Years of Refusal

The glam-rock guitar attack that begins Morrissey’s ninth studio album shows this waspish rocker in pugnacious form. Lyrically he’s every bit as lacerating as his band, with “That’s How People Grow Up” and “It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore” putting the boot in with capricious glee and hard-boiled brutality. The more winsome (but still frustrated) romances of “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris” and the scornful “You Were Good In Your Time” seem to offer sweet relief, while still retaining enough bite to leave visible toothmarks.