This Year's Model

An EXTREMELY 3/5 album, Hand in Hand & Radio Radio probably the highlights. Good music without being top tier

this is the closest thing to an Elvis Costello album that actually belongs on this list, and it's still got this kind of nerdcore misogyny grease to it that prevents me from putting in the effort to enjoy his weak (but interesting) vocals. I'd have a more positive opinion if this wasn't one of something like six Elvis Costello albums we have to sit through because even at his peak he's just ok.

Why are there so many of this dude's album on this list holy balls. His voice is annoying and every song sounds the same.

Favorite Track: Radio Radio

It was aight

Nothing good or bad here, which I guess is pretty good for Elvis Costello

3.5

nun ja, nix für mich

Some songs I love, some I hate, and I can learn to ignore what I hate.

*This Year’s Model* makes *My Aim Is True* feel tentative. Not bad, not half-formed, not a false start. The songs, intelligence and irritation were already there. But the debut now feels like Costello discovering what he could say, whereas this is the record on which he discovers exactly how he wants the saying of it to sound. The Attractions do not merely accompany the persona; they authenticate it. The sneer is no longer confined to Costello’s voice. It gets into the drums, the bass, Steve Nieve’s cheap-sounding organ, the arrangements, the production and even the way the record seems determined to occupy the least luxurious part of the frequency spectrum. It is a brilliantly impolite album. That quality is there immediately in “No Action”. The thing is almost over before there has been time to settle into it. A burst of frustration, bile and impatience, delivered with no interest in making grievance attractive. What struck me first was the sound: hard upper mids, treble, very little warmth, almost as though the whole band had been pushed through a cheap chorus pedal. Given that the lyric itself is frustrated by telephone communication, the record even has the peculiar effect of sounding as though it is coming down the very line that is causing the problem. That cheapness is important because it is obviously not simply what recording sounded like in 1978. Records could sound enormous by then. This feels chosen. It is not lo-fi through lack of means; it is de-glamourised by intent. The Attractions repeatedly make cheap materials sound magnificent. Steve Nieve sometimes appears to be playing a Bontempi organ someone bought him for Christmas. The guitar can sound wiry and tinny. The drums are often more attack than bloom. Yet the playing itself is frighteningly controlled. Cheap materials, expensive judgement. That becomes one of the record’s great pleasures. Costello is allowed to sound breathless, splenetic and permanently close to being overtaken by his own thoughts because the band beneath him is so secure. Their trick is tightness masquerading as loss of control. “This Year’s Girl” immediately alters the gait. After the clipped aggression of the opener, it lopes. The song is still barbed, but more observationally so. What interested me was the title itself: “this year’s girl” already contains the expiry date. The woman is converted into an image, looked at, desired, imaginatively possessed, culturally packaged and therefore made replaceable. She is intensely visible and barely seen. That idea of people becoming models, versions and commodities turns out to matter beyond that one song. “The Beat” begins by vandalising wholesome British pop memory with “We’re all going on a summer holiday”, then immediately drops us into the mind of a narrator who appears to regard himself as Public Enemy Number One. Authority, sex, masculinity, judgement and social expectation all seem to be pressing in on him. But the bravado feels unstable. Underneath it is adolescent uncertainty: not knowing quite what the rules are, while insisting loudly that the rules are absurd anyway. That instability is important. Costello’s narrators are not simply confident cynics dispensing epigrams. They often sound like people using verbal aggression to get ahead of uncertainty. “Pump It Up” is the clearest version of that. It is a gorgeous verbose delight, with the torrent of language sitting over something much more brutally economical underneath. The debt to “Subterranean Homesick Blues” is obvious enough to be beside the point. The attraction is what happens when that model is redirected into nightlife nihilism: drink, noise, sex, bodies, stimulus, repetition, more stimulus, as though stopping for a second might expose the emptiness at the centre. I remembered it as a song that stomped out of the radio, and hearing it again made that memory entirely plausible. The hard, mid-heavy production, blunt bass, sharp snare and plasticky organ all survive a small speaker beautifully. Nieve’s organ is almost comic in isolation, like a toy instrument with malicious intent. In context it is perfect. “Little Triggers” changes the emotional temperature. What mattered to me here was understanding the title not as provocations but as tiny cues of affection. The little involuntary signs that appear when people are first together and that are small enough to be almost beneath notice until they stop happening. That is the sadness of the song. Nothing theatrical necessarily has to have occurred. There need not be a betrayal. She is simply no longer trying in the same way. The narrator notices the absence of the small proofs that once arrived without effort. That introduces another thread running through the album: signals and whether they can be trusted. Telephone communication. Public images. Sexual cues. Little private gestures. Words. Broadcast signals. Eventually political speech. “You Belong to Me” throws itself backwards into the mid-Sixties, pure Stones in spirit, but with an even more gorgeously shitty little garage-rock sound: tinny, nasty, immediate. The title sounds possessive, yet what I heard was closer to a plea for sexual freedom in a buttoned-up situation. Stop letting convention tell you what you are allowed to want. Stop pretending you do not want what you clearly want. The musical ugliness helps. Desire is not presented as noble liberation. It is grubby, impatient and physical. Side two begins by knocking the record slightly out of alignment. “Hand in Hand” arrives through feedback, drone, something almost didgeridoo-like, and backwards vocal material. More importantly, the emotional posture shifts. After so much accusation and suspicion, the narrator suddenly seems to be telling the person he loves that whatever has happened, they are going to face it together. That feels unusually generous for this record. The abrasiveness remains, but for once it is protective rather than attacking. Then “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” arrives with Pete Thomas producing a wonderful fill that feels like backwards ska drumming, and the whole track slips into this clipped, syncopated, slightly off-axis groove. What I ended up hearing in it was the nightmare contained inside success. If you have something you want to say, you need an audience. But an audience does not arrive alone. It brings fashion, scenes, photographers, expectations, industry, packaging and image. That brings “This Year’s Girl” back in from another direction. Costello is not only observing the way women become this year’s consumable model. He is becoming aware that he can be processed by the same machine. He is the replacement for last year’s model. New face, new sound, new product. Temporarily desirable because he is new. The nightmare is not simply celebrity. It is becoming legible to the market. His delivery is perfect for that: breathless, splenetic, lips practically curled around the words. He does not sound like somebody calmly theorising about commodification. He sounds like somebody objecting while the machinery is already trying to move him along. “Lip Service” then turns the Attractions into the Rutles. Costello becomes Ron Nasty. The song has the bright mid-Sixties British beat-group bounce, the pleasant chassis, the sense that everyone ought to be smiling for the camera. Except Ron Nasty is on the run, surrounded by insincerity and demanding commitment from the object of his affections. Words are being offered, but he does not trust them. That makes it another song about unreliable signals. “Little Triggers” mourns the disappearance of genuine cues. “Lip Service” suspects that the cues still being offered may be counterfeit. And then it ends on a sixth chord. Fab gear. “Living in Paradise” continues the album’s habit of poisoning familiar musical forms from within. Bright, skippy pub-rock reggae, but the narrator does not trust the comfort for a second. Paradise is not fulfilment here. It is anaesthetic. The comfortable life will rot you in the end. The music skips; the mind twitches. Then “Lipstick Vogue” seems to detonate. Pete Thomas sounds as though he is chasing the song down the road with a stick. Costello has to spit the words fast enough simply to remain attached to it. The band is hellishly good. The emotional content is less triumphant than the playing. What I heard was imperfection in love, compromise, settling for second best and the frustration of discovering that second best feels exactly like second best. Love does not arrive as fulfilment but as accommodation, disappointment, projection and resentment. Again, the Attractions keep the emotional instability from becoming musical instability. They are completely in control while the narrator sounds as if he is not. And then “Night Rally” changes the scale of the whole record. For almost everything before it, the album has been caught up in the personal: sex, love, jealousy, sincerity, image, fame, comfort, possession. “Night Rally” slows down, becomes portentous, and suddenly the paranoia is political. The song is about the prospect of totalitarianism, but what interested me most was not simply the warning about fascism. It was the transition from appetite to obligation. You start by wanting the rhetoric. You start by wanting to say the thing. You start by wanting to attend the rally. How long before you have to run to it? That produced the thought which, for me, became the centre of the song: Totalitarianism is when what you think you want to say becomes what you have to say. The most frightening form of control is not simply censorship. It is the capture of expression itself. The system does not merely stop you speaking. It recruits your voice. The ending makes that idea physical. After an album of extraordinary control, “Night Rally” begins to blur. Voices and instruments smear. The shape becomes confused and dreamlike. It feels like a nightmare losing definition. Then it simply stops. No resolution. No aftermath. No reassuring return to ordinary life. The nightmare is not solved; the projector is switched off. That makes it a remarkable ending, and it also throws light back across the rest of the album. All those earlier concerns with signals, ownership, images, models, sincerity and control no longer seem entirely separate from the political conclusion. Who defines you? Who owns the image? Who decides whether a signal is genuine? Who gets to tell you what the words mean? Who controls what can be said? The album begins with private grievance and ends with the possibility of public coercion. What I still cannot decide is whether the lyricism or the sneer matters more. Costello’s writing is dense, funny, allusive and often deliberately slippery. But without the sneer, there is a risk that all that verbal dexterity becomes merely clever. Equally, without the writing, the sneer risks becoming attitude without enough behind it. Here they authenticate each other. The lyricism gives the sneer precision. The sneer gives the lyricism force. The Attractions make both of them bodily. That is why *My Aim Is True* now feels tentative beside it. The debut introduced the intelligence and persona. *This Year’s Model* is the first record on which the whole system speaks in the same voice. It is barbed, nasty, funny, insecure, paranoid, politically alert and enormously pleasurable. This is the first fully authenticated Elvis Costello sneer.

