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Quite frankly, if Elvis Costello had come out with an album to top his last effort, This Year's Model, I couldn't have found the words to do them justice. As it is, the new album is still a triumph if not of those epic proportions. Not only does Elvis maintain the consistent quality of his previous albums, he daringly continues his policy of constant musical development. At the moment, it seems that the only thing he can't do is disappoint.
On his first L.P., My Aim Is True, Elvis brooded upon his own feelings of inadequacy, jealousy and frustration. With the arrival of his second album these elements had become a secondary matter while he damned the jet set, the fashion industry and British neo-fascism. The change of emphasis had the ring of authenticity to it. Becoming an overnight sensation (as Elvis Costello did after his debut album) is inclined to take the edge off anyone's bitterness. This time out, Elvis widens the scope and reduces the personal element still further, launching an attack on the military, resurgent fascism and middle class foibles.
Admittedly my little summary looks a bit vague so I'd better own up to not having a clue what half of the lyrics on the album are about. It seems I'm not alone, as some of the reviews I've read of Armed Forces have been more baffling than the album itself. Suffice to say that Elvis' word play has lose none of its edge. All those "brash new Dylan" comparisons still overstate the case, but they are getting harder and harder to dismiss as wishful thinking.
Musically the radical step has been to opt for reggae-style dubs on several tracks, with bass and drums dramatically thundering in and out of the sound mix. This technique, employed to great effect on "Watching The Detectives" works equally effectively here. Unavoidably the development has somewhat restricted the gorgeous pop keyboards of Steve Young which were such an asset on This Year's Model. The fact is that Elvis Costello and The Attractions are in the enviable position of having more talent than can be accommodated on one album.
Taking a run through the stand-outs on the first side, the opener "Accidents Will Happen" is an exquisitely crafted pop tune. Curiously the version featuring only voice and piano accompaniment, which is on the free EP which comes with the album is even more successful. "Oliver's Army" the new single matches delightfully exuberant keyboards and peerless Costello melody with a lyric involving a young soldier's realisation of the entrapment. To close the side there is "Party Girl" a wistful love song in the mould of "Alison," where Elvis' breathless vocal cuts straight to the heart.
Flipping the record, the second side kicks off with "Goon Squad" a political diatribe powered by one of Costello's patented melodic hooks almost in the class of the repeated guitar lines in "Chelsea." Better still is "Sunday's Best," an incisive commentary on English middle class set to a melody reminiscent of the waltzes that play on fairground carousels (I'm not Kidding). The set closes with "Two Little Hitlers" a song so addictive its bound to grace the Top 20. Some see it as a grim political forecast but for my money, it's about the struggle to dominate a personal relationship by two equally unyielding people.
Without a doubt Elvis Costello is playing a very dangerous game. His consistent excellence creates ludicrously high expectations among his audience which he must continue to fulfil. Even perfection gets taken for granted eventually. So don't be fooled, listen to what Elvis Costello has to offer now, it is inconceivable that there could be better to come.
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