tue 05/11/2024

CD: Morrissey - Low in High School | reviews, news & interviews

CD: Morrissey - Low in High School

CD: Morrissey - Low in High School

Bigmouth's back, but has he anything worthwhile to say?

"Has anyone seen the people's poet?"

Morrissey inspires some pretty fierce adulation, but there surely can’t be a fan on the planet who loves Morrissey quite as much as Morrissey does. This is the man who was reported, lest we forget, to have insisted that his memoirs be published as a Penguin Classic. This move put him alongside Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Graham Greene and, of course, Oscar Wilde.

It is a shame then that, despite having some pretty decent tunes on it, Low in High School is like having world affairs explained to you by a teenager who’s just spent the afternoon wanking and reading The Canary. Possibly at the same time.

Lead single “Spent the Day in Bed” is a key case in point. Mainsteam media is bad! The news is bad! The answer? Switch it off, don’t go to work and stay in bed instead. “No bus, no boss, no rain, no train” sings Morrissey. Oh, of course he does. A million people on zero hours contracts, but yeah – stick it to the man staying uninformed and not getting paid, that should sort it.

Mainstream media also comes in for a kicking on the swampy glam-swing of album opener “My Love, I’d Do Anything for You”, which sounds quite promising until Morrissey starts up with,  “Teach your kids to recognise and despise all the propaganda, filtered down by the dead echelons mainstream media”. That’s right Moz – you tell ‘em! All those bloody journalists in war-torn countries with their eyewitnesses and their facts. They should just stay at home in bed, tossing themselves off over conspiracy theories instead.

War’s bad, too (“I Bury the Living”). It’s not a witness statement anyone would choose to cross-examine I’m sure, but similarly, not one that really needs seven and a half minutes on the stand. “Who Will Protect Us From the Police?” is as thumpingly literal as you might expect with any hope of nuance obliterated by Morrissey singing of “tanks on the street, attacking free speech”, and finishing up with the line “we must be killed for what we believe” before practically yodelling “Venezueeeeeela”, until the song’s end.

Musically, it could well be the strongest release Morrissey’s produced in years. There’s plenty of melody here, and an occasional touch of Scott Walker in the delivery, which is very welcome. However, for someone who clearly thinks of himself as a great writer, it’s as far from a classic as it’s possible to be.  

@jahshabby

It's like having world affairs explained to you by a teenager who’s just spent the afternoon wanking and reading The Canary. Possibly at the same time

rating

Editor Rating: 
2
Average: 2 (1 vote)

Share this article

Add comment

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters