So why is The Fratellis’ Costello Music on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Costello Music is the third and best album by The Fratellis that I’ll be covering on this here best 1,000 albums ever project. All of them are great, but what’s interesting, when I consider the three albums, is that my overall favorite two songs by The Fratellis happen to be on the other albums: the high energy, catchy groove of “She’s Not Gone Yet But She’s Leaving,” off of We Need Medicine (#674), and the Echo & the Bunnymen-esque “Straggler’s Moon,” off of Here We Stand (#686).
And yet, by was of its #577 placement, Costello Music sits in a slighter better slot than those two albums. That gets into the fun and challenging and occasionally maddening exercise of considering albums as a whole, and then considering them in relation to every other album that band or artist has produced, and more broadly every album every band or artist has ever produced. Like I said, fun!
Like many of The Fratellis’ best songs (see: “She’s Not Gone Yet…”), “Henrietta” is fun with a side of snark (and just a little big naughty), with a very appealing balance of pop and punk influences.
There’s just something about “Chelsea Dagger” that feels like it either should be featured in movies or TV shows. And sure enough, it’s been in a bunch, ranging from Pitch Perfect to Chuck to She’s Out of My League. It’s upbeat and it’s jaunty good fun alt rock-meets-pop punk.
“Flathead” shows off the fact that The Fratellis are masters at crafting hooks and melodies in ways that sound accessible and yet are fresh and exciting at the same time. This is a fast-paced song through and through, but note how the background vocals are used strategically during the chorus to give the song an extra boost (to eleven? I’ll let you decide).
And for confirmation for how good the band’s vocals are, there are some really nice and well crafted sections of “Creepin Up the Backstairs” that are largely a capella harmonizing save for drums as accompaniment.
Some stats & info about The Fratellis – Costello Music
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Alternative Rock, British Bands, Pop Punk
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4 out of 5 stars
- When was Costello Music released? 2007
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #577 out of 1,000
The Fratellis’ Costello Music on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Fratellis’ Costello Music that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Give us a kiss and maybe we can go out – it’s hard to miss you when you follow us about.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.