album of the week: 1.4

Elvis Costello

National Ransom

Hear Music (2010)

why you'll love it: A somewhat new sound for a well established musician.

why you'll hate it: Too many needless songs, might bum you out.

Last of the overlooked in 2010 for now… Elvis Costello has been mostly overlooked in pop culture this entire generation. I didn't really know anything about him apart from being some old rock guy, until the early 2000's. It wasn't until then, I realized a few of my favorite songwriters, like Ted Leo and Dr. Frank, emulated his simple, yet recognizable style.

I was one of the few that really enjoyed Momofuku (2008), so perhaps I'm a bit too easy on National Ransom. There are a handful of awkward southern ballads present on the album, that always seem to crop up just as a good pace is starting to build. It really kills the flow. There are just too many songs on this album to begin with.

You'll have to do some rummaging with the track list, but there are some more of what Costello does best here. "My Lovely Jezebel" and "National Random" make me happy he's still writing songs today. A few of his somber experiments pay off, like "Stations of The Cross" , but bummer songs aren't what I came for, so they're for the most part, disregarded. It's not that I expect the guy to rewrite "Alison" every time he does a slow song, but something with a bit of a silver lining would be nice. It's just too much Johnny Cash maudlin in these songs.

But I'm coming from a very distant angle. I shamelessly want to experience that era of his career that I wasn't even alive for. So I'll take the bits of this album I want, and will be content with that. The somber tunes feel honest and well written; they're just not my cup of tea. While this is is far from my favorite Costello album, even in recent years; I must concede that it feels like the most accomplished in what it sets out to be.