Before: I love the Smiths! Morrissey's voice is delight, the material is interesting, and a little darkness is welcome every now and then. I've heard this album before, but this time I'll try harder to analyze it.
After: "Miserable Lie" is really laying on that falsetto thick... a little too thick, even...
That grungy, dark, dull tone of the 90's is pervasive in this album (expectedly.)
Even though Morrissey keeps hitting the same notes over and over, they never get old. His voice is too unique to become acclimated to and lose respect for.
I really like "This Charming Man". It reminds me of "Perks of Being a Wallflower" and (embarrassedly, I'll say it,) "The Carrie Diaries". I know that a lot of social structures and million of other huge concepts have improved since the nineties, but I still get nostalgic (mostly recently) for that decade. I grew up during it, so I didn't get a well-rounded view of what shaped it, such as politics, hip-hop, or media sans Disney movies. So, what I do remember I look back fondly on: dinky, pretty much ugly clothes that nowadays seem quaint, Britney Spears before she went loco, and, well, childhood. Which was pretty great.
It doesn't exactly spark my imagination. Perhaps it would if I were in a dingy New York apartment with the rain beating at my rusting window panes and the only tea around was a lukewarm mug of weak lemon zinger. But not today.
I can also imagine enjoying it if I were at some club with dimmed lighting and a crowd of listeners whose evident appreciation for the music allowed them to sway in effortless synchrony.
Remember when I said Morrissey's voice couldn't get old? Well, let me make an addendum to that: it's not old, but it's lulling me to sleep. Not a bad thing, I suppose, but not something that's going to boost my opinion of this album. However, just like anything, though, maybe it's just not the right time or place for this music.
