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Kill Uncle

Kill Uncle
Morrissey-Kill Uncle.jpg
Studio album by Morrissey
Released 4 March 1991
Recorded 1990–1991 at Hook End Manor, England
Genre Jangle pop
Length 33:02
Label HMV, EMI
Producer Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley
Morrissey chronology
Bona Drag
(1990)
Kill Uncle
(1991)
Your Arsenal
(1992)
Singles from Kill Uncle
  1. "Our Frank"
    Released: 11 February 1991
  2. "Sing Your Life"
    Released: 1 April 1991
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 2/5 stars
Chicago Tribune 3/4 stars
Entertainment Weekly A−
Los Angeles Times 2.5/4 stars
NME 8/10
Pitchfork Media 6.0/10
Q 2/5 stars
Rolling Stone 2/5 stars
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 1/5 stars
The Village Voice B+

Kill Uncle is the second solo studio album by English singer Morrissey, released on 4 March 1991 by record labels EMI and HMV. It is generally considered Morrissey's most unconventional album, probably due to its mature torch song ("There Is a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends") aspects combined with quirky music and lyrics that range from ironic and tongue-in-cheek to some of his more introspective.

Kill Uncle was recorded when Morrissey was in a transitional phase. He had parted ways with producer Stephen Street but had not yet started working with his future long-term team of guitarists Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer. As such, the album, produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley with most music written and guitar work done by Fairground Attraction's Mark E. Nevin, presents Morrissey singing to an unfamiliar style of music.

On "Our Frank", Morrissey's lyrics describe "frank and open, deep conversations" that get him nowhere and leave him disheartened. The final verse, however, sees Morrissey singing "Won't somebody stop me from thinking? From thinking all the time. So deeply, so bleakly ...", which critic David Thompson interprets as indicating that the conversations he so dreads are in fact with himself. The song features some uncharacteristic production for the singer, with Morrissey's voice being overdubbed and echoed.

"Asian Rut" is a tale about the murder of an Asian by three English boys in which Morrissey's vocals are backed only by strings and bass, plus sound effects, lending an eerie quality to the sombre narrative. The song continues the tradition of Morrissey examining English racism from a unique angle, first established with "Bengali in Platforms" on Viva Hate.

"Sing Your Life", the third track on the album, features a drum loop which, featuring bass drums and toms but no snare drums, repeats itself throughout the track. The strings from the first two tracks are present in the song as well, and they rise and fall in a fashion similar to "Our Frank". The song has Morrissey instructing the listener on how to make a song, as he sings, "Walk right up to the microphone and name all the things you love, all the things you loathe." A rockabilly version of the song also exists, recorded live at KROQ in Los Angeles after Morrissey started working with new guitarists Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte.


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Wikipedia

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