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| MorrisseyYou Are The Quarry2004 Sanctuary 
 Review by: Toby_at_Fat See others by this writer Morrissey (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on May 28th 2004
Oh fuck it, man. Track 7 of You Are The Quarry is entitled “The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores”, and I gotta tell ya Steven Patrick Morrissey, these twelve songs ain’t exactly doing a lot to rectify your social commentary. Although I’d score the Moz a well-deserved 10 outta 10 for his career, I’m being awfully merciful by giving him two stars for this LP which is largely made up of forgettable filler. The only thing especially profound about this release is how disappointing it is. So there ya have it punknews readers…Oh sure, I plan to embark on some long-winded diatribe offering further explanation, but I’m giving y’all the opportunity to get while the getting’s good. First off, I feel that it’s important to establish why a Morrissey review is even appropriate for a punk rock webzine, and I would argue that the relevance of the The Smiths and Morrissey is fairly apparent in almost all of today’s indie-punk scene. Take Alkaline Trio, Smoking Popes, and although I’ve never heard any music from Brand New, all reports lead me to believe them to be a Morrissey tribute band, right down to the singer’s dreary affectations. And of course Morrissey himself grew up in the UK during the ’77 punk boom and was quite a fan. He even tried out for Slaughter and the Dogs. Having explained that, let’s get back to why this record sucks. Of the myriad reasons, I reckon I’ll start with the production; and on this latest Morrissey album we have Jerry Finn behind the knobs. He’s probably best known for making Blink 182 sound listenable, but Finn can actually boast production credits on some of neo-punk’s finest records: Rancid’s …And Out Come The Wolves, Jawbreaker’s Dear You, Green Day’s Insomniac, Smoking Popes’ Destination Failure, Alkaline Trio’s From Here To Infirmary, etc; but in my opinion his skills were most evident on Blink 182’s Enema Of The State and MxPx’s The Ever Passing Moment. Those two albums bear the signature Jerry Finn sound: big and bright. Exceptionally big and bright. But alas, it would seem that ol’ Jerry took a wrong turn somewhere around Fenix TX because his records as of late haven’t been quite as magical; and You Are The Quarry is another clunker. Oh you can’t possibly blame him entirely, but Morrissey’s past works employ entire string sections, extensive instrumentation, and many-layered vocals that rival those pussies in Chanticleer. Although the guitar and drums sound adequate, Finn is out of his element here, and he does little to aid the banal melodies that Morrissey dragged into the studio. That brings me my next grievance: the songs are just plain shitty. The opener is a solid starter, the second song (the album’s single) is okay, but things don’t pick up again until track 8, “First Of The Gang To Die”, which is such a great song that it’s almost startling. I remember seeing him perform this song on the Late Late Show two years ago, and I remember how much I looked forward to hearing more of his new material. Well from now on I’m watching Conan, because I was had, hoodwinked, and bamboozled. “First Of The Gang” is upbeat, catchy, and everything just clicks—so much that it’s reminiscent of the material on the rockin’ (and totally brilliant) Your Arsenal. A few songs later you’ll run into the tolerable track 11, “I Like You”, which is fine if you can get over the disco beat. That brings me to another huge beef I have with the sound of this record. In prior outings, Morrissey is backed by a proficient rock band that sounds genuine and lends a very organic rock-n-roll aesthetic to what would be a gutless adult contemporary sound. Not here however—and despite the fact that Alain Whyte, Boz Boorer, and Gary Day remain involved—the band sounds more like they are making music for Kylie Minogue and later added a Y-chromosome. I can’t help but think that much of this record was influenced by target marketing, and I can guaran-goddamm-tee you that these songs will be a hit on the dance charts or whatever the fuck they do in London. Wrapping up (I know I know, Tolstoy could’ve written a shorter review), I feel that it’s important to address the fact that this album just smacks of shameless commercialism. In an effort to sell more copies they made three different versions of the damn thing: one in a digi-pac, one in a jewel case, and one comes packaged with a DVD. And ya know what, considering that they went to the trouble to make three different versions of this record, you’d think they could AT LEAST MAKE ONE VERSION THAT HAD DECENT SONGS! One of the most maddening aspects of these slutty music industry tactics is that the people who get ripped off (i.e. the ones who actually buy all the different versions) are the people who are the strongest supporters. A fine way to treat your fans. And it’s