Morrissey - 'Years Of Refusal' The World's First Listen!

For a man who tends to shed his skin (and his shirt) onstage, standing in the middle of one today Morrissey looks uncomfortable; out of place even. “This is my new album,” he says to the crowd of journalists. “Please God you'll like it.”

Morrissey’s anxiety is understandable – he’s standing on the verge of a landmark release in ‘Years of Refusal’. Recorded in Los Angeles earlier this year with the late Jerry Finn, the album, Morrissey’s ninth as a solo artist, will arrive next February as the singer prepares to celebrate his 50th birthday.

A retrospective occasion for anyone, it seems even more poignant for Morrissey – a man people still know so little about. The question is then on ‘Years of Refusal’, has he maintained that sense of mystery, or exposed it for the world to hear for the first time?

'Something Is Squeezing My Skull'

Morrissey lays down his intentions for the whole album with 'Something Is Squeezing My Skull'. It's a rampant conglomeration of powerful guitar chords, hurtling drumbeats and lyrics that detail the singer's cathartic state of mind. “I'm doing very well, I can block out the present and the past now,” Morrissey sings as the song opens. “I know by now you think I should have straightened myself out / Thank you, Drop dead.” As guitars continue to swirl aggressively, he talks about there being “no love” and “no hope” in modern life.

'Mama Lay Softly On The River Bed'

The message is once again heavy with reflection. “Mama, why did you do it? / Mama, who drove you to it?” Morrissey laments as a military drumbeat hits hard in the background. It continues for the following three minutes, as Morrissey evocatively details – one presumes – the fraught experiences of his own mother when he was a still child. It's a song riddled with questions which Morrissey sounds desperate to find the answer to. “Was it the pigs in grey suits?” he asks tragically. The rather funereal drumbeat colours the whole song alongside occasional flashes of psychedelic guitars. 

'Black Cloud'

After two intense tracks, 'Black Cloud' hints at something a little different. A midway acoustic guitar breakdown provides a relaxing pause – albeit one that sounds like it's taken in a Spanish Tapas bar. Lyrically, Morrissey is still in an intense place of frustration and self-doubt. As his quest for a love he can't obtain develops, the song's energy builds amid a hectic climax of raw guitar and powerful, infectious basslines.

'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris'

The album's first single proper, 'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris' is awash with melodic guitar riffs which are reminiscent of Morrissey's legendary former band, The Smiths. As good as that will sound for some fans, the song develops into a rather uninspiring, wistful effort. “In the absence of your smiling face, I travel all over the place,” Morrissey sings. Again the message is inspired by love – and Morrissey's inability to obtain it. Here he has to settle for the “steel” of the French city.

'All You Need Is Me'

Released earlier this year year to coincide with the singer's greatest hits, 'All You Need Is Me' is still the same pompous stomp of thrusting guitars and wails that it was as a single. The bassline gallivants up and down the guitar neck beautifully as well. Suddenly, like the music, Morrissey sounds intent, purposeful again – boasting that his love will “miss me when I'm gone.”

'When I Last Spoke To Carol'

Six tracks in and a real gem. The Spanish guitar from 'Black Cloud' is introduced again along with a brash horn section that gives the whole track a carnival feeling. To the production credit of the late Jerry Finn, the music is a complete juxtaposition to Morrissey's stunning lyrics, which are some of the darkest on the album. As he sings, “When I said goodbye to Carol, black earth upon the casket fell,” Morrissey sounds like he's amid an intense bullfight. Sure to be an absolutely unforgettable track live. Morrrissey will do well to keep his shirt on.