The most furious record Costello has ever made in a career that's not short of fury, Blood & Chocolate is the sound of everything exploding. The band — the Attractions, augmented by returned producer Nick Lowe — plays like they want to kill each other (which they pretty much did): The opener, "Uncomplicated," is basically a cross between Howlin' Wolf and a brutal beating. Elvis sings like he wants to drown somebody in spittle, one drop at a time. And the songs are emotionally vicious: Their lyrics are generally the kind of thing you say to somebody that you not only never want to see again, but who you wish would curl up and die somewhere. (The archetypal E.C. and the A's song title: "I Hope You're Happy Now." Sample couplet from it: "He's acting innocent and proud, still you know what he's after/ Like a matador with his pork sword, while we all die of laughter." Ouch.)

Naturally, Costello wrote some of his catchiest melodies to soak up all that venom: "Next Time 'Round," "Blue Chair" and "Crimes of Paris" would all be genuinely pretty, if not for the bright-blue veins popping out of their performances' forehead. Only "Poor… read more »