Morrissey would give himself just a one-year break between The Smiths’ final release and his first solo album. The time between Viva Hate and Kill Uncle was longer than the gap between Strangeways Here We Come and Viva Hate. Perhaps if the veteran songwriter had a little longer to tee up his second solo album, it’d have been remembered for more than the grandiose album cover. Morrissey has his head in the clouds on his second studio album. But there is reason for this transition and the hopefulness heard across Kill Uncle, a shorter album which acts more as a stagger between two producers than anything fully realised. Conceptually absent, but at least these are songs Morrissey could be proud of putting his name to at a time when he was shopping around for a different producer. At times, it sounds as though Kill Uncle is building towards some mystifying high, but never feels ready to take that step, other parts are there already. A mixed, enjoyable bag.
Kill Uncle opens with the indie pop swagger Morrissey did, to his credit, mould throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His influential take on the alternative scene is clear from the opening bars of Our Frank, a bass-led, piano-hammering thrill of a song. A real strong start to the album, which can, at times, feel a bit more like fodder than a favourite for many of Morrissey’s fans. Our Frank sets a high bar for the rest of Kill Uncle as Morrissey spirals into a fade-out end, hoping the conversations and drink do not cause a rupture in his social life. It’s an identifiable message, one that’ll be easy to relate to for those who find themselves in similar situations. Crucial to its success is that it loses that twee tone he would often offer up on The Smiths. When it does appear, it’s limited in its use, such as the Our Frank follow-up, Asian Rut. The best moments of Kill Uncle can be found in the pairing of piano and Morrissey’s vocal strength. Mute Witness is a haunting yet hopeful song on patience as a unifier.
What many may view as Morrissey’s rather out-there public image now is, in fact, just the condition of a generation removed from the modern world. His experiences of that light and loving England are what he sings of, and it creates such a large divide with reality, particularly in modern times. That’s bridged a little better with the work found on Kill Uncle. Transitional is, as Morrissey finds here, just another word for experimental. He has tried his hand at new instrumental tones with a producer unfamiliar not with his work, but how he works. That’s a crucial difference made on Kill Uncle, and though it may feel a tad too theatrical for its own good, often collapsing in on its brass and quartet additions, it does feel like a sincere effort from The Smiths’ frontman to separate himself from the jangle pop sound.
Morrissey is at his best on Kill Uncle when he dives into the guitar-led punchiness of a song like Found Found Found. His lyrics may suffer as a result, but it’s such a bold change of tone for the veteran frontman. He channels that How Soon is Now edginess into songs of lost love and, lacking reconciliation, lets the hate flood over him. Crucial to the success of Kill Uncle, and what makes it worth a relisten, is that Morrissey begins to prod at the figures who find themselves in spats with their significant others. Driving Your Girlfriend Home masquerades as a sentimental track, but it’s one of the gutsiest, gruesome pieces of work Morrissey has ever written, and it’s among his very best songs. Kill Uncle is an album of moments; you can chart the high points from Morrissey’s work after this back to this transitional period.
