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The nerdy glasses remain and the songs are pithy and tuneful. Just like 1978 and My Aim Is True. The only difference is Elvis Costello has gone from being leading-edge to mainstream, from progressive to classic rock. This album with the Attractions, his original backing band, is definite throwback and even the titles suggest a time-warp, like "Sulky Girl," "Kinder Murder," "My Science Fiction Friend," and "Clown Strike."
But the production by Costello and Mitchell Froom is less frenetic than Nick Lowe's on those early, seminal Costello albums of the late 1970s and early '80s. This isn't a mellow Elvis Costello so much as a musically more varied one. There are some great tunes here, from the gorgeous "London's Brilliant Parade" to the hilarious and provocative "This Is Hell." Costello still sings with a nasally flatness that can be surprisingly expressive on the slower, more sober-minded songs.
Artistically, Brutal Youth is much more satisfying than Costello's last project, The Juliet Letters, and even if it's only a brief return, it's a lot of fun. And that, after all, is what Elvis Costello used to be all about.
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