Why, why, why, why, why...

Ringleader of the Tormentors is Morrissey being more Morrissey than Morrissey has ever ever before. Perversely tender, pitiful, arrogant, witty, nostalgic and obstinately shocking.

Its a difficult one to sum up, but I'm struggling to see exactly why so much praise has been thrown at this rather anxious and wilfully harrowing collection of in-your-face autobiographical despair. Paul Morley, among others, (and a much respected critic) has described this as 'pure magic' on which the almighty one has 'never sung better'. But Visconti's production is uncomfortable. What's with the bells? And the glockenspiel?
Morrissey's voice wavers cleverly and passionately on the slower songs but as a crooner he'll 'never be anybody's hero'. Such poignancy is touching. Gauky and suddenly naive in his velvet frock coat, clutching this curate's egg. In front of a mirror, of course.

But didn't I write somewhere that I have a peculiar attraction for music I don't understand..?

The orchestra, trumpets, strings and heavy basslines just seem to merge into a droning mire of indecipherable noise in too many places and the vocal is lifted too high above this cacophony in accordance with the singer's notorious arrogance. It might be considered by some to be appropriate that he is alienated from the rest of the band like this, but it makes for a disjointed awkwardness.
If this is a celebration of new found oneness and a producer that at last Morrissey feels brings out the best in his work Visconti is me.. then as the best he is going to ever do, I am again "truly, truly, truly…Disappointed".

It has perhaps taken me twenty years to realise what my wife has been telling me for twenty years. He will ever be a miserable sod, fault-finding, opinionated and self-obsessed. Melodramatic and deliberately obtuse, but one feels listening to this that he is revellin gin himself and that is, at last, beginning to sound stale and lacking in sincerity.

Still, he does what he does and can't be criticised for that.
I'd expected more, and that's my fault. Morrissey would be the first to point that out.
'In the future when all's well' is the best track, and its a damn fine tune. 'Dear God please help me' is cringe-makingly bad.

I can't find the inspiration to look for the sensuous beauty that supposedly lurks in the too many slow songs on this album.

So Morrissey has come out as 'sexual' after all, and is no longer strictly cerebral. The prefix is immaterial.
I shrug. So what?
He's spent too long up his own backside for me to care about his sudden interest in anyone else's...
The sentiments in 'the Father Who Must be killed' is frankly boring, and yes life is a pigsty. It's the same old SOS
This song is a good example of when the excellent tune and musicianship should be treated with more respect and Morrissey's dogged trunculence reined in a bit.
There is
No such thing as normal

I had to play this three times before I heard it all. 20 minutes at a time is enough, and not many albums wear me down like that.
I just want to see the boy happy, and they say its happening now
But maybe, you still haven't earned it yet baby...

The album closes with a string-driven ode to self entitled "At last I am Born".
It's too late for that now. Does anyone actually care?

Well, bugger me sideways with a pointy stick!!
I noticed on the weekend that my hit-rate has gone through the roof this last couple of weeks, and now all of a sudden this rambling, reflective musing is up there among the featured blogs.
So many visitors.
And clearly they are not all spam bots.

The criteria for selection to the Features Blogs is top secret, but it factors in comments, views, recent posts, links, etc - pretty much all the things you would expect. And then a pinch of blog salt, and a sprig of blog parsely...

I like to think there's a dash of absinthe in there too. Just hiding behind that small pebble.

Thank you.
Whoever you are.

Its' nice to get somewhere that you never set out on the path to.
After all, we don't want to end up, do we..?

I've bought three albums this week. Paid for. Good idea now and again.
Second time this year. They must come in sets of three...

First up, as I believe is the phrase used in these dumbed-down lowest common denominator days is the latest from Jori Hulkkonen.
Errare Mach*nale Est features several guest vocalists (inc. Nick Triani) and includes of course the rather lovely single with JF that has been carelessly overlooked by far too many people.
the full version of "Never Been Here Before" is one of the albums highlights - generally this kind of dance music doesn't do it for me. There's a strong flavour of 80s electro-pop about some of the tunes which sound in places a bit Ladytron, a bit new Order, a bit Felix da Housecat etc. All good influences, but probably only Triani's song "The Descent of Man" and the title track are otherwise particularly good.
It is great to see JF working with this material though, and getting heard on dancefloors all across Scandinavia and northern Europe. I think Jori is big enough to have quite a following in the clubs etc, and that he should rate JF so highly shows the influence of the great man across a wide variety of genres.

