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As its title suggests and as advance word on this album has alluded, When I Was Cruel is supposed to be a return to Costello's post-punk roots. He even suggests as much on the album-opening "45," an exquisite blast of vintage Attractions-style pop 'n' roll. "Here's a song to do the measuring," he sings, as if peeling back the years were a mission statement.
Of course, Costello is hardly that transparent. "Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)" bears a mile-wide grin under its fluid groove, while "Dissolve" harks back to Costello's truly dark days of the early '90s, where "birds all fly from the branches in a panic."
The personnel gets shaken up here as well, with former John Hiatt bassist Davey Faragher replacing Bruce Thomas in what would otherwise be a full reunion of Costello's famed Attractions. (Ironically, Faragher and Attraction drummer Pete Thomas played Lexington in March backing up, of all people, Vonda Shepard.)
The album's tastiest time-tripping, though, emerges on "Tart," where the singer coos, "Would it kill you to show us a little sweetness?" under Cruel's most scorched melody. But that's Costello for you. He acts cruel but yearns for the sweet. Such sentiment dominates the record, making this year's Costello seem anything but nostalgic.
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