Those records are easily my favorites from that time period, yet I know we are tempting fate. This album is the first in thirteen years to be primarily described as a 'rock' record, and I wondered if time and age were finally going to catch up to the music. Being older, being so far removed, and being focused on telling stories of various characters, there's a steep hill to climb.
The songs we get as previews played right into those expectations. "Farewell, OK", "Magnificent Hurt", and "Paint The Red Rose Blue" are all indeed stripped-down songs that play with the guitar and organ sounds of the old days, but they're written from a decidedly newer (which means older) perspective. There is more than a hint of his Americana raconteur period to the song structures, which loop through verses trying to paint a story, largely absent from the pithy commentary and sly word-play of my favorite songs. Elvis is definitely an influence on my own work, but if this album was the one I discovered him through, that never would have been the case.
The title track has echoes both of "When I Was Cruel", and also "Sunday's Best", but there's an entire section of the vocals slathered with so much echo the words blend into the background noise. That would always be annoying, but it's doubly so when considering it's supposed to be telling us just who the 'boy named If' is supposed to be. A similar thing happens at the start of "Penelope Halfpenny", where Elvis' voice is either pitch-shifted to sound more feminine, or he's red-lined the mic so much only half the performance is coming through. He sounds absolutely terrible in those moments, and while I understand it must have been an artistic decision to make some sort of point, it's hard to listen to, and it makes me want to forget the song even exists.
"The Difference" is an interesting song, taking cues from "Watching The Detectives" in how it utilizes a snaking guitar lead, a story about murder, and an instrumental drop-out as the key line is sung. The acoustic guitar, in particular, sounds fantastic as it introduces the drama. That might be the issue here. The old records sounded raw, but they were the best the limited equipment could do at the time. This record, by contrast, is expertly recorded while trying to sound like it isn't. The artificial distortion and effects don't sound as natural, obviously, and they can be laid on a touch thick at times.
I'm not saying this to be cruel, but to illustrate the difference between this record and "Momofuku". That record was recorded quickly, and sounds like it. It's rough around the edges in a charming way, and the energy of being put together in short order is easy to hear (even when Elvis wasn't giving directions to the band that got left in the mix). This record, though, is trying to capture that same spirit, without quite realizing why or how it happened. The songs are there, but the production is caught between what it is and what it wants to be.
"My Most Beautiful Mistake" might be my favorite song on the record, both because of the more melancholy feeling, but also the contour of the way Elvis spits out the lyrics at the beginning of what I suppose we would call the chorus. The fall and rise catches my ear, even if it isn't exactly a classic Elvis melody. In fact, there aren't any of those to be found here. If you're looking for songs with hooks the kind "Accidents Will Happen", "Shabby Doll", or "Chemistry Class" used to have, this record will let you down. The pop side of Elvis got sanded down and excised many years ago, and this is the record where it would have come in most handy. Many of these songs get right up to the edge, but then can't take the final step.
I mentioned the recent remastering of "This Year's Model", and I want to go back to that. Hearing that record in the new context was like hearing it again for the first time, and I think Elvis had the same feeling. This record, sonically, feels like that new version of the classic. The difference is in the songs, which are still drawing as much from his genre explorations as they do from his early days. It would be foolish to think it possible to go back in time, but when the record is being promoted as a return to rock, it comes with a few expectations. This is rock, but it's not the kind of rock Elvis Costello made his name on. The lead-up to the release made us think one thing, and then we hear another.
So what it comes down to is this; "The Boy Named If" has a few great songs on it, but at least right now I can't get over the feeling Elvis is trying too hard to be something he just isn't anymore. This is probably a record that will grow on me as I get the chance to put these feelings aside and figure out exactly where I think it's coming from, but I can't write about the future. I can only tell you what I think right now, and my current opinion is that while this is his best record since "Momofuku", it's not the flash of inspiration that one was. Let's call this exactly what my modest expectations were bracing for.
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