Review Summary: ...and neither is consistency.
When Elvis Costello surmised that Morrissey was a brilliant author of titles but a lousy songwriter, it seemed an unfair jab at a far more talented and youthful artist rather than an apt analysis. However, as Morrissey has aged and his career has dropped in relevancy, Costello's character assassination seems more appropriate than ever; free from the stale music that made Morrissey blend into the background on
Years of Refusal,
World Peace is None of Your Business seems intent to carry on with the daftness purveyed on the former, now with a few different coats of paint and lumbering, frankly stupid song titles.
A total 180 degree turn in musical regards,
World Peace... exercises its eclecticism fantastically initially. The title track is a false start of sorts, a rather silly snapshot of sleigh bells and timpani preaching political bents (admittedly with a sentiment easy to jump on board with). It's then that jittery guitar riffs stab on "Neal Cassidy Drops Dead", mixing neatly with the near 7-minute sexual crisis "I'm Not a Man", only to be one-upped by the brilliantly catchy and obvious single "Istanbul". If
World Peace... can boast about anything, it's its ability to keep you constantly on your toes and make you flinch when glam rocket "Staircase at the University" leads into the somber likes of "Oboe Concerto". On musical merits alone,
World Peace... could count as Morrissey's best solo album yet.
Lyrically,
World Peace... carries all the bad habits that
Refusal had, delivering lyrics that seem laughable in comparison to the mans best ("Kick the Bride Down the Aisle", anyone?). The lack of subtlety apparent on the title track is the obvious bone of contention, where Morrissey has to spell out a rather cumbersome title to carry across his political angst. Similarly, harping on about the state of pressure female students are under on "Staircase at the University" seems trivial and based upon the mans excessive need to whine and moan. Sure, his words still remain an interesting point of analysis, in the same way trite like "Irish Blood, English Heart" and "I'm Alright By Myself" was interesting, but trite is still trite no matter how many gold stickers you put on it. Regardless of how enjoyable, it appears that Morrissey is intent to play up to role of 'The Moz', a caricature of bad habits and teenage angst spat out as sixth form poetry. Such subtlety and conspicuously inane one-liners are nowhere to be found on
World Peace..., and if they are they're masked as puerile drivel. It's unfortunate, because ultimately he remains highly enjoyable- just for all the wrong reasons.
Morrissey hasn't made a grand declaration or statement. What he has done though is create something far more overdramatic and self-satirical than the Moz could ever bargain for. It's kismet, though, like when Roger Daltrey hoped to die before he got old, only to end up 70 and dropping music as frequently as he does bowel movements. We can't have the Morrissey who demanded Thatcher on the guillotine, but what we can is a man in his 50s realizing he has a high propensity to look a twat from time to time. Admittedly, it's a lot of fun to listen to.
