Elvis Costello – Armed Forces Review

Crucial to any artist, in any genre, is growth. You can chart that from Elvis Costello in the first two decades of his career, the highs and lows offering a series of sincere attempts at reading the mood and reflecting on the world around him. Nowhere does this occur better, aside from Shipbuilding, than on Armed Forces. Costello and The Attractions had roared through with a punk sound and new wave spirit which built on the frenetic energy of the scene with a softer lyrical touch which has allowed Costello to be chameleon-like on stage and in the studio for decades. Armed Forces feels like a more streamlined sound than his previous two albums, but that’s not a bad change at all. Costello is emboldened by a public connecting with his sound, and further still by his message. Early hits like Radio, Radio should have indicated the direction he would take on his best efforts. Deeper, richer meanings to his music is what Armed Forces offers and it still does today.  

You could not ask for a better opening line than the one found on the first track of Armed Forces, Accidents Will Happen. It’s the sincerest call to arms heard from Costello, who suggests starting somewhere and finding your footing as you go is better than never beginning at all. It’s that sentiment which is carried across Armed Forces, a delicate album despite its rock and roll confidence. Accidents Will Happen is among the best of Costello’s work, and it’s hard to muscle your way into that group considering just how many hits he has, let alone hits from this record. Senior Service and Oliver’s Army paint as clear a picture of where Costello’s head is at when it comes to public sentiment. He resents the conflict across the globe but is, as many of his listeners and reviewers remain, clueless on how to rectify it. Speaking out is a step further than saying nothing, and Costello can be applauded for such action.  

He sounds phenomenal here, and instrumentally, it’s a collection of ambitious sounds which stand out well. Oliver’s Army lashes out at the involvement of England in bloody history and horrid warfare, and much of Armed Forces highlights how history has preyed on the beauty of other lands that some, even now, consider their own despite having never stepped foot there. There’s a fascinating hypocrisy at play to the argument that still drives some discussion now, and it’s encapsulated well by some of the more biting songs, like Goon Squad and Two Little Hitlers. Conformity plays its part too, with Green Shirt asking for people to flirt with the idea of individualism, cut out the labels, let the imprint of some new experience stick onto their mind. Truly wonderful writing from Costello but what sells it is the slow, foreboding instrumental build.  

An astounding run from Green Shirt to Busy Bodies highlights just how perfect a read Costello had on the world at the time. He still has those reads and features them with a subtler, almost surrealist impression in later records. Armed Forces has such a bite to it and it’s a sign of Costello’s sensational writing that it remains a relevant read on modern times. Instrumentally clear, lyrically bold, a sincere and pioneering effort to put the world to rights. It’ll never be enough but Costello certainly gets far in that intensity, that attitude necessary for evoking change where it’s needed. Those carnival ride tones on Sunday’s Best do more for Blur than anyone else, the Damon Albarn-fronted group whose sound can be traced back to that song and that alone from Armed Forces. Crucial to any great and historic album is its ongoing influence. You would be hard-pressed to find an album bettering its grip on the intensities and intricacies of the world than Armed Forces.