Two types of familiarity
So, Elvis Costello’s latest, The Delivery Man, appears. And as everyone said, it finally sounds like one of his good old albums. OK, the first track’s a little scratchy, but after that, it’s like peak period Elvis (and for me the peak was between Armed Forces and Spike). Some noisy bits; some angry bits, some quiet bits: you know the thing. If you’ve slightly fallen out of love with his last however many albums, you really should get this one.
Also in the post was n.Lannon’s Chemical Friends. I can’t quite remember how I stumbled on this, but from the first bars of the first song, I’m afraid it lost me.
What’s wrong with it? Absolutely nothing, in fact, there’s some lovely bits of songwriting on it. In fact, if I’d heard it about 18 months ago, I’d now be raving about it. The only problem is that it’s yet another bloke with a guitar doing folk with some fuzzy bits on it (Start with Elliot Smith and draw a line to M.Craft, M.Ward et al), and I don’t have space for another one right now.
I feel desperately unfair writing about him like this, but there’s just a bit too much of this ‘nice and interesting’ stuff around at the moment. It’s becoming like boy bands for grown ups. With only one boy in. If you get my drift.
I don’t know why I’m much happier listening to a 50 year old who’s basically managed to do the same as he was doing 20 years ago than I am listening to a 20 something just starting out who both needs and deserves support. But I am. Sorry.