Album Vs Album: Elvis Costello vs Morrissey

Long-running careers have arcs to them, where an artist's popularity and/or creativity will ebb and flow as their life changes, and as their audience changes in unwanted directions. Remaining both popular and relevant is a Herculean task, one few people have ever been able to pull off over the long haul. Whether it's through a creative dry spell, a new set of societal expectations, or simple fatigue to hearing a particular style, pretty much everyone winds up having a period of their career we view as the dark ages.

That holds true for both Elvis Costello and Morrissey. Both were making classic and important records early in their careers, but by the time the 90s rolled around, neither was enjoying the same critical acclaim or record sales of their heyday. Elvis Costello began experimenting, making records that moved further and further away from his new-wave persona, while Morrissey's whimpering and whining crossed the line from erudite musing to miserable self-pity. The public had grown tired of both men, so the start of a new millennium was the perfect time for a reinvention and return.

"When I Was Cruel": Elvis Costello's first 'rock' record in a decade was not the cynical return-to-form you might expect. Produced on his own, and having finally divorced from one-third of The Attractions for good, experimentation was still the recipe of the day. The music was built from the same components as his classic period, but with drum loops replacing some of Pete Thomas' back-beat, a dirtier sound distorting Steve Nieve's keyboards to the point of break-up, and a new bass player in the mix, this was a very different experience. It was a lo-fi, do-it-yourself approach that stripped away the gloss and pretension, going back to the basics of Elvis' searing voice and stabbing lyrics taking center stage.

Parts of the record can be hard to listen to, when the distortion sounds as if Elvis is screaming right into your year, or when a guitar buzzes as if the speaker under the amp is broken. Listening to "When I Was Cruel (No 2)" drone on as it tells a story that doesn't have the most captivating of characters can be a chore, as is having to sit through two different versions of "Dust". Elvis was filtering his experimentation through the prism of his past, but even as such, parts of the rainbow slipped past us, dissipating into the air, leaving us an incomplete picture.

"You Are The Quarry": Morrissey's return to form was less glamorized. Bringing back the "Attack Records" label from the dustbin of history, Morrissey kept on being Morrissey. Nothing about this record was much different in tone or style from his fallow years, but the sumptuous production this time around gave him a more colorful palate to paint his words atop. With indictments of America, England, and God himself, Morrissey was making clear he hated everyone and everything. That included himself.

The line about the American president never being "black, female, or gay" didn't age well, nor did the cheap heat cracks about Americans being fat and eating cheeseburgers. For a writer who once mused about Keats in his lyrics, Morrissey wasn't giving it his all when it came to the words he was singing. But geniuses don't always need to try to hit upon greatness. When he sings "the world is full of crashing bores, and I must be one, because no one ever turns to me to say 'take me in your arms'", it's such a romantically indulgent way of calling himself a loser. Contrast that with Beck stating it outright, and Morrissey's charms show through.

"I Have Forgiven Jesus" is the highlight of them all, with a lyric that touches on sexuality and identity issues, and how they co-exist with religion. Morrissey was made as he was, an outcast hated for much of his life for something out of his control, but he was made that way by his God, which is a cruel punishment to give someone before they are old enough to sin. Morrissey's forgiveness may nto be genuine, but the questions he grapples with are beyond answers.

Putting the albums head-to-head, the similarity in function, if not form, becomes apparent. Both Elvis and Morrissey were rising from the ashes of their imploded careers, making records that saw them finding their acid tongues and velvety melodies. In addition to their lyrical flourishes, both records have the artist's most compelling songs in ages, from a melodic standpoint. "Dust", "Soul For Hire", and My Little Blue Window" are gems of Elvis' madness cramming more words into a melody than should ever work. "Tart" is one of his most beautiful ballads, a rare point where the breakup in the recording reverberates the passion of the vocal, with beautiful imagery of crushed fruit and worn-out shoes drawing a picture of hopeless frustration. And as low-brow as it might be, the line in "Alibi" where he says, "If I've done something wrong there's no ifs and buts, because I love you just as much as I hate your guts" always cracks a smile.

Morrissey's rise is even more stark. "Irish Blood, English Heart" rides a riff that echoes that heartbeat, before opening into a flood of punk energy decrying the monarchy. "Last Of The Gang" and "All The Lazy Dykes" are the most pop-leaning songs perhaps in all of Morrissey's oeuvre, the former giving us the uncanny feeling of singing an earworm hook about "seeing the sun rise over smashed human bones". It was as if, for both men, they had been saving up their venom and their songs for an entire decade, to unleash them all at once, to remind us they had simply gotten bored with being themselves.

Both records also served as my entry point into their careers. They opened the door to a whole world of past music I previously knew nothing about, as well as a future of music that would prove to be a trial. But I'm not here to talk about Morrissey the person today, which is as much a gift to me as it is to him. I want to think about the music as just the music, at least for now. The memories it's attached to are unfortunate enough.

Rendering a verdict is difficult in this case. Both records showcase the lasting impact lyrics can have, while at the same time providing beautiful and unforgettable songs. They are sharpened blades driven into the side of the mountain as these men were climbing their way back to the top. They wouldn't remain there, but for each of them, they got one last moment of utter brilliance to reflect on.

Winner: "You Are The Quarry", for achieving the monumental task of making me like Morrissey.