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Elvis Costello has been on the music scene for about ten years now, and has made quite a few friends. He's also tried quite a bit of different styles of music. But with his latest release Spike, Costello has settled down with one style and called on a few of his friends to help him out.
The first release off the album is "Veronica," a spunky, chipper, and happy tune that Costello co-wrote with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney. This song is very reminiscent of the pop-mod scene popularized in the 60s by groups such as the Beatles, Paul Revere and The Raiders and The Monkees. McCartney also plays bass on this track and on others throughout the album.
Another musical friend to join Elvis Costello on the album is actually an entire group. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, a group of seven Dixieland jazz musicians known for their unique arrangements of popular songs, play on two tracks on the album. One is the instrumental "Stalin Malone" and the other "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror."
The last major track on the album is the slyly cynical "...This Town...." The song has the same upbeat tempo as "Veronica," but underneath lie words that criticize someone. It's not quite evident who "everyone thinks is a bastard," but I know that it probably is not too nice to be on the receiving end of that kind of attack.
After a long time of musical exploration, Elvis Costello has finally found a style that suits his unique voice. I for one hope he continues in this style for at least a few more albums.
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