me since I am only a couple of years younger. Anyway, to the songs...
The Best:
-I will See You in Far Off Places - A heavy, middle eastern flavored Alain Whyte song. Very much on the mid-life crisis theme. "Nonbody knows what human life is. Why we come, why we go." Somewhat optimistic in its answer of "I will see you..."
-Dear God Please Help Me(Whyte) - A somber, string oriented song with surprisingly open lyrics about sex given Morrissey's public non-sexual stances of the past.
-The single "You Have Killed Me" is great. It's a Jesse Tobias song. It's a classic Morrissey rocker with the totally exaggerated emotional context (You have killed me. Yes, I walk around...somehow) but ending with the fatalistic leap into acceptance (I always forgive you). A nice touch is that right before the requisite forgiveness, he sings, "There's no point saying it again" because, of course, he has ended songs with these melodramatic touches so many times before. It's an homage to himself. In the middle, there is an existential plea, "Piazza Cavour, what's my life for?" It's interesting that Morrissey's singles are clearly designed to be singles, however, they still do not meet the American style of singles that would allow them to be hits.
-The Youngest Was the Most Loved (also Tobias) - Another heavier guitar song. A loved boy becomes a killer. Who knows why? "There is no such thing in life as normal."
-Life is a Pigsty (Whyte): When I looked at the lyric sheet and saw that it was going to repeat "Life is a pigsty" about 10 times in a row, I thought "oh no". However, that section of the song is very beautiful and the repetition with slightly different emphasis each time really does conjure the image of just slopping our way through life as best we can. The songs ends on a death bed but still "falling in love again." Again, somewhat optimistic.
-I'll Never be Anyone's Hero Now (Whyte): A song about a true love dying. Open-eyed at the truth: "It only hurts because it's true".
-On the Streets I Ran (Tobias) - Another rocker. It's about overcoming your own past andwanting to know "when will I be where I should be". It ends with an irrationally simplistic plea that others should die in one's place and "just spare me."
Some comments on a couple of lesser tunes:
-"In the Future When All is Well" is interesting lyrically for it's somewhat ironic (sarcastic?) statements that things will always be better in some hoped for future but ending with "the future is ended by a long, long sleep"
-At Last I am Born - Written with the keyboard player, this has a very unusual structure. I am interpeting that it is more existential in nature but it can also be related to the sexual theme of Dear God Please Help Me.
As I said, Morrissey is always somewhat inconsistent. But, the great songs are often so great that they justify the rest. It's true for this CD. And, I hope he keeps exploring the themes around aging and mortality. Everyone grows up and old with a cohort of people. Having Morrissey singing his generation (which includes me) through this will make for a more interesting ride..."stretch out and wait..."
Free Music Review: NOT The Same Old S.O.S.
Hit: 4 Stars
A remarkable achievement, even by *his* fairly lofty standards. The first solo record since "Vauxhall and I" without a single clunker, "Ringleader of the Tormentors" is the chronicle of a man who is finally semi-comfortable with his eccentricities and contradictions, not to mention his various and sundry lusts. Mention them he does, though (you've all seen the quotes pulled out of context, or thinning hot air), and this is not the place to speculate, recapitulate, or judge, so I'll return to the recording.
I'll admit that I was worried when I first heard "You Have Killed Me", a fairly tepid and by-the-numbers exercise in tongue-wagging that must have been one of the earliest songs recorded for this release. It's in no way indicative of the power and scope of the album, and should be counted as another 'safe' choice. It's fair enough, though, and does feature some amusing Neo-Realist name checking, along with more reassurances of forgiveness from the man whose tastes are increasingly Catholic...
If you want to hear the album thematically, from Inevitable Reenacment of the Haunting Familiar through Ever-Increasing Despair to Salvation and Redemption and finally to a Current State of (oh Good God) Happiness and Acceptance, then...play it in this order (numbers to the left represent placement on the album):
9: "On The Streets I Ran" ~ haunting and stirring song that took five or six listens to really assert itself; now one of my three favorites; this is ever-desperate running-in-place but with the certainty that you're going to get There...eventually
4: "The Youngest Was The Most Loved ~ a perfect single; the quintessential 3-minute Moz
11: "I Just Want To See The Boy Happy" ~ sounds like a demo from a man half his age; one of the most surprising and unlikely songs in his canon, in large part because of the Stax horns near the end
8: "I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now" ~ quite optional, and I often skip it; this is the weakest track on the album, this is music-hall maudlin indulgence, though not a bad song and quite touching in its closing sentiments...
