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With his third album, Elvis Costello has made his promise come true. Armed Forces is a fresh out spurt of growth. The shy, computer technician is still one of the only outspoken rebels of rock music.
Armed Forces contains no concessions, only risks. It takes guts to sing about the pain of forced retirement, the feeling of being considered worthless by society at 65, but Elvis does it with "Senior Service." He packages this unusual pop statement into a perfect jumpy melody.
Costello has grown musically by adapting a variety of styles and motifs and blending them into his own. He succeeds in sounding pleasantly reminiscent of the 60s — while sounding like no one else around today. Most of this can be credited to Nick Lowe, who is carrying on an ambiguous love hate relationship with the 60s. Lowe has produced all three of Costello's albums as well as being a performer himself. He knows more hooks than a top-40 disc jockey and can make a recording sound urgent even in your living room. Costello never sounds like he is singing at you, rather he is always singing to you.
Costello's voice has finally emerged as his most powerful device. When he snarlingly announces that "It's the words that we don't say that hurts me so," one realizes the number of times this is true. Costello's lyrics are meant to be heard — not read — and that is why one can excuse their omission on the album's jacket.
Costello's characters are still outcasts. Only now they are accepting their fate. On "Goon Squad" a boy grows up too soon, searching for his place. With fright, Costello admits the character never thought he was different — "never thought he'd end up in the Goon Squad" — but he is not thinking of leaving either. Lowe and Costello give this song, like many others on the album, a bigger, fuller sound than Costello has previously worked with.
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