Thursday, April 11, 1991
Morissey's latest boring
and uninspired
b Brad Kane
The Collegian
It's been four years since the
breakup of one of music's most
revered acts, The Smiths. Four
long, uplifting, happy years.
You see, one needs The
Smiths for the purposes of
bringing depression and
melancholy into one's life. It's
a function that has come
unfulfilled by any
contemporary act.
But former Smiths' lead
singer Morrissey is still trying
to convey thoughts of doom as
a solo act. The problem here is
that he's just not doing that
great of a job.
On his second album of
original material, Kill Uncle
(the first was 1988's Viva
Hate), Morrissey comes up a
bit short in terms of quality
once again. It's been this way
for the past few years for one
of the industry's more highly
regarded vocalists.
A slew of hit singles
through 1988-1989 gave
Morrissey a solid start on his
solo career, but the past two
years have been a bit dull.
Maybe the well has run dry.
Maybe Morrissey needs the
services of Smiths' guitarist
Johnny Man once more.
After all, Man wrote the
Satu day Night at 41 i ep
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accompanying music to
Morrissey's words while in The
Smiths. The words today are
pretty much the same - it's the
music that's gotten boring and
uninspired.
On Kill Uncle, for instance,
the tone of the album is
dominantly traditional. Just
by looking at the title of the
track "There's a Place In Hell
For Me and My Friends," a
prospective listener can tell
that this will not be an upbeat
piece of work.
"Hell" is one of the better
tracks on the record, making
good usage of the combination
of piano and strings that
Morrissey has prepared into
his music. The song brings to
memory some of the more
melancholy Smiths' titles,
most prominently the
beautifully crafted "Asleep"
from Louder Than Bombs
(1987).
Morrissey is naturally at his
best when singing of tales of
woe, which explains why the
album's finer points are
depressing tunes, such as
"King Leer" and the dreamy
"Driving Your Girlfriend
Home."
But as Morrissey has
branched out since leaving The
Smiths, his repertoire has
expanded, leading the way for
Comes to 13thrend
The Collegian
the entry of some more upbeat,
shall I say danceable (gasp!)
tunes into his material.
Songs such as "Our Frank,"
the record's first single, and
"Sing Your Life," possibly the
most optimistic song
Morrissey has ever penned,
qualify in this category.
To top it off, the above two
tracks are two of the better on
the album. (Ahh-What is the
world coming to? Well, at
least Morrissey hasn't become
as happy, and somewhat
annoying, as, oh, REM shall
we say).
This happy stuff isn't all
good though, of course. The
song "Found, Found, Found"
tries to take the same path
forged by the above two
songs, but fails miserably due
to its drumming bass line and
loud, blaring guitar - an
element slightly out of place
in a Morrissey song.
Well, where does one turn
these days for that soothing
brand of depressive pop that at
least the ears of this reviewer
crave so much? Nowhere in the
present, that's for sure. Indeed,
there is no substitute for the
real thing.
Hand me that Smiths' tape,
would you please?
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Up close with...
Name: Ursula Davis
Birthdate: May 12
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany.
Current job position:
Communication.
Very first job: Art, theater critic for Berlin's daily paper
Telegraf.
Secret vice: Lust for double chocolate mousse.
Three things that can always be found in your
refrigerator: Nail polish, water, baking soda.
Movie you could see again any time: Berlin Alexander
Platz by Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Book you could read again any time: "Iliad."
Whom you would most like to have dinner with:
Salvador Dali (1904-1989).
Your ultimate dream vacation: On top of a palm tree in
Bora - Bora.
What actress would you have portray yourself in a
movie based on your life?: Whoopi Goldberg.
Behrend's best kept secret: The Gourmet Cappuccino Cafe'.
Accomplishment you are proudest: Moving from Paris,
France to Pittsburgh.
People may be surprised to kn0w...1 have an accent.
Things you could do without: Racism, sexism, botulism
er 1.
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0 7 3512 Buffalo Rd.
id, Wesleyville
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CONGRATULATIONS
to the
new Brothers
of Sigma Tau Gamma
HA=ll "Nxlzylplk" Gwin
Paul "Bocephus" Harpst
William "Cornelius" Herriott
Julio "Jerky Treat" Lergier
Robert "Vibrator" Mannion
Andrew "Epilady" Richardson
Kenneth "Emission" Sharek (Hi Pat!)
Darrin "DeCon" Sloan
Marvin "Butnik" Snider
William "Spud" Sybert
Michael "Beeker" Zablotny
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Expires 4/18/91