ironic that this album be called You Are The Quarry, because that’s exactly what I feel like: as though I’m being mined for my dollars. Well I’ll conclude my whining with this bit of advice, shoplifters of the world should unite and steal this turd ‘cuz it would be a waste of a burnable disc. I’ll admit that I like the cover art and that there’s one good song on here, but I would have to recommend stronger Morrissey records such as Viva Hate, Bona Drag, Your Arsenal, and even Vauxhall and I. Besides, there’s a new band for all you despondent metrosexuals out there, and they’re called Communique. Their new record Poison Arrows is terrific and it will fill your void for the Smiths as well as fill your cryin’ eyes with tears. Or, uhhh, whatever it is you silly Morrissey fans do… People who liked this also liked:           Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
better than most shit on Fatwreck, thats for damn sure Haters, this record is awesome. communique is boring. bring back american steel. That review is some sauce. This album may not be the best thing Morrissey's ever done but it's pretty damn good, probably his best solo album since Viva Hate. I don't know, according to mom the Smiths' drug connections weren't that good. And Joy Division were clearly influenced by the C(UK) and The Stone Roses. I "gaffed" as one reviewer put it! Looks like BSD had mom rent "24 Hour Party People" for him at the local Blockbuster. BSD is 16 years old, just give him time and then he will like good music. I respect morrisey alot and I like alot of his stuff. I think it may be time for him to hang up his hat and do something more for animal rights with his celebrity status. Funny, the new record got one of the lowest rating scores here yet is probably the best record out right now. Warlock Pichers had it right all along. Morrissey does ride a cockhorse. sayin the smiths are one of the most influential bands is different than saying that they are the most influential Most influential of ALL TIME? I just think the Smiths are another boring Manchester band... Similar in stupidity to The Happy Mondays, but not as entertaining. Joy Division, on the otherhand... Yeah, maybe not as accessible, but they were among the first to use synths so great. one may not like morrissey, but in no way does he suck. the smiths are one of the most influential bands of all time, and the primary reason for that is the accessibility of stephen patrick morrissey to the audience. the man has helped to put PETA on the map for independent music and really backs what he says 100%. hahaha someone said a Morrissey song had bad lyrics hahaha irish blood/english heart has the worst lyrics ever One of the best albums to come out in years! Too many kids here bitching that its not punk or someshit, you bitches need to grow up and stop listening to your emo/screamoindie shit, ITS LAME! GO GET LAID! Has been solo artists need to change there name. Fuck. Fuck Morrissey. Good review, exactly my sentiments. As for the shameless commericialism of the packaging, my promo copy was one I couldn't play in a pc because it would destroy it or something. which meant I couldn't listen to it till I found a cd player. very annoying. I came to this site to check out an album release date on an entirely different album and stubbled onto this thread about Morrissey's new album. Mind you, I enjoy the old Smiths and not really Morrisey's solo career I just wanted to check the review to see if maybe the self involved crooning singer had made an attempt to make an album worth checking out. After reading the dull and heavy handed rant I scrolled down to the comments section. All I have to say is thank you to Shadowplay for explaining to the reviewer what the word quarry means. Man, you should work for this site you actually use a dictionary. All who posted their digust for Pitchforkmedia I would like to take you all down to the pub for a pint. I raise my glass to Wyzo on his hilarious commentary. we don't care that you don't care. "i'm a big moz fan. a very big moz fan (ie i own all the smiths and moz solo albums)." i wouldnt take a piss on this flaming pile of shit i dont care about this record, i just want to know why the refused re-issues havent been reviewed yet. this site needs to review more than just one refused album. say it with me, in a gentle homoerotic tone. oh morrisey, you ARE the quarry! all of you love him. all of you... Communique blows. This record blows. Smiths dont. morrissey must die this is a fucking stupid review...quit licking his balls because he works at fat. hell, do you all even know what bands are on fat? we should be killing him. i'm a big moz fan. a very big moz fan (ie i own all the smiths and moz solo albums). i believe this is his best album since vauxhall & i (which is his best solo album in my opinion). while i like some songs better than others, there's not a single dud on the album. and "irish blood, english heart" and "first of the gang to die" are out-and-out moz classics. he's