Elvis Finds His Attractions

There was a period of time, somewhere around the late 1970s, where a slew of young, British singers were deemed angry and geeky. And it was a combination that just worked so well. Acts like Graham Parker and Joe Jackson and some guy named Declan MacManus. You know him better as Elvis Costello.

On this day in 1978, Costello released his second album (and the first recorded with his famous backing band The Attractions), This Year’s Model.

Produced by Nick Lowe, This Year’s Model is comprised largely of leftovers from Costello’s debut My Aim Is True and the tour which followed. While the debut featured a more retro sound, this album leans more towards punk, with the Attractions adding a reckless rock edge.

Dig deeper than the most popular song, “Pump It Up” and you’ll find a mature songwriter for someone just 24-years old. And that band! While Costello was clearly on his way to becoming one of the era's most prolific genre jumpers, making R&B, country, baroque pop and Americana albums over the next decade, This Year's Model serves as Costello's model, the record that introduced Steve Nieve's defining keyboard riffs and fills, a sturdier musical backing (the bass and drums were so tight and kicking) and Costello's sneering vocals – all of which would find their way in and out of various albums over the years.

Favorites of mine include “(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea”, “Litter Triggers” (a soulful, subdued track) and the opening track “No Action”. It’s brash, angry without screaming and just the right amount of pop. My favorite however is the song "The Beat" - It's sunny sound quickly turns dark when vigilantes start following him on summer holiday within the first two lines.

The influences that factor into Costello’s second release are subtle - It’s easy to just see the angry, young punk but listen closely for Beatles, Dylan and even Tom Petty (Costello admitted in his 2015 that “Lipstick Vogue” was inspired by Petty’s “American Girl”).

The Village Voice voted this Best Album of 1978 and Robert Smith of The Cure has said it’s one of his favorite albums of all time.