This Year's Model - Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1978) So today I get my first Elvis Costello album (and I heard there were a good lot of them on this list). I had never listened to him very seriously before, so this is kinda new to me, though I already knew Pump It Up, the hit of this album. So far I enjoyed it very much. I loved the groove, the overall New Wave touch on it, carried by that keyboard (which is also a nice reminder of 60s Rock). Favorite tracks: This Year's Girl, The Beat, You Belong To Me, Night Rally. Least favorite track: Lip Service (too classic). The only thing that is kind of a damper to me is Costello's delivery at times. On the full lenght of a song it starts becoming very annoying, but it was no major turn off to me either. Listening to this a second time it's already less bothering. Maybe this guy will grow on me and soon I'll be wondering why I had been listening to Phil Collins for years instead of him lol. See you the next time I get him I guess. Meanwhile I'll listen to this one again. 8.5/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ P.S: I also liked the two bonus tracks ;)

I liked it! Was a little distracted during listening, unfortunately.

Not my thing

Now with one of the best backing bands, Elvis continues what he did on his debut…but elevates it. A great second album. It doesn’t quite reach the level of Armed Forces, but it’s still a great listen. One of his best.

Goodness we’ve had a lot of EC on this list. I mean a lot. Is there more to come? 😬 Can’t say I’m a huge fan. I think other albums were 3ish and maybe one 2. With that said, I must give credit where it’s due. First few songs were quite good and fairly consistent throughout the album. I thought Lip Service sounded a lot like This Year’s girl but whatever. Fun songs. Good pace. 3.75

I hate that I actually liked this. No more Elvis, please. 3.75/5

I know two songs on here: Pump It Up & Radio Radio. Pump is probably Costello's most popular song. I think it sounds timeless, like you can't quite place the year. It could be late 80s or early 90s. No, late 70s!? Radio, Radio I know because it got Elvis banned from Saturday Night Live. Costello was the third choice to replace the Sex Pistols on the show. Elvis agreed to play two songs. He didn't agree with playing Less Than Zero. He played the first two bars & said he couldn't play it. Played Radio Radio instead. With angry Lorne Michaels, SNL producer, giving him the finger throughout the entire performance. Note: somehow Spotify mixed the Spanish version of some songs for some reason. lol. There is a Spanish Model album. I swear I clicked the English version. Pump it Up & Radio Radio en Espanol. 3

Interesante, pero no sé qué le ven a Elvis Costelo

Bra och trevligt album som inte har några överraskningar åt något håll.

Hey, my first Elvis Costello of the project! This one, at least, belongs here. I love Pump it Up, obviously. It reminds me of PCU. And the rest of the album is great, too.

this is not really my type of music but once i opened my heart to it it wasn't bad! i'm not even being funny but i genuinely feel like i would like this vibe better if i was a man. not bad tho. 3.25/5?

3.7 idk. i really cant push it to 4 though

I liked it and hated it at the same time. Rounding up from a 2.5/5.

Elvis Costello showed up again surprisingly quickly after My Aim Is True, but This Year’s Model immediately showed me why both albums made the list. The biggest difference for me was the Attractions. From “No Action” onward, the music felt fuller and more energetic than Costello’s debut. The band also kept things interesting throughout the album. The backing vocals on “The Beat,” the change of pace with “Little Triggers,” the quirky sound of “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea,” and the bass and drums getting their moments on “Lipstick Vogue” all helped give the songs their own identities. “Pump It Up” was especially fun because I immediately heard similarities to the Escape Club’s “Wild, Wild West,” particularly in the rhythm and vocal cadence. I had no idea that comparison had been made before, so discovering that connection during a blind listen was a fun surprise. What impressed me most was the album’s consistency without becoming repetitive. Songs like “Living in Paradise” could get quirky while still sounding unmistakably like Elvis Costello. Even late in the album, “Night Rally,” “Big Tears,” and “Radio, Radio” kept things moving, with “Radio, Radio” providing a great finish. I gave My Aim Is True 3½ stars, and this is clearly the stronger album for me. But This Year’s Model didn’t get four stars simply because I liked it better than the debut. It earned them on its own.

No es mi estilo para nada pump it up canta en español pero los lyrics son en ingles? muy loco todo

Mid

I don't understand Dimery's infatuation with Elvis Costello. It feels like this album has a narrow appeal to a dislikeable subset of people. The songwriting is decent, and the music is also listenable, if a bit repetetive. However, Costello's singing is snarky and arrogant, both in inflection and content. That nasal drawl is like nails on a chalkboard. The use of the combo organ is way overdone too, and the quasi-quirky instrumentation bullshit drove me insane. 2 Costello's down, 4 more to go. I no longer fear death. 4/10 Favorites: - The Beat - Pump It Up Dishonorable mention: - Living in Paradise

Better than the last Elvis Costello album we had but still not great. This had a bit more influence on the music world and the song writing was more consistent and concise, but I just don’t find Elvis that interesting even if he makes listenable music. Favorite songs: -The Beat -Pump it Up -Lipstick Vogue Rating 6/10

A voz dele não me prende nada

The album wasn’t as good as my other Elvis Costello album I had There’s a handful of standout tracks but nothing is crazy impressive here Favorites: pump it up, you belong to me, lip service, I don’t want to go to Chelsea 2.5 or 3/5

I uhhh,,, don't like this

Some are okay but didn’t enjoy as a whole

Pump it up

One of the best at what it is; pop music from an era before pure vapidness. Back when the bass got it's own runs instead of just following the guitar. There's no better Elvis in music.

I always loved Elvis Costello. He had a unique vocal style and quirky songwriting that I enjoyed.

