When I Was Cruel

Why it matters

After years detouring through Bacharach ballads and string quartets, Elvis Costello walks back into a loud room and slams the door, and 2002 rewards him for it.

"45" opens with a guitar figure that snaps like a turnstile, counting off the vinyl format and the man's own age in one pun, and the whole album keeps that clenched, wired quality. The centerpiece, "When I Was Cruel, No. 2," runs almost seven minutes over a sampled Italian pop loop, Costello hissing accusations across a wedding scene while the beat refuses to resolve. It's the sound of a writer who has learned every trick from his side projects and now uses them to sharpen a rock record rather than smooth it. Menace, not nostalgia, is what carries him home.

Listen

Tracklist

1. 01453:32
2. 02Spooky Girlfriend4:23
3. 03Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)3:32
4. 04When I Was Cruel, No. 27:07
5. 05Soul for Hire3:56
6. 0615 Petals4:01
7. 07Tart4:04
8. 08Dust 2...3:22
9. 09Dissolve2:23
10. 10Alibi6:42
11. 11...Dust3:04
12. 12Daddy Can I Turn This?3:42
13. 13My Little Blue Window3:11
14. 14Episode of Blonde5:02
15. 15Radio Silence4:59