When Bob Dylan broke up with his wife … a few years ago, the world was treated to the introspective and bitter Blood on the Tracks. Although Elvis's personal life is not quite as public (yet) as the Zim's, Armed Forces emerges from roughly the same emotional territory, although in Costello's case, since he was the dumper, not the dumpee, his venomous lyrics are a bit harder to comprehend. Of course, as the Sultan of Spite, Elvis has a reputation to protect, but you have to wonder about the emotional actions of someone who feeds on anger and frustration. Most of us wait for trouble to find us, but not Elvis—he runs right out and creates his own. Interesting endothermic lifestyle….

In Elvis's case, you can sense the specificness of his subject matter, but there aren't enough clues to jigsaw the puzzle together. The fact that the guy's...