I’m glad this project is making me revisit a bunch of albums I’ve already heard, because wow, I appreciate this a lot more now. Oozes cool from every pore. Costello isn’t a traditionally good singer, but when has that ever mattered? Awesome.

This is corny AF. Sounds like the music your parents throw at a party when they were young ,and not the good kind . 2.5/5.

Favorite Song: (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea Least Favorite: Big Tears

In Library

Outro trabalho bem nichado.. parece um pop wave de jornalista/escritorio. Por algum motivo eu consigo ver esse tipo de música tocando em trilha sonora de um The Office da vida, mesmo sem fazer muito sentido. Não é algo pra mim.. musicalmente e esteticamente falando tá bem longe de algo que me atrai. Parece um tipo de música que dá pra sentir o cheiro de mofo de tão velho e datado.

Ok

Можливо після того як прочитав в книзі про 2 tone, що Костелло зпродюсував видатний дебютний альбом The Specials в мене думка про нього десь на підсвідомості змінилася на краще. Або цей альбом просто кращий порівняно з тим, де слони на обкладинці. Вистачає хороший пісень, цікава гітара багато де, досить хітові шматки є. Мені все ще не дуже імпонує його подача в багатьох місцях, але й вже так вухо сильно не ріже. Такий приємний павер-поп/рок альбомчик

"Елвіс Костелло це загадка для мене. Багато разів я намагався слухати, але так і не зміг зрозуміти прикол цієї музики. Звісно ж це не є поганий альбом або щось таке, але і зрозуміти в чому суть я не можу." [3] Але тут мені сподобалась пісня Lipstick Vogue

I can see how it influenced alt rock, but personally not my vibe

Just not the vibe

It would be hard for me to justify four Elvis Costello albums on a list of a mere 1001 that I MUST hear before I die (especially when that list includes ZERO albums by his equally eclectic fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer contemporary Warren Zevon!), but I would absolutely include THIS album. This is Elvis at his lyrically sharpest and musically most straightforward. If you've never heard a Costello album, you're in for a treat. If you're not new to the E.C. game, you pretty much already know what to expect here. Enjoy!

2,5

Can't deny that there are some fantastic catchy hooks on this record, and for the most part it's a fun listen. Pump It Up is the obvious highlight, but there are 3-4 other tracks that feel memorable & very well put together. The record just feels like it's missing something for me though - almost like it needs a little more variety or a bit more soul in the delivery. I'll go for a 7/10 - a good listen, really fun in parts, but somehow still lacking for a higher score.

“What a loss to spend that much time with someone, only to find out that she's a stranger.” Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Elvis Costello just isn’t for me, but of all his albums from 1001, this is probably the one I’d pick as the one I disliked the least. Doesn’t overstay its welcome, enjoyed the music itself, just don’t care for Costello’s voice

Standouts Pump It Up Lipstick Vogue

Elvis’s 2nd album and a rapid crystallization of the Attractions’ chainsaws-on-springs guitar sound. EC’s lyrics sharpen into Pump It Up and …Chelsea, along with Night Rally, an underrated number that predicts ICE, and how not taking fascism seriously led to their normalization.

i really liked little triggers, giving it a high score just for that

That was a fun little jaunt. This has redeemed Elvis C. a bit. I think this is my third album of his I've listened to and the first one I've liked.

What a unique artist with unique style. Also great lyrics.

Couldn’t get through the whole thing

Costello's wordplay and delivery are always great but love the frantic nervous energy The Attractions bring. Lot of classic rock and roll, new wave, two-tone, and only a distortion pedal away from being pop punk.

It's 3.5

Costello just keeps growing on me. This album is really cool. Was impartial to it on my first listen but the almost laiz e fair instrumentals complement the lyrics so well.

Elvis takes the funk to the punks and writes better songs than Bowie

Great album

When New Wave was created, there was great rejoicing. And from the Beginning, Elvis Costello was there… singing, playing, throwing his punches. This is the second of his first two excellent, energetic albums. Just a lot of fun, with attitude. Costello would go on to widen his sound and deepen his lyrics on future albums, but the origins here are tremendous. Actually a round up to 5, since there’s a slight fade near the end.

Early Elvis with the Attractions is a real sweet spot! I love the progressive feel of the album and the added band. Plus, it seems like Elvis really digs it too. Less quirky than his debut, it feels like he found a better and more enduring groove. Thematically, the album moves around quite a bit, and handles progressive anthems and love songs (of sorts) with equal energy and style (I hear you Little Triggers). Quite an amazing album!

Started off weak with the first track but picked up. 3.5/5

I guess

This album really is great.

Listened to the whole album and didn’t hear anything single song

Unfortunately, I grew up in an anti-Elvis Costello household, so I came into this one pretty biased. After giving this album a shot, I can't say I hated it, but it didn't really impress me either. His voice kind of gets on my nerves (I would love to try to hear Elvis say an "ee" sound just once in his life), and the lyrical content of some of the songs was a bit creepy in a way I didn't love. Instrumentals were okay but the whiny synth really isn't my favorite either. Overall a very middling album. Favorite tracks: The Beat, Pump It Up

Held my attention, easy listen..

Good overall. A new artist exploration for me. While vaguely familiar with EC, I have never dove in. I might explore a bit more. Not exactly my favorite music style to sit with for very long but good nonetheless.

This was fine. I don't love Elvis Costello. This was better than some of the other Elvis Costello albums I've had to listen to. I knew two songs on this: Pump It Up & Radio, Radio

Well shoot, I liked My Aim Is True, and I feel like this one blew that one away. Lipstick Vogue is a banger, that drummer rules. Feels ahead of its time in an interesting way. Not every song lives up to that, but they all got great energy and are very catchy. I would feel weird giving this just a 4 when the last one wasn't this good.

This was not in the slightest bit what I was expecting. More synth-pop amazingness was not planned. And, for the first third at least, that's what I got. The latter parts of the album, however, are slightly more up and down. The middle third is slower, and more emotional. Indeed, the mood shift is so quick as to induce bewilderment. Things pick back up in the final third, with the energy rising again, culminating in a fun and cheeky comment at the status of the media. Some of these songs are excellent, some are merely good. One or two just didn't resonate with me. Overall, I liked this one. There's more highs than lows, but enough lows to put it in the 4 star territory.

one of the most annoying artists on this list and it’s a travesty he gets two albums on it. sounds like hairspray but without any of the charm

If he says he doesn't want to go to Chelsea, he doesn't want to go.

Though I am most definitely opposed to the quantity of Elvis Costello albums on this list, this one deserves to be judged on its own merits. If there are any more, I'm downgrading the rating.

Dang... I sort of liked this. I'd call it middling rock music that doesn't sound like what I think Elvis Costello sounds like. I think I give too many 4s, but this is definitely 3.5 material at a minimum.

This list has too much Elvis but this is a gem. I've loved it for while. I think the opening track is on the short list of best openers ever. The a cappella intro followed by the frenetic groove sets the tone. Tons of hooks. I like how the guitars sound, especially. Lots of pace and something to say. You kind of have to like his affections to like Elvis Costello and maybe my favorite example of it working is how he says, "He's got the keys to the car, they are the keys to the kingdom" during No Action.

I was ready to grouse about yet another EC album. But this is a great one. I like Elvis when he rocks.

5/5 - It's really simple. This is the only Elvis album I (and this list) need. I like it front to back. Great frenetic energy. Awesome bass lines.

The more albums of an artist you know, the more sophisticated your hater status can be

a coisa mais memorável que esse cara fez foi uma música pra Notting Hill. Mas minha mãe lembra às vezes cita o nome dele, então deve ter sido meio relevante no passado. Mano, pior q escutando uma segunda vez, ele fica melhor e mais memorável, mas ainda não achei graaande coisa.

