T
theloveofyourlife
Guest
Good art means pushing buttons and boundaries. It is not tailored for the masses. So if these issues are what motivate Mr. Moz these days, I can disagree with the views whilst appreciating the art that comes out.
The problem is that much of it is bad art. I may not have agreed with the views conveyed by tracks like 'Bengali' ect but at least they were expressed in a less obtuse way than; 'Stop reading the news'. There was often an ambiguity in the narration. You could never totally tell if Morrissey was playing a character or if they were actually his opinions.
The main issue modern political Moz is that's all too clear that he holds these beliefs and they're very rarely original or insightful. There isn't anything profound about 'World Peace', it's just a series of tired poorly expressed platitudes. In his older work the social commentary aspect was woven into the fabric of his songs. His disdain for the monarchy reverberates throughout 'The Queen Is Dead' and yet it never overtly states it. It's conveyed with a playful wit and is all the more powerful on account of that. Can you imagine if it he wrote a sequel to that now? It would just be filled with contemptuous slogans (and possibly a deranged child with an axe).
The tone of these modern songs is, more often than not, condescending and arrogant; 'ooohh ohhh you poor little fools', 'as the workers stay enslaved'. Perhaps those are tongue in cheek lines? But its so hard to tell these days because he does look down on people who hold different views to him and he does think he's on some higher plateau. Because the songs are so blunt and one-dimensional its difficult to enjoy them unless you happen to share his views.
I'm still going to buy his albums and I'm sure I'll like a lot of the tracks but its frustrating when you know what he's capable of.