Ah, Morrissey, you never fail to deliver.

Yesterday I visited Vintage Vinyl to pick up my copy of Years of Refusal which, much to my delight, came with the 7″ single of “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris” that contains this very image on the inner sleeve:

The deluxe edition of the album is packaged nicely as a digipak with a silken linen finish to the paper stock it’s made from. The CD and DVD are incased in inner-sleeves much like a vinyl album is, the same silk linen paper is used. The type treatment throughout is very Art Nouveau and the cool color scheme of grays and soft blues takes cues from the dark black and blue look of the Ringleader of the Tormentors cover and progresses to this. I like seeing a theme taken and expanded upon in a new direction, which is the case of the album design from the previous album to this one. Packaging: A+

Still exploring the sounds of the album but, upon the few listening I’ve given it, there’s something in here that was merely toyed with in Ringleaders which is a bounce – an up-and-down movement of beat that takes hold of even the slowest songs (”Black Cloud” and “You Were Good In Your Time”).

The Spanish-sounding guitar at the very beginning of “When I Last Spoke to Carol” harkens back to The Smiths’ “Bigmouth Strikes Again” for me. And the guitar intro of “Sorry Doesn’t Help” sounds a bit like Queen to me, then the drums come beating in big time only to have Moz’s voice echo the warmth of that guitar over the crisp cymbals and pulsing kick drum. This layering of sound is found on every song, the production is spectacular, producing a warmth that makes me want to listen over and over.

Standout songs are:

• - “All You Need Is Me” for the sheer bravado only Morrissey can deliver.
• - “Something Is Squeezing My Skull” simply for the line ‘There is no hope in modern life.’
• - “It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore” in the delicacy, richness and reach of the vocal delivery. This song illustrates everything about Moz’s voice that makes him unique.
• “That’s How People Grow Up” stands out for the fact that it’s a great song greatly ruined by the shrill trill of Kristeen Young. I would have bypassed Ms. Young and simply used a Theremin for the same effect.

Album: A-

I’m now looking forward to the April 8th Morrissey concert at The Pageant more than I was before, knowing he’s got a great source of material in the new album to pull from. As long as I don’t have to sit through another drawn-out performance of “Life Is A Pigsty” again, I’ll be happy. Also, he’s bringing fellow Brits, The Courteeners, along as the opening act – replacing former long-time openers Kristeen Young (who I am none to keen on).

Bottom line: If you want a good solid record, go pick up Morrissey’s Years of Refusal. Even if you think you don’t like him, I’m betting you’ll find at least one track you’ll like on this album.