12.30.2021
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS – THE BOY NAMED IF
Record Collector: Daryl Easlea: 30th December 2021
Elvis Costello’s 32nd album, titled The Boy Named If, underlines why he is one of Britain’s greatest songwriters. It continues the purple patch that began with 2018’s Look Now with a level of intensity and focus that recalls his commercial and critical zenith at the turn of the 80s. Co-produced by Costello alongside the US-Argentinian engineer and producer Sebastian Krys, the record’s full title is The Boy Named If (And Other Children’s Stories). As Costello explains, “‘If’ is a nickname for your imaginary friend; your secret self, the one who knows everything you deny, the one you blame for the shattered crockery and the hearts you break, even your own.”