![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
On The Shelf 082- Johnny Marr
Feb. 20th, 2013 07:47 amOne of the more anticipated albums of the year is Johnny Marr's solo album The Messenger.
Marr has had an interesting career post-Smiths, one that you might expect from someone who loves making music, but not from someone treated so reverentially. He worked on some of the great songs of the late 80s ("(Nothing) but Flowers" , "Sexuality", "Home and Dry". "Walking Down Madison") and appeared with a who's who of alt music-Talking Heads, Billy Bragg, Pet Shop Boys, Kirsty MacColl, The Pretenders, Bryan Ferry, Beth Orton, Oasis and Beck. Of course, there was a brief stint in The The and the closest thing he ever came to forming a supergroup was Electronic with Bernard Sumner.
In the last decade, he has chosen to play as a member of bands he dug like Modest Mouse and The Cribs. Something you wouldn't expect from someone of his stature. There was the Healers album in 2003 which kind of came and went, but now with Morrissey retiring (again) next year, the spotlight is on Marr.
The album comes out next week and is streaming in a couple of places like The Guardian website.
So how is it?
it's maybe better than expected. Reviews have been rough on Marr's vocals and lyrics, but I think they work fine. Against the rest of his catalogue and against the best music of the day, maybe it is lacking; but it is actually quite good, and taken out of that historical and cultural context, if this was a true debut, it would be considered quite promising.
So the obvious question. Is it better than the work of Messrs.Boorer, Whyte and Tobias; and would it be helped by a different singer (and I think you know who i mean).
Oddly, if you're only context for Morrissey and Marr was the last 25 years, it's next to impossible to imagine anyone suggesting a pairing between the two. Marr's jangly Messenger would sit out awkwardly next to Moz's recent work. This is upbeat pop that for the most part is closest to Electronic as anything.
Also, there's nothing ambitious enough here to imagine this as a soundtrack for a reunion (though it is certainly more radio-friendly than anything Moz has done in quite some time). The music is pure Britpop and would have been a perfect release for the late 90s.
In any case, even if it doesn't change the world, it's a nice little album, and one that serves Marr well.
The single:
My favorite song at first listen:
Marr has had an interesting career post-Smiths, one that you might expect from someone who loves making music, but not from someone treated so reverentially. He worked on some of the great songs of the late 80s ("(Nothing) but Flowers" , "Sexuality", "Home and Dry". "Walking Down Madison") and appeared with a who's who of alt music-Talking Heads, Billy Bragg, Pet Shop Boys, Kirsty MacColl, The Pretenders, Bryan Ferry, Beth Orton, Oasis and Beck. Of course, there was a brief stint in The The and the closest thing he ever came to forming a supergroup was Electronic with Bernard Sumner.
In the last decade, he has chosen to play as a member of bands he dug like Modest Mouse and The Cribs. Something you wouldn't expect from someone of his stature. There was the Healers album in 2003 which kind of came and went, but now with Morrissey retiring (again) next year, the spotlight is on Marr.
The album comes out next week and is streaming in a couple of places like The Guardian website.
So how is it?
it's maybe better than expected. Reviews have been rough on Marr's vocals and lyrics, but I think they work fine. Against the rest of his catalogue and against the best music of the day, maybe it is lacking; but it is actually quite good, and taken out of that historical and cultural context, if this was a true debut, it would be considered quite promising.
So the obvious question. Is it better than the work of Messrs.Boorer, Whyte and Tobias; and would it be helped by a different singer (and I think you know who i mean).
Oddly, if you're only context for Morrissey and Marr was the last 25 years, it's next to impossible to imagine anyone suggesting a pairing between the two. Marr's jangly Messenger would sit out awkwardly next to Moz's recent work. This is upbeat pop that for the most part is closest to Electronic as anything.
Also, there's nothing ambitious enough here to imagine this as a soundtrack for a reunion (though it is certainly more radio-friendly than anything Moz has done in quite some time). The music is pure Britpop and would have been a perfect release for the late 90s.
In any case, even if it doesn't change the world, it's a nice little album, and one that serves Marr well.
The single:
My favorite song at first listen:
