The final album before their split makes you wonder on the direction the band would have taken had they stayed together. "Strangeways" is certainly very innovative, and it adds new dimensions The Smiths' sound as it had been until then. The opening track, "A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours" does not even include any guitar at all. Overall, I find "Strangeways" the best Smiths' album. MOrrissey's lyrics are at his top, and Johnny Marr's sublime guitar talent is particularly effective on the abrasive "Paint A Vulgar Picture" and the T-rex-esque "I Started Something I Couldn'T Finish". I can surely say that out of ten songs, none is particularly weak. The album gets 10 out of 10 without the shadow of a doubt (but maybe because it means so much to me...). Just many many tears for its being the last Smiths' album ever.