Elvis Costello – My Aim is True

I haven’t heard much of Costello before but from what I’ve listened to, I think his music is rather dynamic and well balanced. Overall, I definitely feel a great influence of pop bands of the 60s such as the Beatles or the Beach Boys as well as classic rock from the 50s. His songs are very hip and pop-like and he enables the countermelody to accentuate his very versatile voice. The various parts that add to the success of Elvis Costello is his uncanny ability to adjust his vocals to the type of song that he is singing, strong lyrics, and being able to create tunes that simply make your head nod to the beat. This is something that makes his songs rather appealing to listen to. I’m literally sitting in my seat and bouncing to the catchy rhythms that each of his songs uniquely provides.

Additionally, he also has the perfect mix of various types of songs and sounds throughout the album. He doesn’t merely stay to a single dimensional pop sound but is able to venture off and make some crazy (more classic) rock that heavily utilizes electric guitar and countermelody. “I’m Not Angry” is a prime example of how he makes his passion bleed into and mesh with the song. In that song, Costello reveals a level of powerful aggression (through his voice and intense guitar countermelody) that adds variety to the album as a whole. Other songs, however, such as “Red Shoes”, take on a much more pop vibe that adds a more bubbly sound. Even others, such as “Watching the Detectives”, have a heavy reggae influence like many punk songs of the time.

While I could probably also endlessly analyze Costello’s vocals, what makes me most impressed with his music is the strong/heavily developed countermelody. I don’t know why the background music strikes me as so compelling today, but I am noticing it as the dominating factor in his music. This is obviously my personal opinion of his music and by no means do I believe that the background music overpowers the vocals or distracts from the lyrical meaning of the songs. I simply believe that Costello has developed the countermelody to a point that it perfectly blends with his voice in order to create an almost perfect fabric of a tune, despite what “type” of song (as mentioned earlier) he chooses. The countermelody is also not highly focused on a specific instrument. Depending on whatever song he is performing, various things come to the forefront. Whether it’s a sick bass line or a wild guitar strum, he creates a great sound. I also like his knack for taking intentional breaks in the rhythm in the middle of songs.

Lastly, Elvis Costello also brought lyricism to a new level. Each of his songs is like an individual narrative poem. Every one of his songs is able to tell a complete story that is unique and intriguing in its own right. Then, when you add wild and awesome music to accompany these amazing lyrics, you get one fantastic song. He covers ideas such from Nazis to incest in a single song! Tell me that isn’t crazy. With these lyrics, he is also able to adopt the idea of punk in his own unique method. While Costello may not “sound” like punk, once again, punk is merely an idea rather than a sound. This idea of rebellion oozes through certain aspects of his songs that makes his music defiant despite a great musical vibe.

Overall, Elvis Costello sounds very UNIQUE in his time period. With the rise of a bunch of classic punk bands having a serious lack of talent, Costello produces music that mashes sounds of the 50s and 60s with biting and insightful lyrics. Sharply contrasting the bad vocals of Patti Smith or the Ramones, Costello shines through as a dominating factor in the music world at this time in the 70s.

Check out some of his songs below: