For most of his career after this debut, Costello kept a wry distance, sounding arch and self-aware, making music about the kind of music he was making. But here he's just making music! There's legitimate bile and frustration set to bouncy pub rock, an angry young man in the tradition of Nick Lowe and Graham Parker.
Don't be fooled - early on, Elvis C. the man was arguably a punk rocker, but there's only the barest whiff of punk on the album. Instead, this is tuneful, minimally threatening, mildly abrasive rock and roll played by a tight, rough little band, occasionally boring (Blame it on Cain), occasionally thrilling (Mystery Dance), and mostly somewhere in between 3.5/5
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