This Year's Model marks my sixth Elvis Costello review. We've arrived. And yet, I know that this review is going to be insufficient to the task at hand. I'm exhausted today — it's not a Costello hangover from listening to the album repeatedly, though I am guilty of that. It's also not a lack of ability to reflect (and I don't mean vampiric). This isn't a struggle with interiority. Rather, do you ever feel like when you've become so familiar with a record that you lack the words to expertly describe its effects? Shouldn't this be the time when I'm best positioned to explicate its virtues? And yet, I struggle. It's ironic since this album feels so effortless. The songs are sequenced perfectly at the start to take you through the moods, tempos and territories the album will travel to (and from). The playing is taut, crisp, and tuneful. It's raw but not ragged. The Attractions control over their instruments is exquisitely commanding. I've extolled the virtues of the non-related Thomases before — a rhythm section so in sync they ought to have spawned from the same DNA. And Nieve's keyboards shine even more on this album than others, I think. Listening on headphones earlier, it struck me that while the stand-out moments are obviously great, some of his best work is the subtle comping he does when he's out of the spotlight. The fact that in 2021 Costello can gift us the Spanish Model project is a testament to how perfectly played the original record is. And despite its straightforward presentation, well-suited for blasting out of the small speakers over the radio, radio — This Year's Model really is a rewarding headphone listen. There are clever moments in the mix where a thoughtful shift of emphasis or additional sonic detail delights the ears. Costello's level of bitterness and spite is somehow welcoming when I hear it. There are certainly contradictions in play on this album. They give it its energy. It is both poised and punk. It is my favorite.

All album's will have a little talking. Some of my other ones didn't cause I rated it before typing. Anyway, This is Elvis Costello

I love it when it is an album I own and love

people fucking hate elvis costello on this site and they are all wrong.

I probably owe Mr Costello an apology. The first of his albums I got on this list was Armed Forces; an album I really disliked and to which I responded by announcing my hatred of Elvis Costello. So when another of his albums popped up I was not hugely excited. However, this album has changed my mind on him, the sound feels richer and the songs are of much higher quality in my opinion. I'm still irrationally annoyed by the album cover though. Favourites: Pump It Up You Belong To Me (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea Living In Paradise

전체적인 분위기나 리듬이 좋았다. The overall atmosphere and rhythm were good.

#247 Heard Before? Yes yes yes. Notes: - THIS LIST NEEDS A TWO ALBUM PER ARTIST LIMIT, NOW! - that said, and while Costello is probably the most over-represented artist on the list, this album deserves inclusion. - he's a great singer and the perma-snide delivery had on this album yet to wear out its welcome, but does he have to sing so much? every song could use more instrumental space to breathe. - all these rinky dinky organ parts directly stimulate my brain's pleasure centre. and bring on the acrobatic bass! - so many fantastic and still-unusual drum patterns. for such an influential album, very few followers have nailed this particular type of rhythmic complexity. Verdict: It's the Elvis we want and the Elvis we need. Listen Again? Will do. Right now, even.

sehr schön

A new favorite

Brilliant

No action is right

Not really my style, a bit too much vocal theatrics for my taste — art for the times I guess, but I want more raw feeling. Fun energy though. "Pump It Up" was a highlight, sounds like it belongs in an early-2000s movie. Rest of the tracks didn't grab me and wouldn't put this on for myself, but it's solid.

Se hace entretenido de escuchar pero no hay nada que realmente me atrape. Canción fav: pump it up. No tendría problema de volver a escucharlo pero no creo que suceda.

Selv med genre-variationer bliver det på en eller anden måde lidt for ensartet. Måske er det hans sangstemme, der er flad i det. Jeg har ikke helt afkodet det endnu, og så meget Elvis Costello har jeg nok ikke tænkt mig at høre fremover.

Quirky fun album. Really enjoyed it

Was not the type of rock I was anticipating, enjoyed

Дерганый и нервный альбом предшественника инди-рока не самой лучшей вариации. Нет в нем разнообразия и движения вперед

Im not even 200 albums deep in this project and this is my 4th Elvis Costelo album, please make it stop. It sounds exactly like his other albums but somehow the singing is even more shit here. Its honestly almost impressive. Ill give it a 3 because its not the worst thing but it could very much be a 2 too. Almost over with this guy/5

achei gostoso de ouvir porém bagunçado. as partes em espanhol eu achei criativas e num geral o álbum me empolgou, mas não sei se ouviria novamente.

3.5 Not bad but really didn't do it for me as much as Armed Forces

Listen I know Elvis Costello gets a lot of hate here but this is genuinely a great album from him, easily his best in fact. "Radio Radio" And "Pump It Up" are both genuine classics. 8/10, flirting with a 9.

I love this album - The Beat is my second fav EC song of all time

I really didn’t like this one, nasally, annoying, and just could not get into it

An excellent album. This was Elvis showing that he had the lyrical and musical mastery of his art,, and the Attractions provided just the edge that was missing from his debut. Unconditionally Recommended,

It wasn't my type, but it was good enough.

I feel like I should really like this guy… but I don’t. He’s fine. There’s nothing that really stands out to me apart from the singles. That’s not a fantastic sign.

Crap

It was fine.

Review - finally I got an Elvis Costello album! The subreddit is full of whiney losers complaining about being forced to listen to one of the greatest songwriter/musicians the world has ever known. What a bunch of clowns. This album is a certified new wave classic. So many incredible songs - No Action, Lip Service, Little Triggers, Lipstick Vogue, Night Rally... stopping myself before I just list every song. Costello has one of the best 4 album runs of all time, and probably the best 4 album debut run of all time. And this might be the strongest album in the run. A pleasure to listen to. A PLEASURE Score - 10/10 Need to listen? YES

so funky fresh i enjoyed more than i thought i woukd

Short, punchy, rhythmic, and delightfully cranky music that somehow makes me want a Guinness while remaining completely compatible with Tuesday spreadsheets in the office.

ja ist nicht schlecht, aber auf Dauer auch wirklich nicht gut. The most two star album to have gotten two stars. (Also zwei Sterne wa)

Actually thought this was pretty good despite the initial dread about drawing an album from one of this project’s favourite whipping boys.

Radio, Radio Pump It Up

If my 2 previous ratings of Costello's albums are anything to go by, I was expecting to assign this album a score of "meh." But This Year's Model actually clears the previous album by a pretty wide margin. It's on this album that I finally hear what the press had told me about Costello for decades: there's some brilliant songwriting buried under the nasal cartoon character who wrote and sang them. Some biting wit is woven into the lyrics, all delivered by a dejected faded star persona who, perhaps deliberately, took half of his name from a rock superstar turned burnout. One of my main gripes about the previous Costello albums was that they would jump between genres but always sound stuck in the same place. That simply isn't the case with this album, which seamlessly moves from garage rock to new wave to pop. Needless to say this album has shocked me in more ways than one, and while I got a little tired of the multiple short tracks towards the end of the B-side, this remains a remarkably consistent release that, at least in some measure, opened my eyes to the best traits of Elvis Costello, apparently hidden in plain sight. It might take me a little while longer to warm up to this, but there's definitely some great songs to be found on this album! Key Tracks: No Action, Pump It Up, (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea, Lipstick Vogue

Entertaining.

Sounds like Elvis Costello. The singles bring back memories but the rest is kinda similar and not quite as memorable.

he just does not excite me. It's nice I guess

Really cool pop rock record with short, sweet and super catchy tunes, amazing bass playing and an addictive attitude. Silly and fun, super replayable and enjoyable all around. Production is vibrant and super groovy, fits Costello's tongue and cheek energy.

Ei parasta Costelloa imo.

This is the first Elvis Costello album I got and I'm already dreading the other ones.

This bassist is working overtime and I love them for it.

