Ringleader of the tormentors

Description

The world is no longer healthy, but the world is safe. As long as people like Morrissey sing at the ends of the levees, however precarious they may be, as long as the English, even expatriates in Los Angeles, take advantage of the surrounding decadence to mock, nothing is entirely lost. Of course, it is the collaboration with Tony Visconti, producer of David Bowie but also of T.Rex, his other favorite band along with the New York Dolls, that primarily characterizes this new album from Moz. In terms of songwriting, it is nothing more than the very worthy successor to the exuberant "You Are The Quarry" released in 2004. But the production here is a genuine delight. From "I Will See You In Far Off Places" and "You Have Killed Me," we realize how Visconti still knows how to arrange the guitars so that they directly contribute to the dynamism of a song. "Dear God, Please Help Me," one of the standout tracks of the album, resonates with the melancholic tones of a diluted piano, while the stubborn "In The Future When All's Well" starts with a barely veiled reference to Marc Bolan's "Get It On." More ambitious, "Life Is A Pigsty" settles some scores, while "I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero" and "To Me You Are A Work Of Art" benefit from divinely staged choruses. As a final touch or struggle, "At Last I Am Born" opens with strings by Ennio Morricone and is carried by children's choirs. The best of both worlds, in short.