Meat Is Murder

Befitting its sophomore-album status, Meat Is Murder captures the Smiths at their most adolescent. This is occasionally awkward, and there is no escaping mention of the title track in this regard. Petulant, unsettling, preachy and featuring the sound of cows crying, the accusatory vegetarian anthem "Meat Is Murder" is off-putting from multiple angles. But such a black mark on the Smiths' juvenile record is easily overlooked (it would be even more so had it not been the album title) in light of what else the record has to offer. A slight rebellion against anything the Smiths had done before, "How Soon Is Now?" is the standout experiment, with its famously shuddering guitars and hypnotic beat; ironically, its danceability is undercut by Morrissey's sarcasm regarding the romance of nightlife ("There's a club, would you like to go?/ You could meet somebody who really loves you"). Elsewhere, the growing pains are more literal in the lyrics sheet, ranging from corporal punishment in schools on "The Headmaster Ritual" to physical violence against children at the hands of parents on "Barbarism Begins At Home." It may sound unbelievable, but when all the child-slapping and animal-killing isn't going on, Meat Is Murder is actually quite… read more »