using his dry whit on here even more than usual, which is a good thing (note: most of the time people think moz is being "whiny", he's being sarcastic and self-mocking). i was kind of expecting maladjusted part 2 with this album. maladjusted was a good album, not great, but definitely solid and enjoyable, and i kind of figured that was the best we could hope for from moz at this age. i was wrong. this is a fantastic album and i highly reccomend it. that said, if you didn't like moz before, you won't like him now. well-written review, but i disagree. this is a good album. Morrissey should change his name to BOREissey That was, I must say, a fantastic review. And I don't say that often. Pass that man a bong! In response to the Shadow dude: Yahoo is my search engine of choice, so lick bag. I actually agree with you that I didn't go into enough detail about why I didn't like the music, but I did mention the "banal melodies" and how most of the songs were "forgettable filler". In the fourth paragraph I use pretty clear (and especially eloquent) terms like "the songs are just plain shitty". But yeah, I could go on for hours about how this record falls flat, but the fuckin' thing is long enough. Like a 1,000 words I think. True, I never elaborated on how his normally high-flying, wide-ranging, and unmatched vocal talents lack on this record. But we can certainly get into it, and I'll even cite examples from songs I like. You want details, I'll give you fucking details. You want evidence, I'll give you fucking evidence. Listen to track 11 at 2:06 or "First Of The Gang" at 3:15. Well within Morrissey's range in the past, but here he sounds like tom cat on the prowl. Don't get me wrong, I think Morrissey is the best vocalist and wordsmith I've ever heard, but not on this record. Lyrics? Homeboy is hardly pushing the political envelope with pandering lyrics like "Where the president is neither black, female, or gay." And come on, "America, you can take your hamburger and shove it" or whatever. Those campy words are too clumsy for Kid Rock. Maybe we can expect Morrissey to do the next bunch of Coors commercials? I can already hear him crooning, "and twins...". Dude, no one wanted a great new Morrissey record more than me, but this record was far from it. Fact is, Morrissey was given a bag of money to churn out a record that is bunk. There are only two people I know that like this record, and both of them hadn't heard any of his shit until this, so you're in good company. I'm not going to apologize for giving a candid review, but I am going to finish my Beck's beer. Seriously, though, that whole 20 dollar thing was an issue for me. what a trippp I stumbled into the elitist zone. Greatest record released to date this year. Moz was punk before most of you were born and still is (if you consider punk as an ethos rather than an aesthetic). His best solo record since Viva Hate and better than half some Smiths stuff too. *****DON'T LISTEN TO TOBY'S REVIEW******** "I just discovered pitchfork and I gotta admit it. That site trumphs all other sites. The reveiews are intelligently written, honest, and articulate. The news updates are consistant and the dowloads are readily available with a number of hard to get tracks. Sorry people, if you want to shun progross that is your issue." Morrissey, The Smiths or anything related, blows! Morrissey GO FUCKING DIE! Thank God you don't live in Canada, Scott. I saw the Sly/Cape on sale for $25,99. I almost bought this the other day as an impluse buy, because I've never listened to Moz before and I liked the single. Then I saw the price tag - twenty bucks. I couldn't find any "normal" jewel-case version, only the deluxe super-mega-edition version. The singer from New Found Glory looks nothing like Morrisey. Who is he trying to kid?! He's a fucking replica of Quentin Tarantino! Which is bad. I just discovered pitchfork and I gotta admit it. That site trumphs all other sites. The reveiews are intelligently written, honest, and articulate. The news updates are consistant and the dowloads are readily available with a number of hard to get tracks. Sorry people, if you want to shun progross that is your issue. Wyzo's comment has got to be the greatest analogy describing Pitchfork this site has ever been graced with. "before all the 13 year old kids praise the Descendants, for seniority, let me remind you, their new cd sucks." its not that good, no, but its not that bad either. The b-sides are better than the whole labum, and he supposedly has an albums worth of those for this record. i don't really care about this album too much, but this guy is the only reviewer here who can write a coherent review. congratulations. seriously, this is the only guy that knows how to form a paragraph. Pitchfork blows smoke out of this site's ass. Good review. I think this album is amazing. It's not as grabbing as old Smith's material, but that the Moz has still got it in his old age (of 45). "your opinions are wrong so shut up" This is a fucking