This is one I’m familiar enough with already to know it’s going to get a 3 star rating from me (though I will still listen to it again just to be sure my feelings haven’t changed). I will always love Pump It Up and Radio, Radio but the album as a whole does not hold my interest in any meaningful way.

Novembra sem že dobila Costella., takrat je dobil 3. Nek komad od njega sm mela v rotaciji v najstniških letih, (glih gledam, je kle gor!) "The Beat" zveni familiar. Evo ga, my old friend, "Pump it Up". Tedva komada sta oba kul. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" me spomne na The Police - kronološko sicer je Costello pred njimi, tko da I guess me The Police in general spomnejo na ta komad od Costella. Ok ta album je bil bolj enjoyable, k un novembra. Tud, če mi ne sede 100 % njegov glas.

Pues muy guay

Stabilt album. Catchy och trevligt att lyssna på. Starka låtar rakt igenom även om jag inte har någon direkt favorit.

Klinkt als een 90s/2000s album lol

fav songs: the beat pop, nerd music 30/100

Soooo much Costello on here, this is the 4th one I review? Surely they're not all worthy of the list. He still has that ooga booga voice that's kind of obnoxious, but the instrumentals themselves I enjoyed more. 3* Highlights: chelsea, radio radio

Standard Elvis Costello produce. Not as bad as 'Blood and Chocolate' but not as good as 'My aim is true'.

I enjoyed this. I like early Elvis Costello, when he had some pop/punk energy to go with the clever wordy lyrics.

Had not heard this one in awhile and it's an absolute gem , every song is really good and it flows so well definitely one of Elvis Costello best

Damn I thought I knew more of his songs but I think Oliver's Army is the only I know and it isn't even on this album? But hey this was really great

The first song to stand out to me is The Beat! Its catchy and jammy. I dont believe I've heard of this artist either. Theyre voice doesn't sound familiar and I believe I already heard their big single before the beat played. omg well PUMP IT UP just came on and i totally know this song. its a good one too... i added it to the playlist! the second song to make it. which makes me nervous lol do I have bad taste? hand in hand is also catchy! okay so after the album ended, it was still just okay. :) but i enjoyed it

Punky sounds. He sounds like a big flirt.

Really Great!

Artwork wise: I don’t know why, but it irrationally annoys me. Music wise: A nice collection of bops. Likes: No Action; This Year’s Girl; Pump it up; Hand in Hand; Living in Paradise

Pump it Up is great, but not much on this suggests I should end my 50+ year streak of largely ignoring this dude.

meh

Pretty good so far i would probably think 3/5 so far. 6/10 "No Action" 6.5/10 "This Year's Girl" 6/10 "The Beat""Pump It Up" 5/10 got a little repetitive "Little Triggers" 5/10 "You Belong to Me" 5.5/10 "Hand in Hand" - dont even remember "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" 7/10 "Lip Service" 6/10 "Living in Paradise" 6/10 "Lipstick Vogue" 7/10 uptempo goodness I go back and forth on not liking his voice, but the instrumentation is pretty spot on in this.

Buen album, muy entretenido de escuchar.

It's the voice - I just cant do more than one song before it gets painful Pump It Up is the exception, and Chelsea is ok, but the rest is a hard pass

Pump it up obviously great, rest is fine

Seis discos de Elvis Costello no livro?! Um exagero para a um discografia irregular e sem nenhum álbum de merecido destaque. Dos 4 ouvidos até agora, este é o melhor. 3,5* no RYM.

p401. 1978. 3 stars. Late 70s self loathing. Lyrically as sharp as a razor, some real highlights that were singles, and Steve Nieve and The attractions are on top form. Set against that, there is a lot of filler, and Costello has a dreadful habit of strangling his vocals - he and Kevin Rowland share the same voice coach :(

Well produced, very groovy, but annoying vocals and a lack of identity or themes. That pretty much sums up my opinion on this, but other than I noted the drumming and bass being really good, both fitting really well into their pockets whilst adding some really interesting fills and extras. On the vocals though, I don't know if I've just listened to too much instrumental music, but I just feel like they don't really add much to the music especially when his voice is a bit boring and the lyrics don't really do anything interesting. It was also pretty same-y but it's alright because the musicians were good.

Really didn’t want to add on to the Elvis hate I really gave this a good try. The one plus I have is I really enjoyed the instrumentals at times but sadly that was it. I found myself physically cringing at some of the lyrics and Costello’s voice is very irritating I’m really not looking forward to the next hundred Costello albums I’ll be subjected to on this journey.

Ok; didn't enjoy it as much as his one that came up for me earlier, but not bad

It was pretty good, sounds ahead of its time, I thought it was 90’s, was surprised when I saw 1978, the songs were good tho and I could really feel the soul of the music if ykwim but I don’t have much to say, nothing really jumped out at me or stood out too much

Would be 5 if I love Elvis.

Still finishing the album. Will get back to you.

This is the less popular Elvis, but the songs were alright. They all kind of sounded very similar, but they are by the same artist and in the same album, so I guess it's understandable. The overall vibe is just a bit meh, but it's alright leaving it in the background.

Weird, but alright at the same time?

I feel like Elvis Costello would take about how great paintings of soup cans are. 2.8

I probably need to stop listening to these albums while I work. I lose too much of the album to the background. Anyway, I remember enjoying this but can’t bring it back to my brain enough to give a cogent review. 6/10 Pretty Good

Awesome album

Critics like Elvis Costello because they look like Elvis Costello.

Pump it up and Radio Radio are my favorites for sure.

This was a solid album.

One of those albums where when I'm done listening, I think to myself: "This must have been the beginning of or influence of something better later on".

I knew several of the songs on this one, but had never listened to the whole album. To me, the star of this album is Costello's backing band - The Attractions. It's really fun music. I like this version of Costello probably the best of all of his albums... just fun pop/punk music. This is my second Elvis Costello album that I've listened to as part of this, and I just always find his music to be fun and interesting. Nothing mind blowing or over the top impactful, but just good to listen to. And there is no doubt how much influence he had on a lot of artists that followed him.

Fun music but I didn’t like his voice

beautiful

Okay, better than his first album for me, but it’s still rooted in a really old sound to me and he just seems goofier than enjoyable

Im sure he’s a nice guy maybe but I just don’t get this music. Almost a 1, which is not something I do lightly, but the musicianship is alright behind Costello, the drums on Lipstick Vogue ultimately saving it from the pit. But yeah I get nothing out of this nerd

Costello, at his best, can pump you up and bring a lot of energy to the party, with tracks like “The Beat,” “Radio, Radio,” and, well, “Pump It Up.” But the rest of the time he just seems like a guy whining about his ex-girlfriends.

The Attractions are a huge upgrade from the backing band Costello had behind him on "My Aim Is True". The follow up album is just as poppy as the last, just with more mature percussion and bass lines. Songwriting remains strong. Favorite track (strangely) was "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" The album as a whole certainly warrants a re-listen.

I listened to this earlier this year! I really want to like elvis costello because he was in Austin Powers. I love the guitar, and the melodies are unique, and there's no doubt he's super talented... but I feel like the music would be that much better if there was a different singer.

None of these songs really grabbed my attention.

The birth of nerd-rock or geek-rock? With David Byrne and Talking Heads, Elvis helped drive the nail in the coffin of show rock. Suddenly, cool to be uncool. Punk has a party, invites this new guy who takes over and brings his smart, literate, different-looking friends. Taut.

This is the Elvis Costello I most appreciate. Smart, melodic, pulsing, cocksure — he's a cool cat.

This is probably his best record. This one or Get Happy. But damn, the band is on fire here and his songwriting is sharp. This one is endlessly rewarding. So many nuances in their playing. Five stars all the way.