6: "The Father Who Must Be Killed" ~ for me, the best thing he's ever done! This is Camp Malice on a scale unmatched even by "November Spawned A Monster"...a moving lyric and the best singing on an album full of the pure power of the voice...["...the way he chews his food..."], indeed...
7: "Life Is A Pigsty" ~ an epic, yes, if a somewhat hollow one, and with an unsettlingly ("Manhunter!") synth that begins at :04 and never really lets up. Still, when he sings about "shifting gears" I always feel a frisson of recognition...
2: "Dear God Please Help Me" ~ the Thematic Centerpiece and Crux, perfectly overwrought and touching, a frank and proud testament to honoring the will of the flesh and the spirit
12: "At Last I Am Born" ~ Claude Brasseur? Well, there is a passing resemblance...possibly the most uncharacteristic and astonishing lyric he's ever written ["I once thought that time/accentuates despair/but now I don't actually care"] !!! And he sings it like he means it, and perhaps he does...)
10: "To Me You Are A Work Of Art" ~ Beautiful, and you know that the coy quip about his heart is merely a final and...erm...Half-Hearted act of self-defense; this is truly a Love Song
3: "You Have Killed Me" ~ see above, as if you haven't already memorized it ;)
1: "I Will See You In Far Off Places" ~ bit of a dirge, and another that was probably written when the album was headed in a different, more YATQ-like, direction...good for those in a snarky, snarly, mood, or if you're baking in the desert and think you're seeing belly dancers coming over the dunes
5: "In The Future When All's Well" ~ the perfect closer...does sound a bit like a "Your Arsenal" outtake, but it's better than almost anything on that or any other album. But who's Lee? That's the question of the season...
8.5/10
Free Music Review: ROTT: Impressive Release
Hit: 4 Stars
Since signing with Sanctuary, Moz has put out some of the best solo work yet. Ringleader Of The Tormentors follows suit with some very powerfully written tracks. Vocals throughout the album are evidently more impressive than most of Moz's solo records. The new release has a strong emphasis of heavier guitar on most tracks. I have always been partial to guitar driven songs by Morrissey...Your Arsenal was one of my favorites. Lyrically, the cd has many clever lines, but I was surprised how many songs referenced the end of life. There is a mix a different types of songs through ROTT, which makes the album so interesting. Even the songs which I did not care for at 1st listen, has grown on me. ROTT is truly a one of Moz's better releases...a "work of art".
Thoughts and opinions for each song (with my ranking at the right of each song title from best 1 to worst 12)...
"I Will See You In Far Off Places" - (6)
Very strange song even for Morrissey. Laced with mid eastern guitar hooks and sound. Great sound to start the cd...which only could be improved by a slower build up at the begining (just jumps right into it).
"Dear God Please Help Me" - (9)
Beautiful ballad with strong keyboards and drums. Loved the line "There are explosive kegs between my legs".
"You Have Killed Me" - (8)
Very good song, but not as good as most others on the album. Would not have been the song I would have picked for the 1st single.
"The Youngest Was The Most Loved" - (1)
The song I would pick as an excellent single. The bass was one of the most interesting things about this song..it works well with the guitar riffs. "There is no such thing in life as normal" is another lyric highlight with the kids singing. The end of the song is great...it's been a long time since you heard Moz sing like that!
"In The Future When All's Well" - (5)
Beginning of the song was a little strange and different for Moz, by the end you realize this is a really good song. This one takes a little getting used to. Didn't like the "I thank you" refrain in the song.
"The Father Who Must Be Killed" - (12)
I didn't care for this one as much...not sure why. It seems a little fragmented...doesn't flow right through the song.
"Life Is A Pigsty" - (2)
Cannot compare to any previous song by Morrissey. 7 and 1/2 minutes of beautiful melodic mastery that builds throughout the song. The thunder samplings and cymbals add a great touch to complete the song.
"I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now" - (11)
Anybody think this sounds a little like the wallflowers? Moving song, but not one of the better on the album.
"On The Streets I Ran" - (3)
Love this song the more I listen to it. Powerful ending to the song. "Take anyone/Take people From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania/Just spare me" is perhaps the best line on the whole album. Being from Pennsylvania, I could not stop laughing. I never thought I would hear any reference to Pennsylvania in any of Morrissey's songs. Not sure where this came from but it was pleasant surprise!
"To Me You Are A Work Of Art" - (7)
Good song you can relate to. Guitars are a little U2-ish.
"I Just Want To See The Boy Happy" - (4)
Upbeat quicker paced harder guitar driven song. The horns at the end of the was a surprise.
"At Last I Am Born" - (10)
Loved the music to this one. Did not care much for the lyrics.
In all, even the bad songs are quite good. Great Album!