Recently for instance I have read of a cancelled show in Belgium in 2002, at Eurofest. This is Europe's leading goth/darkwave 'happening', which has always rated JF very highly and led to the release of Mr No as a single a few years ago. He cancelled because the promoters used that nasty 'U' word again on their posters. Idiots.
Found another interview tucked away in a dusty corner of the web on the weekend, recorded in advance of the Fibbers gig in York in 2006. What makes this one particularly interesting is his reference to the very earliest days and the experience of seeing van Morrison live with Them (in 65?) and John Lee Hooker at the Twisted Wheel in Manchester in 1964. Also Spencer Davis group and others later, in 1966.
Led me to discover a bit more about this celebrated venue, the birth of Northern Soul and read extensively about the influence of the legend that was Roger Eagle (of Staxx Club fame). This is the same Eagle who went on to set up Eric's in Liverpool (OMD, Yazoo etc...)
I am always fascinate to trace the development of musical 'movements' which usually begin in just one or two clubs.
Neal Kay at the Soundhouse in London releasing NWOBHM onto the world in the form of Saxon, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard. Malcolm McLaren's shop on the Kings Road and the birth of Punk. Rusty Egan and Steve Strange at the Blitz Club in London etc...

No real surprise that JF was a regular at the Twisted Wheel in the mid 60s then, which would have been one of the places where his taste for 'underground' (pre-emergent) music will have its roots.

The other to albums come from Manchester (where of course the Hacienda Club produced the baggy scene of the early 1990s) under the name of Morrissey.
He's one of two artists who both inspires and disappoints me in equal measure. The other is Björk.
I have faithfully bought every release (well, most) both both acts, and every time I look forward to hearing a new album because the last one was 'OK' . And every time I am frustrated by how good I think it could have been but somehow isn't quite.
Happens every time (with the possible exceptions of 'Medúlla' and 'Vauxhall and I') so I am already thinking that 'Ringleader of the Tormenters' will have the same effect, despite all the reviews to the contrary.
To all intents and purposes, 'Ringleader' is the album Morrissey always threatened to make, and Tony Visconti's production finally brings his songs to full life.
So we shall see.
To partner this experience, and myhow the boy has grown, I chose the 1997 re-mastered edition of his first album 'Viva hate' which is both clever and naive, vague and direct and I haven't heard it for years. there is a vinyl copy tucked away somewhere.
I remember that at the time, only six months or so after the release of the superb 'Strangeways Here We Come', this was a big disappointment and the rest of the Smiths were painfully missing. But there are some quite brilliant songs among the vitriolic outpouring of bitterness and resentment - not least the two singles "Every day is Like Sunday" and "Suedehead".

More than anything I love the titles of his songs ("I Have Forgiven Jesus" etc) and as a wordsmith he's up there with Ian Dury, Nick Cave, Scott Walker. Quite brilliant songwriter. The man we love to hate.

These new titles aside, I am also listening to Steve Jansen's "Slope" which I can't seem to like, and the delicious Barbara.

Two and a half hour meeting of the Standing Committee here tonight sorting out finances to present to the PCC. While I have difficulty with our new treasurer on a personal level, it is proving useful to disagree and talk over stuff, and there is no doubt that his diligence is exactly what we need right now so I welcome that as a significant move forward.

The old caretaker cut the rest of the grass this afternoon, and found human excrement in the Memorial garden.
Some people are just moronic.
Good to know that we have £140 sitting in a fund to do some work on this area of the grounds too. Tx will be excited about that when I tell her in the morning.

And by the end of tomorrow we should see the second (almost complete) version of our new website in the office.

D got engaged over the weekend.

The Easter Parade at school today was a shadow of its former colourful self. No prizes this year, or last year either, and subsequently people are not inclined to bother. I do get quite annoyed about this ruthless quashing of competitive events so that everyone has an equal chance.
No actually, some kids are better than others, and it really doesn't do that much harm to find out you're crap at something.

It was over before it even began...