Morrissey's debut solo album, Viva Hate, opens with the former Smiths frontman begging his listeners "were you and he lovers?" over a murky soundscape of snaking guitar, moody bass and industrial drum rolls.
This paranoid introduction to an album which also features tracks entitled Break Up The Family and I Don't Mind If You Forget Me will have the Mancunian's fanbase pondering who he is lyrically taking aim at. Obviously, the prime suspect is Johnny Marr, Morrissey's former songwriting partner and musical counterpart whose departure from The Smith's left the group mortally wounded.
It would be easy to compare Viva Hate to The Smiths, and although such comparisons are unavoidable, the material on the album, written in partnership by producer Stephen Street and Morrissey, explores musical avenues which The Smiths came close to but didn't fully pursue.
The string-led Angel, Angel Down We Go gives the album a moment of dramatic theatricality which bursts unexpectedly from the speakers, tugging furiously at the heartstrings. The epic and sad Last Night on Maudlin Street features gentle piano keys teased over reverb-soaked guitar licks as Morrissey reminisces about childhood.
There are pop moments too with Suedehead, Everyday is Like Sunday, and I Don't Mind If You Ignore Me providing the casual listener with a doorway into the album.
The Durutti Column's Vini Reilly plays guitar on every track and his distinctive style is a welcome alternative to Johnny Marr's. The fierce yet melancholic opening notes of Suedehead, the tinkering guitar lines of Bengali in Platforms and Little Man, What Now, and the folky picking of Dial-A-Cliche cement Reilly's significant contribution to Viva Hate, silencing Marr purists who could not bring themselves to imagine anyone else accompanying Morrissey.
Curiously, Reilly and Morrissey didn't work together again after Viva Hate's release, leaving us with room to ponder what might have come from further recording sessions.
Stephen Street should also be lauded for his work on the album. Without his writing and production, Viva Hate would never have been made. He is sometimes forced out of the picture when critics look back on the album, but without his ability to craft the perfect songs styled to Morrissey's unique croon and lyrical inclination, the Mancunian miserablist's solo career may not have got off to the fantastic start it did.
Viva Hate is confident and smart, with memorable tracks and lyrics. It is the perfect start to Morrissey's solo career.
8/10
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