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Spike, the latest album by rock 'n' roll's true king, Elvis Costello, finds "the beloved entertainer" looking out more than in lyrically, and forward musically.
Known throughout his career for clever, wordy, and witty lyrics about such personal subjects that sometimes no one but him knows what they're about, with Spike Costello tends to aim his witticisms more towards the outside world, in the form of little musical narrations.
Musically, this album features an incredibly large list of musicians, playing a very diverse list of instruments. Often the combinations are interesting, too, and it all adds up to become a varied, ambitious album.
The first song, "...This Town..." features three very big Macs — Roger McGuinn, Paul McCartney and Declan MacManus. McGuinn plays 12-string electric guitar, McCartney plays bass (think it might be a catchy song?), while MacManus (a.k.a. Costello) sings about entrepreneurial scum: "Mr. Getgood moved up to Self-Made Man Row / Though he swears that he's the salt of the earth / He's so proud of the 'kick-me-hard' sign that they hung on his back at birth."
In verse three there is some traditional Costello witty perversion: "They made love while she was changing her dress / She wiped him off, she wiped him out and then she made him confess."
Two songs on Spike were actually co-written by McCartney, although there's probably a tendency to make too big of a deal out of this. When you team up a songwriter who's consistently put out great stuff over the last decade (Costello), with a songwriter who has consistently put out sugary pap over the last decade (the other guy), and the results are two good songs, who probably deserves more of the credit?
McCartney does make his presence felt, though, especially on side one with "Veronica." With its incredibly catchy poppiness and its faraway horns, it sounds a little bit like Elvis Costello meets Sgt. Pepper.
The other most notable Spike songs are found on side one as well.
"Let Him Dangle" is a strange, twisted capital punishment tale, based on a actual crime. Only Elvis could do a capital punishment song like this without sounding like a fool. "Dangle" also adds musicians like Marc Ribot and Michael Blair (Tom Waits), and Benmont Tench.
Also on side one is the hilarious "God's Comic," about a comedic, drunken priest, "With a joke for the flock and a hand up your fleece."
Side two gets a little long, slow and drawn out during certain songs to hold the listener's interest the way side one does, but it isn't without some fine songs.
The other co-McCartney song is here, "Pads, Paws and Claws," featuring a backwards, turned-inside out rockabilly beat.
Also on side two is "Baby Plays Around," written mostly by Costello's girlfriend, Cait O'Riordan. Elvis performs it solo, with vocals, bass pedals, and sparse acoustic guitar.
Overall, Spike simply features plenty of pure Costello. He takes on some big issues, he takes on some personal issues, and he tells some good stories, being by turns obnoxious, offensive, thoughtful and a little perverted.
In the end the only question to ask about a new Elvis Costello album: How many great songs does it have? Well, Spike has plenty, with fresh-sounding music to boot.
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