by chrisarclark » Mon Aug 01, 2005 2:21 am
this was originally posted on morrissey-solo.com in response to a thread conducting a "Morrissey Survivor" poll where the idea was to begin with all seven Morrissey studio albums and each round vote out the "weakest" until left with one survivor as the greatest Moz album. Kill Uncle was the first voted out, but before it went iposted this track-by-track review/analysis in its praise and defence:
even moreso than Southpaw Grammar, this is the most misunderstood, and thus underrated, album of Morrissey's career. surely, it is one of the most unique, and this is likely why it is so chastised by fans and critics alike- yet this uniqueness should be seen as one of its many strengths.
the album begins with its first single, "Our Frank"- a perfcet choice for the lead single as it is likely the most similiar to his previous solo singles on the album. this song also perfectly sets up the tone and progression of the album: an emphatically expressed desire to shake off the weighty thoughts of deep conversation and introspection that eventually gives way to an uncontrolable compulsion to think about "everything" "deeply" and "bleakly". all delivered by means of a racing and poppy musical backing and clever, humourous and undeniably charming lyrics and vocals, this is a fantastic way to open.
"Asian Rut" is easily one of the strangest songs in the Morrissey cannon, but this only adds to its interest. an eerie musical accompaniment, complete with the beautifully harmonius, yet unsettling, violin of Nawazish Ali Khan, a chilling depiction of racism and violence ending with one of the most transcending stanzas of Morrissey's career, "I'm just passing through here/On my way to somewhere civilised/And maybe I'll even arrive/Maybe I'll even arrive...." by that line alone this song is made spectacular.
one of the more accepted songs off Kill Uncle is second and final single taken from the album, "Sing Your Life". really, not much needs to said here: a joyously bouncy musical backing for perhaps Morrissey's most inspirational and encouraging lyrics ever. complete with the Morrissey charm and humour- which has never been displayed more or better than on this album- this is one of Morrissey's finest.
"Mute Witness" serves as a wonderful mirror to the classic "November Spawned A Monster" in its view of a disabled girl from the opposite and seemingly unsympathetic perspective. now, many will criticise Morrissey for having bad taste in attempting to extract humour from such a situation before abruptly sending the poor girl off in her taxi, but the very fact that Morrissey does write about things like this, where most would never attempt, shows his true empathy for the disabled. an ambiguous lyric and a glammed up musical performance, this is another great song.
people juste dont get "King Leer" ithink. ithink theyre juste being too serious or stuck up or something, but when people refer to one of Morrissey's greatest lyrics as his "lyrical nadir" it really makes me wonder what is wrong with them. simply a perfect piece of fey pop boasting an absurdly hilarious lyric with its series of cringeworthy, but completely intentional, puns and cliches including the title's labeling of the boyfriend as "King Leer"- brilliant. imean, if you think hes being serious, he completely gives himself away when he begins to laugh at himself in the middle of the song. this is the most playful moment of Morrissey's career and it is classic all the way.
"Found Found Found" begins the fall back into that uncontrolable compulsion of introspection suggested in opener, "Our Frank". the hardest music on the album works as a signal call for the shift in mood and perspective. another brilliantly transcending line, even though it was pipped from Noel Coward, comes at the end with "I do believe that the more you give your love, and I do believe that the more you give your trust, the more you're bound to lose." great track.
its been spoken of before how "Driving Your Gilfriend Home" can be seen as the otherside of The Smiths' classic "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" and itotally buy into that. its easy to see how this song may tell from the driver's perspective the return from the night out of seeing "people" and "life" to finally drop the girlfriend off at what he calls "her home" but what she would refer as not her home, but "their home" (iimagine theres a roommate living there along with her and this dislikable boyfriend and in this way she refers to it as "their home"). as she confides to the driver of the problems in her relationship, perhaps they drive through a darkened underpass where she nearly gets up the nerve to ask him his feelings for her or if they could ever be intimate, but then "a strange fear" grips her and she juste cant ask. perhaps he wouldve had to decline anyway in the same way that he "can't tell her" and "can't answer". its all very engaging. viewing the song in this way makes it at once an indispensible classic, but regardless it stands up on its own as one of Morrissey's most quietly beautiful and ambigous songs ever.
