166 - Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Imperial Bedroom

I was pleasantly surprised by Imperial Bedroom. What was particularly enjoyable is that I found more to like about the album with each listen. On Imperial Bedroom, Elvis has crafted some of his most delicate and intricate pop and torch songs. Many of the songs sound fit into a late-Beatlesesque mold. The instrumentation, lyrics, and song shifts/structures are precise, crafted, and polished (but with lyrics that are wit sharp and cut deep with bitterness). I hear so many of my favorite alt-pop groups/artists in these songs. I do prefer the pop songs over the torch ones.

After a couple of weeks of listening to the album, I haven't broken through from enjoying the music to thinking about it when I'm not listening to it – with an exception for the first track, “Beyond Belief”. Although I really am impressed with most of these songs and frequently will listen to them a couple of times before moving to the next track, I don't have any instances when not listening to Imperial Bedroom that I crave to pop that music on. Basically, I will praise this album and won't criticize it, but apparently it just doesn't click enough to me for me to be passionate? *shrugs* I do think I'm going to purchase this on either CD or vinyl and pull it out when needing background music. I bet roots will take hold in me.

Songs I Knew I Liked: None

Songs I Now Like: “Beyond Belief” (something about the vocals reminds me a lot of OK Go's softer songs), “Man Out of Time,” “...And in Every Home,” “The Loved Ones,” “Human Hands,” “Kid About It,” and “Pidgin English”

Songs I Don't Want to Ever Hear Again: None