This is one of his best

I like Elvis Costello’s music. Great lyrics and a punchy sound. “Pump it Up” and “You Belong to Me” are faves. I also like “Lipstick Vogue.”

With the hype of punk diminishing, a new generation of rockmusicians like Patti Smith, Graham Parker, Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello caused a new wave in the rock scene of 1978 combining the energy of punk with well written clever rock songs. Elvis Costello was the smart guy of the bunch. His second album This Year's Model brought an exciting rock and roll barband sound with ska inflluences and a prominent role for Steve Nieve's organ. This album contains some of his best songs like Pump it up, (I don't wanna go to) Chelsea, Lipstick vogue and Watching the detectives making this the essential Costello album you really need.

Tom petty vibes

His early music is best.

Ok

First listen. I should, from my history and listening patterns, like this much more than I do. However, it feels neutered and dull. I don’t dislike it, it just falls short of expectations. Costello, on this album, feels like the generic brand of Television.

Elvis Costello is a genius, this album is solid example of it. Fun, vibrant and will get you wiggling. Play it loud, and dance around like the maniac you are.

Surprised by how many songs I already knew, I just had no idea they were Elvis Costello. 3.5

I can't five this quickly enough.

Contained many great high energy tracks that I hadn’t heard. Beyond the classic Pump It Up and Radio Radio, there were some real deep cuts that really got mw rocking

Sound’s surprisingly new

good vibes

This was actually a really fun album. Kind of had a 60s vibe, but could tell it was late 70s.

It was reaching at 5 many times, but they never quite grabbed it.

i would hate meeting this guy in person Would I listen again: no Deserves to be on this list: no 2.0

I really don't find this album to be particularly interesting or inspired. The instrumentation is fine, but not particularly noteworthy in my opinion. I really dislike Costello's lyrics and vocal delivery however. Ultimately I'm not the biggest punk or New Wave fan, so combining the two just generally misses for me.

Elvis Costello's debut album is a perfect amalgamation of the music trends of the mid to late 70s, put together and comes out perfectly. He really knows how to write a lot of words in his songs and keep his songs short. It's all good okay next album hit send I mean vote

Real lackluster compared to his other stuff I've heard

maior elvis da historia

Had a fairly measurable impact on rock music and might be my favorite Elvis Costello album.

finally an elvis who can make some music

Sharp songs packed with wordplay - puns, internal rhymes, unexpected rhymes, layers of meaning and misdirection , plus a band roaring along. Great bass playing, especially

It sounds fresh and modern, surprisingly. Favorites: Big Tears, Radio Radio, No Action, Little Triggers

Kinda just meh. Some cool riffs and weirdly felt both ahead of its time and very 70s

Un bajo que aporta demasiado al ritmo y unas excelentes melodías y armonías con el órgano, en general un álbum sin skips

Steady eddy, EC's just a perennial 3 for me. Easy, enjoyable, not overly cooked, but nothing super special.

This is such a fun album!

This one didn’t hit right away, but eventually I started kinda digging the vibes. At times it almost reminded me of The Who with a different sort of flair. Pretty good, but not something I’d add to the rotation. 3.5

Not bad. Good energy.

High 3. Enjoyable. I’d peg this for an 80s album, so it sounds a bit fresher than its age. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to any Elvis Costello really, so this was a nice intro.

Forgot how good Elvis Costello was

Never got super into Elvis Costello- much to my dad’s chagrin. Listening now, it’s fine but something about the “Elvis Costello” persona just doesn’t click with me. Not bad vibes per se, but strange vibes - like “I’m so kooky and weird” while being neither lmao

Stark trea

Rätt bra ju!

Tycker ändå den här är klart sämre än den första. Finns bättre skivor från Elvis! Men ah, det är ju bra.

Känns lite som ett mellanalbum va.

love this album!

I've never been a huge Elvis Costello fan (like some of my friends), but I definitely enjoy his work -- his songwriting probably more than his vocals. That said, I can appreciate him and his work. This album is a great distillation of my Elvis-feelings: some absolute home run songs and a great overall vibe, even as I get a little sick of his voice on and off over the course of a whole LP. He's more of a "singles" artist + songwriter for me -- it can all be a little too much "the same" over the course of a whole album. But still a lot to love in here!

This album is fine. It is not Costello’s best, both musically and lyrics-wise, but I’ll say his voice annoyed me less in this one than it has in others. His songwriting has always impressed me. His playfulness with genres has always amused me, but this was a little more sedated. Which ultimately made it safer, but not as interesting.

Was alright

It was ok but not really for me.

i would say that sonically this album was exactly like i thought it would be. i can describe it by saying that it would be a perfect fit for a teen movie taking place in the fall, as well as a b class comedy, if you know what i mean. four songs especially caught my eye, including „this year’s girl”. overall, the listening experience was fine but it’s not something i will come back to

eh

Not a big fan but it's an influential record and fine

I CAN'T STAND HEARING ANOTHER ELVIS COSTELLO RECORD. I FUCKING HATE ELVIS COSTELLO. SUCH MEDIOCRE MUSIC WITH SUCH ANNOYING VOICE. TO THE CREATORS OF THIS LIST, I FUCKING HATE YOU FOR THE AMOUNT OF ELVIS COSTELLO. FUCK YOU!

Just like the last Elvis Costello album I got, this is mostly uninteresting tracks and I still don't like his voice. This time there are 2 or 3 actually good tracks where I don't mind the vocals so much because the music is good. 3.5

I've been meaning to listen to some of Elvis Costello's work and this is an amazing album to start with. It started so upbeat and good, then just kept going. I was waiting for a bad song and it never came. It's really nice rock and roll that's definitely up my alley, with some keyboard in it that reminds me of The Doors. Not a miss on this album, and I'd be shocked if I never listen to it again.

This Year’s Model ist für mich ein typisches „so lala“-Album: bissig, nervös, voller Costellos Energie – aber nicht immer treffsicher. Die Attractions spielen scharf und kantig, doch vieles rauscht eher vorbei, als dass es wirklich hängen bleibt.

Honestly, I found this one just okay. Didn’t really click for me.

I liked that.

Nothing interesting.

i have never been an Elvis Costello fan so this one doesnt really do anything for me.

Wow this was fun!! I loved the organ! The energy was great, the uniqueness was fun, the drums had a very crazy sound to them. I never knew Pump it Up by Lenny Kravitz was a cover!! I only knew Elvis Costello from Stephen Colbert's Christmas special where Elvis was HYSTERICAL. This makes me appreciate him even more.

I like Elvis Costello work. Really enjoyed the alblum. However Armed Forces in my opinion is a better alblum. His wife is just as talented in a totally different genre

Typical EC. Middle of the road with some nice hits.

It's an album I return to every now and then but never really think about or recommend to anyone. There's plenty of energy and I could probably listen to it again just for the drums.

I think it's pretty good

👎🏻

It was a solid album liked the beat and instrument 5.8/10

I don't get the fascination with Elvis Costello.

Pump it Up is good but everything else is meh

This guy has an extensive history in music which is interesting! Music is ok but don’t feel the urge to save on any playlists 3/5

This guy has two songs: Pump it Up and all the other ones. I am SO tired of Elvis Costello. This is my fourth album from him (second in 3 weeks). Two to go. Every time I refresh the app to get the day's album, it's like Russian roulette for Elvis Costello albums. Sometimes I wonder if playing real Russian roulette is favorable to more Elvis Costello. I just absolutely do not get why people / critics ride this guy's dick at every turn. The best I can say is "this is average," but I don't feel like average is enough for this list

Still sounds like Elvis

- wirkt sehr modern dank sauberm sound - cleaner soft rock (n roll) - hier und da schimmern schon die 80s durch - macht spaß

Really enjoyed this. Production doesn't make it sound 45 years old which gave it certain feel. Definitely give this another listen.

solid album with a consistent sound and theme, enjoyed listening to the whole thing as a project, with a few good songs i liked individually

Today is a great day. That was the last Elvis Costello album I am required to listen to. This one was comparatively not as bad, but I'm still thrilled nonetheless.

