Strange album, this one. On his 10th studio album, Morrissey is as acerbic and opinionated as ever, and the music treads the familiar dour acoustic-based shoegaze that has been his stock in trade since the Smiths’ heyday, only without much of the romanticism. It’s the sound fans love, the point of view they identify with (animal rights, veganism, lack of gender stereotypes, anti-politics, etc.) and they will likely not find any problems with this disc.
To his credit, Moz is in fine vocal form throughout; if anything, his deep voice has only gotten better with age. But it is in service of some pretty blunt lyrics this time around, such as the anti-marriage rant “Kick The Bride Down The Aisle” (“She just wants a slave / To break his back in pursuit of a living wage / So that she can laze and graze / For the rest of her days”) and the excoriation of alpha males in “I’m Not A Man,” which uses short adjectives to describe men before its closing self-congratulation lines (“No big fat locker room / Hockey jock laughing / I’m not a man / I’d never kill or eat an animal / And I would never destroy this planet I’m on”).
Most pointed is the title track, a condescending rant that orders us to “work hard and sweetly pay your taxes / Never asking what for / Oh you poor little fool,” says that “police will stun you with their stun guns … That’s what government’s for” before concluding that “Each time you vote you support the process.” Evidently, at age 55, Moz is done holding back. One only wishes he offered a solution.
The same change in lyrical approach also applies to the music, which takes several twists and turns and tweaks the formula. “I’m Not A Man” is a strange beast, an eight-minute piece that moves from a croon to a stadium rocker set to lyrics not really meant for either approach, though it is meant to be epic (and evocative of David Bowie, perhaps accidentally, in Morrissey’s higher register). Flamenco guitar and subtle, off-kilter instrumental breakdowns quantify “Earth Is The Loneliest Planet” and “The Bullfighter Dies.” On the other end is the relatively simple ballad “Mountjoy,” a tale of life inside an Irish prison that name-drops Irish writer/IRA member/famous drinker Brendan Behan and features the funny line “I was sent here by a three-foot half-wit in a wig.”
The problem is that one has to search to find these highlights, because more than a few of the songs just don’t resonate to the level of which Morrissey is capable. “Neal Cassidy Drops Dead” (featuring the worst lyrics on the album), “Staircase At The University,” “Istanbul” and the closing drag of “Oboe Concerto” are among the duller moments, not because they’re not well played, but because they just don’t register. “Smiler With Knife” tries to be cute but the awkward, jerky rhythm ruins any sense of continuity, and “Kiss Me A Lot” is kind of goofy and creepy, but it has horns and handclaps, so there’s that.
Morrissey faithful will find much to love here, and casual fans will find a few things that standout. Moz is to be commended for changing up his approach and writing lyrics that, for better or worse, actually get one’s attention without being obscure. The variety of world music instruments also enhances many of these admittedly dull songs, making them more interesting than they are. For an artist who always does it his way, World Peace is the album that he needed to make right now, and the fact that he does it his own way is to be commended, even if the result is only inconsistently rewarding.
