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Elvis Costello has had a fruitful recording run through the pandemic, releasing new albums and EPs (in new languages) and an Armed Forces box set. This latest Imposters album is cut from the same effervescent cloth as Spanish Model, his recent Spanish language re-recording of This Year’s Model.
However, the language here is yarn-spinning – according to Costello, the album’s full title is The Boy Named If (And Other Children’s Stories) and its vinyl edition comes with a hardback book containing illustrated short stories with the same titles as the album tracks.
Costello’s broad theme is the painful transition from childhood to maturity (whenever that might be) and the Imposters come out all guns blazing on raucous rock’n’rollers Farewell, OK and Penelope Halfpenny, the latter reminiscent of acid pen portraits by The Who and The Kinks. Mistook Me For A Friend is a rabble-rousing new wave stomp and the steely title track concerns the imaginary friend blamed for your transgressions.
The aching balladry of Paint the Red Rose Blue provides a contemplative breather before the high-kicking vaudeville flourish of The Man You Love to Hate and Costello is in prime melodramatic mode on The Death of Magic Thinking.
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