good review. Seriously, other reviewers should look up to you. "Whoeverthecrap the lead singer took away the rest of his cred with his "solo" career." Aubin you need to stop really bitching about Pitchfork... "Whoeverthecrap the lead singer took away the rest of his cred with his "solo" career." "your opinions are wrong so shut up" "fuck if he needs cred for whatever reason he managed to get the new york dolls to reunite." rudie...a message to you...rudie... Aubin you need to stop really bitching about Pitchfork.....do you really think they are trying to appeal to the same crowd that punknews.org appeals to? No, not at all, they are no threat to you ok for one morrissey is probably the one singer that can be truly emotional sound liek it and not make a complete ass of himself. fuck if he needs cred for whatever reason he managed to get the new york dolls to reunite. the cd is morrissey thats it its not viva hate or vauxhall or anyhting like that it has him as a pop song writer which he always has been so stop bitching seriously either you like it or not but you dont need to write a giant rant about it like oyu did and im doing now. but your review was well written and i do respect that but hey the moz has still got what it takes to make a great record hands down. oh and franz ferdinand suck balls if i wanted more new wave id buy duran duran reissues so there. "Better than anything released on Fat this year. " Dont try to be a super punk and say you never heard Brand New. The Cure and The Smiths are finding some room in a little scene I like to call cutehaircutcore. Girls in long skirts who have cute haircuts and annoy the fuck out of me, and the guys who like to have sex with cutehaircut people. They annoy me, too. Excellent review. I love Morrissey, but haven't checked this out yet. I think I still will - just to give him the old college try, regardless of Toby's witty commentary. better than any Emo records ever. good review, though I must admit that I'm not sure about who to believe, Toby or Pitchfork. It seems like if Pitchfork gives something a high rating, it's usually pretty good. On the other hand, they gave the Rapture a 9. That's some sauce. franz ferdinand is a quality band. franz ferdinand? are you kidding? someone played that for us...i don't know what to say. This album is a bit of a disappointment, considering how much I love The Smiths. Morrissey's solo stuff has always been pretty solid, though, just not quite up to par. I will say, however, that the biggest and most exciting Smiths related news of the year has nothing to do with this album, but instead with the fact that Hilary Duff will be covering "Girlfriend in a Coma" on her new album (although she is understandably changing the lyrics and title to be "Boyfriend in a Coma," while keeping everything else). By the way, she's also doing a Go-Go's cover for her new movie. The Duff reigns triumphant. whereas i disagree with this review, i think it's really well written. good job, toby. "Better than anything released on Fat this year." Better than anything released on Fat this year. Pretentious indie snobs like this cd Communique is on Lookout, not Fat. happy this wasn't just an ass-licking review as it's the almighty (sarcasm) morrissey. thought fo sho this album would get a stellar review. happy to be proven wrong. Communique BLOW, they might be the worst band ever. Me and my friend Tom love American Steel, and got the Communique album when it came out. Boy was I dissapointed. That leads me to my next point, Communique are not all that new. They fuckin suck! Also, the end of you review was a shameless plug for your label, and totally fucking ruined a truthful review. The one star is for the lame ass butt plugging at the end. i think this record is as good as vauxhall and i. moz's voice has never sounded stronger than it does here. you are the quarry will sell well, considering the unexplained and saddening revival of his career due to stupid teenage girls who have moved on from the "hotness" of those who ripped off smiths lyrics. Hey toby_at_fat, can I have some free Fat Merchandise? Thanks. oh yeah, here's another 4 for the tolstoy refference. 10 for the review. good job. I have absolutely no desire to ever listen to this album. It might not sound like it, but the reason I asked Toby to write this is because he's the Biggest Smiths Fan in the Universe and no one I know could speak as effortlessly about everything they've ever done. only morrissey song i can hang with is girlfriend in a coma. and i can only hang with it when mojo nixon covers it and calls morrissey a celebate fruitcake. The album is "eh" at best, but then again, I love the Smiths, but am not so into the solo shite. I do gotta admit that this cover art is wack to the max. Now I'm far from a Smiths expert so I can't argue Toby's reasoning here, but as a relative Moz-ignorant person I dont mind this record (but I'm not really comparing it to anything). However I do agree that First In The Gang is an excellent song. |
