Classic Costello, with a vigorous new LP that rolls back the years, recalling all the the sharp, fast, clever punk-pop of the late-70s, 80s and 90s albums with the Attractions, including old friends Steve Nieve on keyboards and Pete Thomas on drums. Davey Faragher, long established with the Imposters returns on terrific bass and backing vocals, and this is the first Costello and Imposters album since 2018’s Look Now. But it as far more reminiscent of those outstanding albums Armed Forces or Punch The Clock, delivered with fierce, fresh energy, bursts of Hammond organ, vibrant drums, and Costello’s lyrics and delivery are as fast and sharp as ever. The central premise, says Costello, is “that ‘If’ is a nickname for your imaginary friend; your secret self, the one who knows everything you deny, the one you blame for the shattered crockery and the hearts you break, even your own.” It’s a licence to let rip. With standout tracks including the pent-up love-frustrated What If I Can’t Give You Anything But Love?, Mistook Me For A Friend, Magnificent Hurt, Penelope Halfpenny, The Death of Magic Thinking, the rock’n’roll opener Farewell, OK, and the slower numbers Paint The Red Rose Blue and Trick of the Truth. Few artists have managed to sustain such combinations of volcanic energy and lyrical intelligence, but now with 32 albums under his belt, Costello endures. Out on Universal.
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