Slant, April 24, 2002

From The Elvis Costello Wiki
Revision as of 19:09, 28 July 2019 by Zmuda (talk | contribs) (formatting +tags / remove duplicated text)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigationJump to search
... Bibliography ...
727677787980818283
848586878889909192
939495969798990001
020304050607080910
111213141516171819
202122232425 26 27 28


Slant

US online publications

US publications by state
  • ALAKARAZCA
  • COCTDCDEFL
  • GAHI   IA      ID      IL
  • IN   KSKYLA   MA
  • MDME   MIMNMO
  • MSMTNC  ND  NE
  • NHNJNMNVNY
  • OHOKORPARI
  • SCSDTNTXUT
  • VAVTWAWIWY

-

When I Was Cruel

Elvis Costello

Aaron Scott

4 stars (out of 5) reviews4 stars (out of 5) reviews4 stars (out of 5) reviews4 stars (out of 5) reviews4 stars (out of 5) reviews

Further proving how stale and unpalatable rock has gotten, Elvis Costello returns from hibernation and reminds us what good music sounds like. His latest release, When I Was Cruel, is an album whose instrumental density and lyrical wit simply embarrasses all the bands and solo acts of late that have been sitting on the fence of mediocrity.

The album's 15 tracks each dabble in rhythmic layers and thoughtful instrumentation. The bassline of "Spooky Girlfriend" spastically hops around the fretboard while the drums play hard-to-get and the back-up doo-doo-doo's weave in and around distant horn lines. The stripped down "Alibi" puts Costello's vocals up front with the bass and the kick drum, leaving the guitar and keys to fill in sparse backgrounds. "Episode of Blonde," the clear climax of the album, is a piano-heavy tango jam with an old-school sing-along chorus, a Costello trademark that is noticeably absent from the rest of the album.

Ever the consummate wordsmith, Costello's wordplay ranges from devilishly playful in "When I Was Cruel No. 2," a track about marriage ("Not quite aside, they snide 'She's number four / There's number three by the door / Those in the know, don't even flatter her, they go one better / She was selling speedboats in a tradeshow when he met her'") to utterly tactile in "Tart" ("Wild with a blackberry bush / There were blossoms of cherries to crush / There, at the edge of the asphalt tempting fingertips / They stain your hands, press too hard / They'll color your lips / But the flavor is / Tart").

With lyrics this sensuous and music this seductive, When I Was Cruel can't help but leave you with a pleasant aftertaste.


Tags: When I Was CruelSpooky GirlfriendAlibiEpisode Of BlondeWhen I Was Cruel No. 2Tart

-

Slant, April 24, 2002


Aaron Scott reviews When I Was Cruel.

Images

When I Was Cruel album cover.jpg

-



Back to top

External links