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For Elvis the ironist, trust is tacit acquiescence to a patent lie, belief in something we know is futile, a mask for paranoia, an excuse for deception. Plainly, Elvis doesn't trust humankind's conception of "trust." And, just as plainly, he's as concerned as ever with emotional fascism (the original title of the Armed Forces LP). Trust's cover photo — Elvis shooting a decidedly wary look from the supercilious eyebrows wagging above his trademark horn-rims — is a dead giveaway.
Another clue: the inside sleeve photo of Elvis singing before a big band, implying that he's the Sinatra of his day. I know it's a rash statement to make, but I think he is. Never before has he crooned his way through an LP with such suave confidence, adding layers of resonant irony to the proceedings as he caresses the savage puns, double entendres and inverted cliches that have become his lyrical stock-in-trade. His voice is smooth, strong and flexible, his stylistic range enormous, his poise unrelenting. And on the two out-and-out rockers here, "Luxembourg" and "From A Whisper To A Scream" he proves he's also a great shouter.
The Attractions acquit themselves as possibly the best small band in rock today, every bit as alert and eclectic as Elvis himself — they're crackling tight through and through. Special kudos go to keyboardist Steve Naive's richly textured, witty Greek-chorus responses. While some of the tunes on Trust ("Clubland," "New Lace Sleeves," "White Knuckles") are more ambitious and expansive than anything Elvis has attempted before, the Attractions negotiate each time change, mood shift and cinematic zoom with admirable aplomb, keeping it all sleek and to the point. And when the tune calls for a quieter, more introverted mood ("Watch Your Step," "Different Finger"), they're right there, too.
With his macabre, sardonic manipulation of repressive social rhetoric, Elvis comes on like a caustic, amoral Bogey in an immoral, film-noire world. But there's a clue to that, too, in the back cover mock-movie poster layout. Elvis as matinee idol? Of course. Trust me.
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