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Columbia Records has wasted no time capitalizing on the sudden popularity of top-ranked new wave artist Elvis Costello.
While Costello's debut album My Aim Is True, continues its upward surge on the charts, the second album, This Year's Model, has been released.
The new album continues in the same fashion as the first, with angry and biting lyrics wrapped tightly around jagged mid-60's style rock 'n' roll.
Once again Elvis Costello writes and sings of detachment, Detachment from himself, others, and the world. In fact, he admits on the album that sometimes he feels like a human being.
This Year's Model is an improvement from My Aim Is True, at least on a technical level. The sound is clearer and therefote easier to hear and maybe even understand.
Costello's band, known at the Attractions, are quite talented inv recreating an era of musical history which many figured would never return.
The Attractions, who remain unknowns at this time (although their first names appear on the album jacket), are tight with their three-chord organ lines, hard tin-like drumming, and thumping bass notes.
Contrasted with the debut album, This Year's Model reveals an increased level of bitterness from Costello's words. Yet he continues to serve up his angry words with commercially simplistic melodies and short verbal phrases.
Perhaps Costello's aim is to make sure we all hear what he has to say. Sort of a punk for the masses concept. Whatever the reason, it's working.
This Year's Model is most similar to last year's model.
But there are no "Allison"s or "Watching The Detectives" on the record. This isn't intended as an insult to the artist or to his growing fan club, but is intended to warn those who don't like the "rough" stuff to steer clear.
Once again Costello states his basically negative attitude toward relationships with females. Thes theme is evident in songs like "No Action," "This year's Girl" and "Lip Service."
Perhaps the most interesting and insightful cut on the album is "Little Triggers." It is a song which appears to be warning people how easily Costello can be aroused sexually or otherwise and what kind of reaction can be expected from him. In other words, like or not, Elvis Costello isn't just going to go away.
The last song on the album is "Radio, Radio." You probably won't hear this song on the radio since it raps the hand that feeds him. But when you finish listening to the song and subsequently. the album, turn on the old FM and listen to Billy Joel's 800th hard attack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack and you should have a good clue to what Costello is trying to say.
In summation, This Year's Model is My Aim Is True: Part Two, and it's getting harder to prove that Elvis Costello's aim ain't true.
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