Pitchfork: Morrissey Signs To Sanctuary; Blink-182 Producer Recording Next Album

Morrissey Signs To Sanctuary; Blink-182 Producer Recording Next Album
Keats and Yeats are on your side; Rancid, Fastball and the Smoking Popes are on mine

[Posted Thursday, December 11th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Morrissey is currently working with producer Jerry Finn on his follow-up to 1997's Maladjusted. After keeping a relatively low profile for the last five years or so, the choice of producer is somewhat surprising. Jerry Finn is more known for producing '90s radio-punk acts like Green Day, MxPx, Blink-182 and Pennywise, but was also an assistant engineer for Alvin and the Chipmunks' landmark 1995 record A Very Merry Chipmunk, which many consider to be one of the most important testaments to the on-going struggle of Chipmunk-Americans in modern society.

An official release date has not been set, but Morrissey is keeping May 2004 open just in case. No tracklist has been leaked either, but the rumor is that the first single will be the optimistic "First Of The Gang To Die," which sounds just perfect for spring.

The record will be released on Sanctuary, which will make it Morrissey's first technically indie-label album, and find Mr. Ordinary Drug in the company of the RZA and Ween, among others. It's worth pointing out, however, that Sanctuary is a subsidiary of BMG, so it's not like it's coming out on Drag City or Thrill Jockey or something. I mean, Sanctuary is also home to Lynyrd Skynyrd. That's all I'm sayin'.