Themed albums are difficult to pull off. But for Elvis C., a sullen personality who's always dwelling on fascist nightmares, this war-torn subject matter is a natural. You can even read this album as a linear story — a bloke knocks up a girl, falls for a recruitment pitch, gets sucked into the same old "Oliver's Army" (a '50s styled rocker, significantly?).
Then comes the furlough fun of "Party Girl," followed closely by the M.P. antics of the "Goon Squad." Not long after, it seems that Elvis is out on the street again, fumbling around with "Busy Bodies" and getting into a Bowie-esqe "Moods for Moderns" at the disco. "Chemistry Class" is there for Elvis to ask "are you ready for the final solution?" But it's hard to say if "Two Little Hitlers" is the saga of crazed dictators blowing up the world or a simple man/woman confrontation.
The set wraps up neatly with a Nick Lowe-penned "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding," easily the best tune on the album. Yes, Elvis Costello has his limitations, but he's working them to the, ah, limits.
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