As nice a nod Rebels Without Applause is to that of Rebel Without a Cause, the James Dean-led feature from the 1950s, that is where the similarities start and end. One a piece of rebellious redemption, another a track from a yet-to-be-released album from Morrissey. Controversy or not, the man can still sing, and his placement on this latest track ahead of his upcoming album Bonfire of Teenagers, is as solid a late-game piece from the former frontman of The Smiths. If anything, it is vaguely reminiscent of that period, with floaty guitars and wistful lyrical opportunities. Picture the man gurning his face in that unique, crooning way. It helps swallow the decent work on Rebels Without Applause.
Enlisting some surprising names to bolster Rebels Without Applause, there is a sense that those featuring within, from leading man Morrissey to bass guitarist Flea, are a tad unsung. They had cups of glory spilt over them decades ago, but they are still capable of that similar sound and music. Everyone has moved on though, their act of rebellion now to stick with what they know and continue to improve, and here they do so by rounding out a fine and sensible addition to the jangle pop genre. Encroaching on twee at times, it is halted by Morrissey’s solid vocal performance, which has never wavered particularly strongly between incredible or poor in his late-game career. I Am Not a Dog on a Chain was a mixed bag, but that may have been a blip.
Rebels Without Applause certainly appears to be a guiding torch for that – and perhaps proof that Morrissey is not completely spent just yet. Days on the Las Vegas show circuit were a bit of a recharge for the man, now pushing forward with a particularly solid track. There will be the mega fans that herald this as a return to form, but Morrissey never left that behind. To his credit, he has maintained a systematic consistency, although here it is a little tinny, robotic at times. Not his vocals, but the production around it, the recording process appears watered down. The early days of The Smiths are definitely heard through the work of guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, marking Rebels Without Applause as an impromptu, makeshift Red Hot Chilli Peppers reunion.
Gambling on promoting this piece without publicly having a home for his new record, Morrissey hopes to will his latest piece into existence with willpower alone. Rebels Without Applause is a solid enough beginning to that. A tinge of autotune and technical embrace lingers on the lyrics a little too much, either that or tinnitus is beginning to have a serious effect. Either way, the mixing is off and it all feels a little homebrew. There is comfort in that, though. Not on an extreme level of horrors that Ringo Starr manages, nor an incredible and monumental home recording as Taylor Swift produced with Evermore. A comfortable medium, a piece that will attest to the qualities of Morrissey’s vocals and lyrical qualities as he nears thirty-five years as a solo artist. Consistency like that is nothing to be snubbed, nor is Rebels Without Applause.
