Tired of the artist, but love the art? We explore five potentially less problematic artists than Morrissey...
DISCLAIMER: Everything we do at Pop War is presented in the context of a battle between two artists or works of art. We even joke that 'art is not subjective.' We don't mean this literally. This is all just meant to be a unique lens we use in order to analyze music, and should never be used to assume we don't value both artists we compare and contrast.
The legendary frontman for The Smiths, and a solo artist in his own right, Morrissey has become somewhat of a joke in the past decade plus. Wether it's voicing his unpopular political and racial opinions, walking off stage after mere minutes of a performance, or cancelling them altogether, many fans have found themselves in a predicament where the artist has sullied the art. If you find yourself wondering if anyone else can satisfy the same musical qualities Morrissey typically delivers, look no further.
1. The La's
This Liverpool-based band nearly predates The Smiths, and is most known for their single, "There She Goes." While this well-received track may not resemble much of Morrissey's output, listen to the opening lines of "Timeless Melody," and tell me both singers weren't drinking from the same well. It doesn't end there, and there are myriad reasons to give this a listen that don't involve anyone else.
2. Suede (aka The London Suede)
Before there was even a whisper of Oasis, Suede had already practically invented the idea of 'britpop.' Their reverence for all things British resulted in them sounding something like Spiders from Mars era Bowie mixed with The Smiths. From the get-go, frontman Brett Anderson was not shy about proclaiming their admiration for Moz & Co. And, if you can't hear the influence in the video below, just click here to listen to Morrissey himself performing a cover!
3. Echobelly
It's not just the title of "I Can't Imagine The World Without Me" that sounds like something Morrissey might've penned - the song itself sounds like it would have been right at home on most of his early solo records. Vocalist Sonya Madan practically sounds as if she took vocal lessons from Moz. It shouldn't keep you from exploring their first two records, though, as they were both underrated gems in their day, and still hold up quite well.
[buy Echobelly's Best Of here]
4. Gene
This early-to-mid-nineties group was another that immediately drew comparisons in the media to Morrissey and The Smiths, in large part due to the often crooning vocal delivery of singer Martin Rossiter. Gene had a fair amount of shortlived success in the UK, at the height of the Britpop era, but much of their holds up surprisingly well nearly 30 years later.
5. The Sundays
While Harriet Wheeler doesn't sound much, if anything, like Moz, The Sundays deliver on so many levels the clean and cloudy jangle that accompanied much of The Smiths' best work. But where The Smith's leaned on pop and glam rock, The Sundays instead turn toward folk and psychadelia. Still, there's not an overabundance of this type of music done particularly well, and even if it might be a bit more sweet and delicate than Morrissey's typical output, you're doing yourself a disservice to not be familiar with The Sundays' first two records.
[buy The Sundays' Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic here]
BONUS: Pulp
Okay, fine...there's very little in the way of comparisons to draw between Pulp and Morrissey. I'll admit that. But if you're here for quirky British alt-crooners, and you're not already familiar with Pulp, let this serve as a sign for you to explore that rabbit hole as deeply and as immediately as possible.
[buy Pulp's His N Hers here]