Southern Methodist University Daily Campus, March 22, 1979: Difference between revisions
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Elvis Costello is weird-looking. | |||
He looks like the King he named himself after with his black horn-rimmed glasses and his angry scowl. His guitar is his weapon as he snarls out his lyrics — hardly an image that would thrill the lonely housewives of America who worshiped Elvis Presley. | |||
On his third album, ''Armed Forces'', Costello proves himself worthy of all the critical and popular acclaim that has been heaped on him. His clever, hostile lyrics and his twisted, memorable melodies are back and better than ever. | |||
The album begins with Costello sing/moaning, ''"Oh, I just don't know where to begin,"'' from the song "Accidents Will Happen." The song sets the mood for the rest of the album, filled with indecisive passion and brilliant phrases uttered so emotionally the ear can barely decipher them all. | |||
"Oliver's Army" is the best cut on the album, driven with an irresistibly catchy melody that breathes life into the piano-dominated music of the 1960s. The tune is lilting and sing-along but the, lyrics, incongruously, are desperate. Costello sounds like the life of the sockhop, even when he's singing ''"And I would be anywhere else than here today."'' | |||
On "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," he sings through the delightful din of guitar chords and the lyrics so obscured it's frustrating not being able to catch them all. | |||
"Green Shirt" is a love song in tone only, in his restrained singing. The lyrics are definitely not lovestruck, however, but rather clever puns, put-downs, phrases and punctuated pauses. The words are obscure (the chorus repeats ''"You tease, you flirt / And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt"'') but, on surface, the song seems tender. | |||
Costello's songs are marked by drum beats that sound like the fire of machine guns, catchy guitar riffs that send feet dancing foolishly around the room and an overdose of clever phrases. | |||
Costello came in on the coattails of the New Wave groups, but his talent has sustained him after all the others have burned out. The cover of ''Armed Forces'' looks like someone let a third-grader loose with finger paints, but don't let the tacky cover embarrass you from taking it to the check-out counter at the nearest record store. The music is great. | |||
Maybe Costello ''is'' king. | |||
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<small>Page scan.</small><br> | |||
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[[Category:Newspaper articles]] | [[Category:Newspaper articles]] | ||
[[Category:Album reviews]] | [[Category:Album reviews]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Armed Forces reviews]] | ||
Latest revision as of 08:37, 1 December 2020
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