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Who, exactly, is calling Morrissey “a dog on a chain”? He’s recently provoked other colourful epithets, but canine references have been sparse. Fortunately, headlines about his 13th solo album ought to focus on how it’s better than many predecessors. Jim Jim Falls’ programmed percussion and rubbery synths may shock those who consider him technophobic, and Once I Saw The River Clean shudders like the 80s pop he disdained. Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know?, meanwhile, features big-throated Motown veteran Thelma Houston, and What Kind Of People…’s guitars acknowledge his Smiths past. This time, though, his lyrics, once a source of empathetic joy, now occasionally spiteful, and sometimes condescending, are less appealing, suggesting that, like Alf Garnett with a quiff, Morrissey seems lost in another era.