- I’ve been hearing Morrissey’s new track Istanbul on the radio all the time lately, and it actually sounds pretty good. It’s a strong track, longing and sympathetic, with a wonderfully orchestrated chorus that gets stuck in my head for days every time I hear it. So I was pretty optimistic about the newest release from Morrissey – albeit cautiously so.

Say what you like about the man - with his ‘is-it-or-isn’t- it’ racism, ham-fisted political commentary, and generally oblivious nature – he’s a unique singer, and a talented lyricist. And while his output isn’t always the most consistent in terms of its quality, it usually feels pretty honest. He writes what he wants to write, and does what he wants to do, often flying in the face of considerable criticism to achieve what he wants from his music.

Self-reflection, however, doesn’t seem to be his strong point. Enter his newest work, World Peace Is None of Your Business. At first it seems like little has changed. The opening track, also called World Peace is None of Your Business, is a classic Morrissey political number, beautiful, bombastic, and a little bit naïve, full of drifting solos and jangling guitars: similar in tone to America is Not the World, the opening track of 2004’s Morrissey, You Are The Quarry, but wittier, and less literal – to the new song’s benefit.

This track sets the mood for the rest of the record, followed up by the apocalyptic rock anthem Neal Cassidy Drops Dead – a song that wouldn’t sound out of place on his 1994 album Vauxhall and I. It’s dark, and surprisingly heavy, peppered with bitter wordplay and literary references. It’s one of the better tracks on the album.

I’m not a Man criticises traditional ideas of masculinity, and Earth is The Loneliest Planet is, well, pretty much an extension on the theme, wrapped up in beautiful harmonies and Spanish flamenco guitar. Staircase at The University and The Bullfighter Dies should be appreciated by fans of The Smiths: combining bright, melodic guitar pop with violent, cynical lyrics to a memorable effect.

The songs that struck me the hardest though were really the last two - Mountjoy, and Oboe Concerto – ending the album on an unexpectedly reflective note. Morrissey is getting older, but it’s rare for him to actually show it. The two tracks have a kind of yearning, almost nostalgic quality – different in tone to the rest of the album. They lend the work a kind of wistful humility – it’s a protest and a recognition that the world is changing: a mature stance for the notoriously petulant Morrissey and an emotional counter-balance to the bitterness behind the politics.

It has a couple of awkward moments: shades of unintentional irony, and the disturbingly misogynistic Kick the Bride Down The Aisle, but World Peace Is None of Your Business is a strong and clever album. It’s not the best he’s ever done, but it’s his strongest work since at least 2004. Check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

- Matthew Stoff.