Lunar Boulevard

After turning up the volume with When I Was Cruel Elvis Costello set out on the complete opposite course for his next album by focusing solely on piano and gentle orchestral ballads. Perhaps inspired the dissipation of his second marriage and the start of a new relationship, Costello found himself in a much more reflective and tender mood. North is an interesting album that follows the breakup of a relationship and the gradual hope of a new one just starting. While the concept is certainly unique the album itself is a bit of an underwhelming experience. "You Left Me in the Dark" opens the album with gentle piano and a few strings thrown in for good measure. This is appropriate for the album because those are about the only instruments you hear on the record. "When Did I Stop Dreaming?" and "Someone Took the Words Away" are all soft jazzy ballads that talk about the loss of a relationship and trying to pick up the pieces afterwards. The album follows this...

After spending the time between 1996 and 2002 recording side projects and tackling ballads and classical arrangements, Elvis Costello was finally itching to get loud and rowdy once again. With a new bassist on board and the return of Pete Thomas and Steve Nieve, Costello dubbed them The Imposters and set out to make a new kind of record while giving it a kick at the same time. The result was When I Was Cruel , a diverse and ambitious record that found him tampering with beat box sounds and good old-fashioned rock n' roll. Unfortunately the weight of the album holds it back to some degree but many of the songs here are so good that it makes it easier to overlook some of the flaws. "45" kicks the album off in classic Costello style. It's a great rock song that compares growing older and relationships to a record collection. It's brilliant and downright infectious. "Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)", "Daddy Can I Turn This?" and...

At last we come to my favorite Elvis Costello record. This may be a weird choice considering that few outside of his hardcore fanbase even know about this album. It didn't spawn any hits and I don't think it was met with much commercial success but it's a flawless and beautiful album from beginning to end that blew me away upon my first listen and all these years later I still think it's his best. It was his last official album with The Attractions and it consists mainly of songs that he wrote for other artists, leaving some to assume that this was nothing more than a record full of leftovers or unacceptable songs. However, nothing could be further from the truth. All This Useless Beauty is a stout reminder that Costello is not only an amazing songwriter for himself but that he has a knack for writing songs for other artists, even if they never end up recording them. Only four of these songs were ever recorded by anyone else and it's neat to watch Costello put a ne...

In 1993 Elvis Costello released an album by the name of The Juliet Letters , a collection of classical pieces recorded with The Brodsky Quartet. Perhaps the most significant thing about this side project was the fact that Costello had finally learned to read and write music, a stunning revelation given the incredible amount of songs and albums he had already amassed. After all the musical departures and experiences of the past few years Elvis picked up an electric guitar and began writing rock n' roll songs again. The result, Brutal Youth , is an impressive collection of rock and pop that that proves that Costello hadn't forgotten how to write a loud song. Upon hearing that description one might be led to believe that Elvis was simply copying his past or running out of ideas. In reality nothing could be further from the truth. This album isn't a mere copy of This Year's Mode l or Blood & Chocolate but rather a mature reflection of who Elvis is and how far he's ...

After enjoying a newfound freedom and success with his previous album Spike , Elvis Costello entered the 90s in a surprising fashion. Sporting a beard and shoulder-length hair, it was Elvis as no one had ever seen him before and his 1991 album Mighty Like a Rose is about as angry and dark as they come. Blood & Chocolate may have been the sound of a desperate and angry divorcee but this album almost makes that record seem tame by comparison. Even Costello himself remarked in the liner notes to the expanded edition: "If you really want to hear an angry record then this disc is for you." The results are a mixed bag but there are several gems and experiments that make it worth the difficult journey, even if you only take it occasionally. The opener "The Other Side of Summer" was a big hit and deservedly so. With its Beach Boys-esque melody it's instantly recognizable and inviting, complete with lyrics that reference a wide variety of desperate subjects and po...