Impressions: Let’s get this out of the way immediately: Morrissey isn’t everyone’s taste. I’m not even sure he’s my taste, but I do love The Smiths. There’s something about the sweet-and-sour balance of Johnny Marr’s casual guitar brillance and Morrissey’s literate moaning that works for me. Their consistent catalog and somehow side stepping of the dreaded ’80s sound (probably by avoiding keyboards and dated references) further seals the deal. Their songs come out as timeless, moody, emotional; different than just about anything else. Let’s dig into their debut… Even from the first song “Reel Around The Fountain,” these guys were pretty well fully-formed when the came out the gate: chiming guitars, simple driving post-punk music with dry, unfussy production. Not to mention a frontman who turned over most people’s ideas of what a lead singer of a rock band should be. He’s not a technically-perfect singer, but his bent crooning about murder, being gay, and child abuse and other non-rockstar subjects is compelling and unique to be sure. I enjoy how much he annoys people. Also, Johnny Marr is a goddamn guitar painter (“Hand In Glove”,) he balances out Morrissey so well.  Listen to the energetic, almost Motown-like bounce of “This Charming Man,” no wonder it’s has been mashed up so many times. Only the occasional Morrissey yodel (“Miserable Lie”) keeps this from being absolutely pristine perfect album but I guess that kinda thing comes with the package. It’s still a startling, subversive masterpiece though and it’s aged very well.