The best Elvis Costello album we've heard so far, and we've heard probably more than appropriate for 1001 albums. I love him, so I'm not complaining.

Still to date my only full-length exposure to Costello but a romping record it is. Just all around fun.

Enough with the Costello! We get it!!!

I disliked the Elvis Costello album the least. Pump it up is however easy to enjoy

This didn't suddenly make me an Elvis Costello fan. But I at least feel like I kinda get him now.

This was a decent album, nothing stood out in a good or bad way for me.

Highlights: No Action, This Year's Girl, The Beat, Pump It Up, Chelsea, Lipstick Vogue, Radio, Radio The album started off strong with a lot of energy and a good vibe, but it honestly got a bit tiring by the end. Some of the later tracks sort of blend together sonically and don't stand out as much or aren't as fun to listen to. Considering that I liked about half of the tracks, the album gets a solid average rating.

Highlights: No Action, This Year's Girl, The Beat, Pump It Up, You Belong To Me, Chelsea, Lip Service, Living In Paradise, Radio Radio (later release) Dope new wave record. Sometimes it sounds a bit like surfer music with those organs or whatever (specifically on You Belong To Me). Therefore, the sound is kinda retro, but also new at the same time. I really liked the vocal style, and damn, he sounds like Lenny Kravitz. Lyrically it fits into the incel-doomer music stereotype and I like that too. The last few tracks killed the vibe but they didn't feel like filler - just unamusing babble.

4/10 Well this is my fifth dip into the back catalogue of Elvis Costello’s work. Up to this point, I’ve found his work to be fairly patchy and inconsistent, but I’d found his debut to be the strongest of his albums to this point and, as this is his second, I’m feeling hopeful. This is also considered by many to be his greatest work, so all good signs.As with much of Costello’s work, there is obvious quality within the record, he can write decent hooks, the band perform well enough and even his voice, which can be somewhat divisive, does perform will given the correct material. Unfortunately, across this record, I found that there was an awful lot of stuff that lacked a rhythmic fluidity, or actually stuck with and properly utilised the stronger moments of melodic songwriting. Costello seems to have a tendency to come up with a decent hook, play it a couple of times and then just wander off away from it in a kind of distracted, unfocused way that, to my ears, just derails the track and results in uneven and inconsistent song structure. On the flip side of that, there are also times when things become incredibly repetitive. I think he’s often trying to make a point with these choices, but ultimately, I found these moments to be more irritating than effective. It was kind of remarkable actually, how I quite often found myself either bored, or fed up of tracks that only twice broke the three and a half minute mark. Another thing worth noting is how misogynistic and incel coded a lot of the lyrical content is on this record. It appears that he is very dismissive of women and that any issues he has with them, in relationships or otherwise, are purely their issues and not his. Costello has responded to these accusations by saying that his lyrics stemmed from “disappointment rather than disgust”, but that seems like a fairly ‘I’m sorry you feel that way’ response, rather than one willing to perhaps examine one’s own behaviour. Perhaps unsurprising for a guy who once called Ray Charles a “blind, ignorant n**ger”, and later blamed that statement on being drunk and trying to get out of a conversation he didn’t want to be in. Classy. So as we return to the nature of this record, there are actually moments of real quality in there, but all too often they are wrapped in slightly unfocused and messy compositions. As a result, I never felt able to mentally pin this album down, and, despite giving this three full spins, nothing really stuck with me, and I fail to see the genius that others do in the work. Sorry, Elvis, I don’t get it. You seem like an awful bloke, you sing with an overly forceful inflection in a American accent, despite being born and raised in London, and you write rambling songs that lack focus and don’t bother to utilise their hooks. Not for me, old chap. No Action - This has a solid chorus, but I’m not completely convinced by the flow of it. It feels a bit stilted in places and slightly rhythmically awkward. It’s almost not aggressive enough to be punk, but not melodic or hooky enough to be pop, so it kind of falls down the gap in the middle of the two. This Year's Girl - On to something a bit better now. Again, the intro rhythm is a bit lacking in fluidity, but it sorts itself into a nice groove by the time the song starts up. The bass line is decent and it shifts through sections nicely with a laid back swagger. It feels a well written song, but it’s still a bit in between two worlds in terms of production and I don’t feel utterly convinced by it at this point. The Beat - This is immediately better. The groove is great and it feels like everything is pulling in the same direction now. It’s got a cool, new-wave pop feel to it with a nice bit of rhythmical range between the verses and chorus. As with the last track, the bass line really pulls this along well. The organ work is a lot of fun too, actually. Elvis’ vocal cadence and timing is good here and he seems a little more natural with his delivery, which helps the song to gel. Pretty good stuff. Pump It Up - Again with the very staccato rhythms. The groove is decent here, to be fair, but it’s not got a lot of rhythmical range across the album. Great bass playing, again, but the songwriting is quite repetitive and fairly uninspiring. I mean, it’s not really bad, and it’s almost got decent hooks, but it’s just not clicking with me really. Little Triggers - There’s some decent melodic moments in this, and the swung groove is a nice change in pace, although he does try and inject too much of that staccato punch into various sections, which breaks the flow up in a weird way. There’s some really nice piano playing in here, but it’s another that is promising, but doesn’t completely connect. The overly loud “oooh” vocals at the end are awful too. You Belong To Me - New wave fairground music? Something like that anyway. This is actually better to begin with, with a touch more range to the composition in places, although the organ parts are very repetitive and shrill. Bruce Thomas definitely has all the best parts on the bass. And somehow, these songs actually manage to drag by the time they’re done, despite being two and a half minutes long. Hand In Hand - So much build up in this track, for quite a small about of payoff. The chorus is melodically pleasant, but a touch meandering and the whole track just feels a bit muddled, rambling and, in places, ridiculously repetitive. I don’t get it. (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea - Again, this is so rambling, it’s like he can’t quite work out what the focus of the song is going to be. It starts off pretty well, and there is some decent stuff in here, then he just starts wandering all over the place in a musically unsatisfying way that just completely derails the momentum of the track. I’m finding this to be quite a confusing listen. Lip Service - This is a pretty good one, actually. It feels more focused, has tighter composition, a hooky chorus, and a nice fluid, flowing groove throughout. Top bass playing again. I’d say this is exactly what I was expecting from this album, but haven’t found much of up to this point. Well written pop rock music with hints of punk and new wave, and solid hooks. More like this please. Living In Paradise - Here comes Bruce Thomas again on the bass. It’s very stop-start, as with a lot of the early tracks. Isn’t Elvis Costello the most unbearable part of Elvis Costello and The Attractions? He sounds like an obnoxious incel who’s unjustifiably full of himself. This feels musically muddled in places where it’s lacking in flow and feels slightly confused. There really are moments when things sound good, but he doesn’t seem satisfied to just go with something that works and tries too hard to drag it out into something tortured. Lipstick Vogue - Cool drumming to get us going here, and this has got solid pace. The sound is a bit strange though, in that it feels punky in pace and intensity, but also sounds too clean and doesn’t have enough aggression to really work on that level. There’s at least some decent dynamic range in here, but it all feels very hurried and not vastly interesting. Night Rally - Melodically and lyrically rambling? Incredibly repetitive in places? Completely forgettable? Congratulations, you’ve just listened to another song from Elvis Costello’s most well regarded and critically lauded album. Meh.

