Morrissey- Years Of Refusal (****)

It's not easy being Steven Patrick Morrissey.

Sure, he's enjoyed a cult-like following from his time in The Smiths, as well as from his colorful and consistent solo career, but Morrissey is not a happy man by any means. Always the social skeptic, Morrissey has made a career out of exploring his mistrust of the world through blackly penned lyrics and off-kilter wit.

In fact, Morrissey is perhaps the only figure in contemporary music that actively confronts society about its shifting morality, going far beyond the melancholy shtick that critics and naysayers have written him off with. And while his brand of left-winged politics, militant vegetarianism, and ambiguous sexuality might make him confrontational to most, they also paint the portrait of a man at war with the modern world.

So it's no surprise that Morrissey's eighth solo record, Years Of Refusal, continues to examine his social and personal mistrust through concise arrangements, as well as his signature alto. Produced by the late Jerry Finn, who helmed 2004's You Are The Quarry, Years Of Refusal is a lean effort that finds Moz lamenting about broken relationships, the struggle to remain earnest and his own human frailties.

While this sounds like typical Morrissey fair, it's the energy and the passion from these tracks that will quickly resonate with listeners.

From the abrupt and driving opening "Someone Is Squeezing My Skull," it's clear that Morrissey throws subtlety completely aside. Pushed through with driving rhythms, pulsing bass and thick guitars, Morrissey illustrates how disposable lives and memories can be with lines such as, "I'm doing very well/I can blackout/The present/And the past now..." Awash with rolling percussion and an almost punk energy, it sets the tone for how immediate Years of Refusal comes across.

Elsewhere, the fuzzed bass and thunderous drumming of "All You Need Is Me" finds Morrissey exploring how society constructs their heroes and villains. Using his own career as a pariah, he sings, "You roll your eyes up to the skies/Mock horrified/But you're still here/All you need is me..." His forceful, yet rich lower register hasn't seemed to slow down with age, remaining strong and vibrant against the full sounding power chords of his backing band.

But aside from Moz's sardonic take on the human condition, much of why Years Of Refusal is so digestible is because of the musicians Morrissey has surrounded himself with. Long-time collaborator and guitarist Boz Boorer gives a stand out performance on Years Of Refusal, channeling chunky riffs while balancing them with some swirling lead work. Tracks such as the stompy "That's How People Grow Up" and the marching "Mama Lay Softly On The River Bed" find Morrissey's band going for the musical jugular rather than sounding subdued and lethargic.

Clearly, Morrissey is not interested in people seeing him as an aging pop singer, and he's instructed his musicians to make him sound as relevant as he feels he is.

But it's also important to note Jerry Finn's production on the album, which might be as essential to the overall listening experience as Morrissey's own voice. Rather than filling these songs with extraneous instrumentation, Finn keeps things simple and balanced on Years Of Refusal. Cleanly overdriven guitars and warm bass tones drive these tracks, all audibly and evenly spaced rather than being muddled together in the mix. The result is an album that's crisp rather than compressed, and Finn's knob turning allows for a dynamic and lush sound.

Occasionally, Finn's use of extra instrumentation fleshes out some of these songs, but they don't upstage the main melodies. Whether it's the sparkling guitar and sweeping strings on "You Were Good In Your Time" or the bright horn section on "When I Last Spoke To Carol," Finn is careful to keep his instrumental embellishments to a minimum, using them only to add fullness to these arrangements.

However, this suits Morrissey perfectly, for Years Of Refusal is the sound of a music icon easing comfortably into his fifties, yet retaining his pointed cynicism. While the self-loathing and the indignation might seem familiar, Morrissey continues to surprise listeners with dry turns of phrase that cement his place as Britain's loneliest soul. On the sweeping single "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris," Moz somberly croons, "I'm/Throwing my arms around/Around Paris because/Only stone and steel/Accept my love..." The melodrama swells alongside syrupy strings and ascending guitar lines, but it all displays a man arrested by how fleeting life can be.

It's these moments of personal anguish that make Morrissey's music so fascinating, for his songs reflect a soul searching to belong within a world that seems to unabashedly reject him. Yet while it's clear that Morrissey has the weight of the world on his shoulders, maybe he could stand to cheer up a little bit.

After all, his fans will still love him, especially after an album as strong as this one.

Sounds Like: Good Mourning (Alkaline Trio), Viva Hate (Morrissey), Strangeways Here We Come (The Smiths)

Key Cuts: I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris, All You Need Is Me, That's How People Grow Up

Author's Note: This review appears in a recent issue of the Sonoma State Star. As this is the author's own writing and this is his own blog, in addition to holding the position of A&E Editor for the Sonoma State Star, he posts it here with express consent of himself. Duh.

Click on the artwork to sample some of Years Of Refusal for yourself!