Where bought? I think my pal Jude was having a clear-out and he gave me this and a few others.
A perennial of British music magazines Best Albums of All Time mayhem that seemed to arise every year from the late 90s to the late 00s (the internet sort of killed it, though Rolling Stone just resurrected it and remembered that black people have made music in the past). It's probably this hype and the general wild positivity toward one Declan McManus that has gotten me off on the wrong foot.
It's also a bit mad to ever think that "punk killed prog" because this is way nearer to the latter despite being marketed as the former. OK, it's more art-rock/new wave, but most of these songs feature some on-a-dime lurch into a different genre/tempo and cheeky reference to something historical.
It is, unashamedly, a smart-arse record. The very first thing we here is 'oh I just don't know where to begin' - I mean, I don't think I need to explain why that is a slightly smug thing to do. The song ('Accidents Will Happen') is stuffed with parts - in a way I can see how Costello, via other influences, may have indirectly reached me.
A recent conversation I had about Costello on a forum I use kind of sealed the deal for me. I said "can't get into Costello either though I have Armed Forces and it plays through nicely. Maybe a bit too clever-clever?" Gavin, who is a very good poster, replied with:
I had a Costello phase when I was at uni but now I only really have time for the first two albums - the couple after that are pretty good but I don't love them. Definitely very clever-clever, lots of genre pastiche stuff and smart-arse wordplay like "'Til I speak double dutch to a real double duchess", what does that even mean.
And that's where I am now. I just don't love it even though the songwriting is fairly admirable. It's got a lot of discipline ie. nothing bangs on for ages - and is well-performed. But that all counts for naut if I'm just sat here stone-faced.
Am I keeping it? Enquiries within.
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