Ringleader Of The Tormentors
- Morrissey
- Band Name: Morrissey
- Record Label: Sanctuary / Attack
- Release Date: Apr 4, 2006
- Critic Score
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100Ringleader Of The Tormentors is the sound a man with a new sense of purpose, and in this extraordinary record he's produced a masterpiece.
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90What's so remarkable about Morrissey's writing on 'Ringleader...' is a seeming greater comfort with the more upbeat subject matter than with his usual morose metier, and what remains of that is executed with an exceedingly hammy fist.
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90Some of his most impressive songs in years.
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90[Many] of the songs submerge the rock and roll swagger of Your Arsenal in dramatic atmospherics, making ofr an astonishingly immediate visceral experience. [#20, p.91]
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90"Ringleader" proves Morrissey does not need to be miserable to make memorable music.
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83These tunes find him not only reconnecting with his sense of melodic urgency but with his loins, as well.
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Morrissey doesn't have that much to say now, but it's never really been just about the words. And when everything fits into place on Ringleader of the Tormenters, he can deliver those sweet-nothings with such panache that it doesn't really matter anyway.
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Track for track, Ringleader is unquestionably Morrissey's best in ages.
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'Ringleader Of The Tormentors' sees Morrissey not only in wonderful voice, but more flamboyant and alive than at any time in his solo career.
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80Quite honestly, he's never sounded so alive and free - or, more importantly, human.
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One of his finest solo outings to date. [#13, p.87]
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80Ringleader of the Tormentors is, rather than the now-anticipated letdown, another fitting heir to [his] legacy.
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Morrissey has managed to assemble a record that feels like a genuine Morrissey record while not being insufferably self-important and brooding.
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80As with everything Morrissey does, ROTT's resonance will elude those not hitherto fascinated by its master's voice. A shame, for in terms of pure musicality, ROTT is possibly his most ecumenical solo album, his most welcoming and loveable. [Apr 2006, p.89]
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80Longtime devotees may miss Morrissey's Smiths-era vocal histrionics, but his supple croon has matured into a thing of beauty. [May 2006, p.103]
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80Ringleader is Moz at his tormented best. [Apr 2006, p.88]
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A romantic, self-referential collection of songs that, even though we've heard this inimitable voice singing the same old tune for years, manages to avoid staleness. [May 2006, p.174]
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80Ringleader of the Tormentors feels rushed and underdone in both the songwriting and arrangements.
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80Morrissey regains his knack for conversational hooks and his wry, literate sense of humor. [#71, p.105]
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Not the invigorating wake-up that was 2004's You Are The Quarry, his new album... feels more like an elegiac memoir. [7 Apr 2006, p.60]
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75[A] potentially polarizing mash note.
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While it may be the most proficient musical record that Morrissey has put out in aeons... it doesn't quite measure up to the high standards set by You Are The Quarry or the superlative debut that was Viva Hate.
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You Are The Quarry... was Morrissey's strongest album in years, but Ringleader reframes it as mere foreplay. [6 Apr 2006, p.62]
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The production on each song is a little too repetitive.
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A simmering, sultry affair.
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60Funnily enough, it's the lyrics that let Ringleader down the most. [Apr 2006, p.94]
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It's hard not to shake the suspicion that this album is the closest he's ever been to forgettable.
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60What we are left with is a sense of something not quite finished... It makes Ringleader Of The Tormentors feel like a transitional album. [Apr 2006, p.108]
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Strangely underwhelming. [Apr/May 2006, p.100]
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[His] vocals don't have the same strength or range they did just two years ago on You Are the Quarry.
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Whereas You Are The Quarry was a welcome return to form, Ringleader Of The Tormentors makes you wonder if seven-year gaps between albums are necessary.
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40Mostly, though, it's the usual whining about his tortured life as as a once-celebrated pop star and being unloved in a harsh world, but with fewer droll song titles and clever couplets.
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While the lyrics are uniformly excellent... the songs mainly range from not good to pretty good. [3 Apr 2006]
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30His newest album is at best a parody of old Morrissey. He has become boring. He has become stagnant. He has become irrelevant.
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 50 out of 61
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Mixed: 7 out of 61
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Negative: 4 out of 61
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[Anonymous]10
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thetrumpet4
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NoelE9