It was fine Too far behind to say anything more

Radio, Radio is a good one I’ve heard before. Pump it up was also good. A decent upbeat album all around.

catchy

Jaahas, taas lisää Elvis Costelloa. Mutta se ei haittaa koska This Year's Model on ehdottomasti paras Costellon levy jonka olen kuullut. Debyyttilevyn tuhnuisen taustabändin on korvannut The Attractions, ja ero on kuin yöllä ja päivällä. Biisit ovat niin tarttuvia ja energisiä, että tämän levyn pariin palaa mielellään monta kertaa.

he's havin a jam isn't he

Elvis Costello & The Attractions – This Year's Model (1978) On Day 124, I experienced a decent LP that absolutely comes together as a cohesive masterpiece. Elvis Costello's vocal delivery is a bit weird, it honestly sounds like he caught a sinus infection or a cold, but regardless of that quirk, the performance is great. The biggest takeaway here is his supporting band; The Attractions absolutely cooked on this project and did their thing from start to finish. Even with my critiques of his vocal tone, Elvis perfectly compliments the high-level production, making everything fit together seamlessly. The tracklist is remarkably consistent. My standouts include the immediate punch of the opener "No Action," "This Year's Girl," and "The Beat." The momentum stays hot through the mid-section with "Little Triggers" and "Hand In Hand," and carries all the way to the back half with "Living In Paradise." It is a fantastic, tightly wound body of work that earns a definitive 5/5.

Really fun listen. Subtle hints of punk/jazz

Early Elvis Costello is great. 70s power pop played with punk urgency.

It took 137 albums, but I finally got an Elvis Costello record - immediately after my first Elvis Presley album. I love this album, at one point in my life it would have been my all time favorite. Times have changed and now it’s not even my favorite Elvis Costello album. That honor currently goes to King Of America. This Year’s Model starts with a frantic No Action which sets the tone and tears through 14 tracks leading up to one of the best closing tracks of all time: Radio, Radio. In an era when disco was everywhere, Elvis was King. 5 stars

I just don't like Elvis Costello, I think he has two tunes that are alright, the rest is a hard pass.

It's sharp, it's well-played and passionately sung... but nothing held my attention here.

I liked this way more than Brutal Youth.

Heerlijk catchy poppy nummers die duidelijk meer diepte hebben dan ik op 2 keer luisteren kan bevatten. Dit is een album waar ik met plezier vaak naar wil luisteren om die dieptes te ontdekken.

I like the tempo and energy of a lot of these. I might return to this again at some point to give the lyrics a bit more time to grow on me Standouts No Action This Year's Girl Pump It Up 4/5

good but not as good as my aim is true.

Excellent album with hit after hit. Costello at his peak.

No action - solid enough This years girl - The beat - pretty good, no idea what this guy is talking about Pump it up - real good, almost beach rock esque Little triggers - woah now elvis watch ur mouth You belong to me - sounds like ducktales Hand in hand - hand in hand hand in hand in hand in hand in (I don't want to go to) chelsea - i like this guys vocals, like a 70s brandon flowers Lip service - groovy Living in paradise - not very remarkable Lipstick vogue - real quick Night rally - didn't really like this one Radio, radio - kind of strange but enjoyable Overall: fun little album of show tunes, elvis costello is an enjoyable vocalist and I can see his influence just through his voice, had some clear skips but was groovy enough to keep me enjoying it the whole time

Струйка и холка бобра

Ok so I hated this. Sorry. It's like ripoff Huey Lewis with a side of weird guy who won't stop talking about how nice he is. Even the album cover creeps me out. I didn't hate Radio Radio though

Better than the last Evil Costello I heard but still wasn’t too impressed.

8/10 - My favorite Elvis Costello album yet. I think this will be as high as any of his albums are but I really liked this one.

This is my favorite Elvis Costello album and potentially my favorite New Wave album. I enjoy the anger and bitterness in the songwriting while still having so much pop appeal. The version I'm listening to has Big Tears and Radio, Radio which add to the already strong album. 10/10

There were some early hints of new wave, punk rock and alternative rock in this album which were fun, but something about his voice just annoys me. This was a fine album, but just not my favorite.

Costello takes himself *way* too seriously. That being said, I still really enjoyed this album.

I still don't get Elvis Costello

Kjedelig bakgrunnsmusikk som når sitt potensiale hvis det spilles i et annet rom. Var allerede ikke min stil, men musikken blandet seg med mye annet i sjangeren uten å komme med noe spesielt.

Nett aber unspektakulär

Some nice drum bits. Otherwise, it felt like the like a proto version of ‘music that’s not for me’

Elvis Costello gets a lot of grief here. But if you like New Wave and punk-influenced sounds, how can you resist him? Why would you want to? Stellar songs. Smartly performed. Hell if an album.

Costello har fått med sex album i boken, vilket är omotiverat många. Inte för att det är uselt, men har man hört ett har man hört alla. Bäst på den här skivan är garagerockiga Pump it up och soulballaden Little triggers. Blir samma betyg som My aim is true, men i en svagare variant.

Har bara hunnit slölyssna. Lät mer bra än dåligt.

Ett bra Costello-album. Ett gediget hantverk utan att vara fantastiskt. Finfint trumspel I No action.

Yeah this was great! Much better than I thought it was going to be!

That has to be enough EC now, though he has grown on me a little bit. He feels a little bit ahead of his time in pop rock terms but at the same time much older from the themes. Why's he banging on about girls at the prom and that (or similar, can't remember the exact content)? I think that I quite like the first song or two but the schtick wears out fast because it's very similar. I think lipstick vogue and/or night rally were the best of them. Will be generous and say 2.5/3.

Still the superior Elvis, even if this isn't as good as My Aim Is True. Really cool songs and riffs, even if they all blur together after a point. Some tracks sound like the were recorded at the carnival, The Beat has strong waltzers vibes. This Year's Girl, I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea, Night Rally, and Radio, Radio are the hits. Just slightly repetitive, knocking a point off for me.

5th Elvis Costello album we've had so far, I don't mind him, but I would say that's perhaps too many Elvis Costello albums! Enjoyed it again. That riff on pump it up must've been used loads as it feels very familiar, but I don't think it's from the original that I recognise it. Maybe an advert? I knew (I don't want to) go to Chelsea too, which is good. My favourite album of his we've had is still the first one we had (blood and chocolate), and every passing album of his we have which doesn't live up to it, dilutes my opinion of him. We'll always have blood & chocolate Elvis 3.5

purr

I'M SO BORED

Not for me. Had to listen to the 2021 remaster. Fine music but not my thing

Really love this album - the lyrics, the songs and the band are all excellent. This early run of 4 albums (TYM is #2 in that sequence) is well worth investigation, but This Year's Model is the one that I'd listen to first over all the others.

Undeniably cool.

7/10

Fun upbeat the kind of music I like - also a family favorite

I didn’t really like this album. While listening I mostly felt bored and impatient for it to end. It’s very raw and aggressive, which I know is the point, but it just didn’t grab me at all. The tracks all started blending together — they have a similar energy and attitude, so after a while it feels repetitive and not very interesting. Nothing on here stood out as special or made me want to replay it. The raw production and fast pace are there, but they didn’t translate into anything exciting for me. Compared to Armed Forces, this one feels much weaker. That later album is way more polished, melodic, and interesting overall. This Year’s Model is considered a classic by many, but it just didn’t work for me. One listen was enough.

Prima

Ik keek zo op tegen deze maar dit is gelukkig aanzienlijk beter dan 'My Aim Is True'. Nog steeds geen artiest waar ik zelf naar terug zou komen.

There’s some albums that you know you’re going to have to listen to multiple times to really appreciate them. This was not one of them. It wasn’t terrible, but nothing really stood out to me. I will not be keeping this album in my rotation

Это хорошо, не выбесило и на этом спасибо