Brutal Youth

Brutal Youth

By 1994, Elvis Costello had recorded in every genre he’d imagined, so he brought back The Attractions for the first time since 1986’s Blood and Chocolate. There’s no obscuring Costello of old in the anxious, shout-out pop-punch of “Just About Glad” and “13 Steps Lead Down,” or in the vivid, midtempo character sketch “Sulky Girl.” But where the early Attractions would’ve bashed out arrangements built on guts and momentum, they’re often exercising unshakable restraint here, like on the cheery-yet-dark “This Is Hell” and the spare, R&B-tinged “Rocking Horse Road.”

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