It's been a full 6 years since Elvis Costello's last release. "All This Useless Beauty" showed plenty of promise with it's bright pop tunes and the addition of his beloved Attractions. It's a nice cd, but not necessarily all that memorable. I was hoping for something around the same lines with the latest "When I Was Cruel". I have to admit that I'm left a little empty and confused after a few listens, and "All This Useless Beauty" sounds a heck of a lot better right now.
I'm not going to completely "dis" this new cd as not being good, because some of the tracks are vintage, yet sarcastic, Elvis. The cd's opener, "45", is a nice gritty rocker that showcases a nice maturity. Writing about the long-lost 45 rpm record that many of us grew up buying in our younger days; "Every scratch, every click, every breath that I held for you... 45". It's true that the music world isn't quite the same after the quick fix of buying 45 records. Another interesting song is "15 Petals". The song swings along with acoustic guitar, loopy bass, harmonium, and a wild horn section. This tune, in style at least, recalls the early punk style of Elvis' early recordings. "Tart" showcases a nice nightclub like melody complete with light percussion and jazzy piano. This is a song that would have fit well on 1983's "Punch the Clock". These bright moments are a little too infrequent on this release. "When I Was Cruel No. 2" is one of the most laboring songs to listen to! The general exotic melody is interesting enough, it's the sampling of a Spanish woman's voice over and over and over again after each verse that becomes extremely tiring! At over 7 minutes, it's the most ignorable song on the cd. The subject matter on the song is just as vague and uninteresting. "Dissolve" almost tries too hard in making a sonic impression with his harsh guitar work. Also, the "fuzz" bass playing starts become a little annoying on many of these songs. Bassist Bruce Thomas of the Attractions is replaced here with Davey Faragher, and I think his playing tends to bog down many of the songs. Other songs I do like include "Spooky Girlfriend" and the album's closer, "Radio Silence". This slower number is colored with feedback guitar that decorates the laid back and jazzy arrangement. Costello laments: "Mystery voices, drowned out by too much choice. That's not to mention the sad waste of this wonderful invention. Maintaining radio silence from now on." It's been over twenty years since Elvis put out "Radio Radio" as his protest to record companies and programmed radio play. Many years later, his message is still pretty much the same.
I would consider myself a huge Elvis Costello fan, and this release does have some pleasant moments but it does tend to drag me down in spots. I applaud his intention to do different things, experiment with different sounds and different subject matters. But the risk that and artist takes is the possibility of falling short of his/her goal and I think that's the case here. I always thought that 1991's "Mighty Like a Rose" was the worst album that Elvis Costello put out. This cd is still better than that effort, but I don't see myself pulling out of disc storage too often in the future.
