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Elvis Costello sometimes has a hard time choosing between quirky but simple straight-ahead rockers and compositions that are lyrically muddled and eclectic.
On Goodbye Cruel World, he succeeds several times at combining the two, as on "Room With No Number" and "Worthless Thing," a pointed barb directed toward music videos that states, "They're going to take this cable and stick it down your throat."
On several other tunes, Costello does something he has rarely done before, namely become less obscure. This lyrical difference, combined with full, thoughtful instrumentation that hearkens back to his Imperial Bedroom LP, makes this one a nice surprise.
Goodbye Cruel World is not a completely radical departure for Costello, but to his credit, the songs are weighted in favor of accessibility.
Best cuts: "Inch by Inch," "The Only Flame in Town" and "Room With No Number."
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