Review Summary: Worse than rain on your wedding day
Towards the end of the track “Celebrity”, Morissette appears to claim that she is “a tattooed, sexy, dancing monkey.” The lyric is indicative of just what is wrong with
Havoc and Bright Lights. The angry, scorned young woman of
Jagged Little Pill has finally given way to a confused, insipid and self-obsessed harpy. “Celebrity”, probably established as a wry aside at the nature of fame, is far more anonymous and plain than its intended targets. It is a trend that continues throughout the LP and is about as helpful and welcome as having the ***s on your wedding day.
Since we’re on the subject of defecation, let’s talk some more about the music. Morissette has now veered completely away from the acerbic, concise barbs upon which she made her name. Instead her flag is well and truly planted in the territory of the vague and ambiguous; one word titles so lacklustre even Pearl Jam would think twice before using them. “Havoc” is instead a paragon of boredom; a Tori Amos b-side in new clothing. “Spiral” winds its way into a landfill of musical proportions and “Til You” doesn’t make sense in any shape or form.
Perhaps this is to be expected after all. Just how long can you keep the fire of inspiration lit? Sales of
Jagged Little Pill ensured that Morissette would be quaffing quail eggs and swan’s blood for the rest of her life, so why should she bother? It’s a little ironic (finally!) that you will be asking yourself the same question after two or three songs of this record.
Not even some admittedly slick production can drag this out of the mire. If you view your life through Thelma & Louise specs, convinced of your independence and strong-will in a tough, mad, bad world then this is the record for you. Roll the top down on your rusty car and drive off into the horizon as the end credits spill over the sub-standard rom-com your life has evidently become.
