Elvis is alive! No, not that one; I'm talking about Elvis Costello. The king of post-punk pop returns, after a two-year hiatus from an exhausting recording career, with a deceivingly slick collection of quirky, but viciously candid songs called Spike.
Costello hits his stride early with the album's opener "This Town," a tangled tale of three pitiful caricatures, victims of their own pettiness. The chorus is a quick reminder that Costello's snotty attitude is intact.
A real murder case is the basis of "Let Him Dangle." The tune points out the absurdity of the warped sense of justice that permeates our society, posing the question, "If killing anybody is a terrible crime / Why does this bloodthirsty chorus come 'round from time to time."
Dropping his long-time band, The Attractions, in favor of a number of guest musicians, Spike achieves a sound that from track to track covers a wide range of genres. One of the better known of these artists happens to be Paul McCartney, who shares writing credits on two of the songs.
McCartney's light-hearted melodies and Costello's black humor on "Veronica" and "Pads, Paws and Claws" provide a deceptively rewarding coupling of talent.
"Tramp the Dirt Down" is a brutal attack upon Margaret Thatcher. It pulls out all the stops claiming that "When England was the whore of the world / Margaret was her madam." The tune is shocking with its excessive abuse of England's prime minister.
The most fulfilling track is "Satellite." With the assistance of Chrissie Hynde on back-up vocals, Costello creates an eloquent ballad contemplating massive technological innovations and their dehumanizing effects. With its commercially palatable simplicity this just may be the tune that will allow the general public to become familiar with the other Elvis.
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band lends a hand primarily on "Stalin Malone," an instrumental for which the liner notes provide lyrics that are never used.
In all, Spike contains 15 tracks, each a gem with varying shades of sardonic wit. Costello balances episodes of distressing angst and smirky sarcasm, before throwing in the occasional bizarre twist that puts everything in a different light.
Costello has said that Spike is titled as a tribute to the great musical comedian, Spike Jones. But after cutting through the glossy and eclectic exterior, it becomes clear that the joke is on you and me, or all of humanity for that matter.
In one swipe, it both glorifies and scrutinizes that awesome paradox we call human nature. With Spike, Costello recaptures the crown of bittersweet irony that he wears so well.
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