"The Harsh Truth Of The Camera Eye" is another song subject to overly harsh treatment from fans. honestly, ithink again too many take it all too seriously. a satire all the way, brilliantly over the top lyrically and musically, bludgeoning the listener over the head with the carnival-like keyboards and "ominous" camera sound effects in case you didnt get it. its all amazingly funny- especially the line "This photographer, he must've really had it in for yah", toofuuny- but its also extremely relatable for many, if not most. many people think they take bad pictures and are sometimes horrified by seeing themselves in film or even the idea of having their picture taken at all. the song continues a much loved theme from past and future Morrissey songs such as "Late Night, Maudlin Street" and "Let Me Kiss You" of self depricating judgement of one's own physical appearance. its not #1 single material, but its not trying to be and it works perfectly as the final comedic relief on the album (not counting the excellent "Tony The Pony" on NA versions of Kill Uncle).
its often a perilous practice to assume that the "I" in a Morrissey song is defintely in the first person and refering to Morrissey himself, but its hard not to see "(I'm) The End Of The Family Line" as a very personal lyric. given that Morrissey has still never even come close to marriage, let alone fatherhood, this song does seem to be quite autobiographical. a powerful statement of radical independence and breaking from tradition, this is one of Morrissey's greatest and most quinessential lyrics ever. sometimes seen as a possible admission of his oft rumoured but never confirmed homosexualtiy with the opening verse of "With no complications/Fifteen generations (of mine)/All honouring Nature/Until I arrived (with incredible style)", Morrissey remains ambiguous enough to keep those overly concerned pointlessly guessing- typical Moz. as an added bit of interest or significance, the anti-paternal theme of this song adds another sinister layer to the line "Well, it's your own fault for reproducing" in the song "Ambitous Outsiders" from Maladjusted six and a half years later. simply one of the most clever and beautiful songs he has ever written.
the end of Kill Uncle for many comes with "There's A Place In Hell For Me And My Friends"- one of the most deeply touching pieces of music and poetry Morrissey has ever done. the somber tone reflected in the sparse arrangement and sad, yet somehow redemptive sounding, piano and drums is executed to perfection. some argue that the rockier, far more upbeat live version is superior to the album version, but istrongly disagree. while the live version is a somewhat interesting take on the song and perhaps more appropriate to be toured around stadiums and arenas, it takes too much away from the true mood and message of the song. a beauiful way to close a beautiful album.
but, if your from NA the fun isnt over yet. whether "Tony The Pony" was truly intended to be on the album or not, idont care. it serves as an excellent, upbeat closer to Kill Uncle and is another great song. bringing back some of the rockabilly feel from The Smiths days and in the same way hinting towards "Your Arsenal", the music is wonderful and suiting to another brilliant and brilliantly funny lyric. endlessly clever in how the song jumps from the perspective of the narrator and protagonist (and possibly the protagonist's big brother as well)- the song tells the charming tragi-comic tale of "fucked-up Tony" (for all those whose jaws dropped when they heard the word "shit" in "The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores" and "How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?" last year). as the song lilts away it leaves a smile on the listeners face, serving as a fitting end to a more than pleasing album.
all the complaints over the production on this album are as overblown as those complaints over the production of The Smiths' debut. the production on Kill Uncle is perfectly suited to the songs- its light, airy, poppy and allows the songs to come to the fore and speak nakedly and honestly for themselves. its easy to pick on Nevin, Langer and Winstanley as they basically came and went with this album, but they did an excellent job in helping Morrissey create an album most artists could only dream of creating.
lately, many hav complained about the supposed repetitious rut that Morrissey finds himself in with his current bandmates, yet, as expected, two of the three albums leading in this poll for least liked Morrissey album are the two most unique albums of his career; Southpaw Grammar and Kill Uncle. surely many of those who are asking for something different from Morrissey are the same who are condeming his two most "different" albums to date. even now when handed a brilliant song like "Slum Mums" that breaks the common mould they render it abissmal and unworthy. they say they want something new, but clearly what they want is to over idealize other past albums, especially those of The Smiths, so that nothing else can ever approach their greatness in their minds. these "fans" of Morrissey simultaneously deserve and dont deserve what they get.
Kill Uncle though admittedly not Moz's best, is a great album- iwish more people would take the time to realize that.
"I'm just passing through here on my way to somewhere civilized and maybe I'll even arrive, maybe I'll even arrive..."