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By this time, Elvis Costello is a known quantity, and you either love his verbal wit or hate his venomous attacks, no matter how beautiful the melody or how subtle the arrangement.
Spike, Costello's 12th album in 12 years, first new album in two years and his first for a new label (Warner Bros. Records, to whom he jumped last year after a decade as a moderately successful act on Columbia) may not change that, but it should give the doubters pause.
That's because although Spike holds all the verbal wit and melodic verve that his fans love, it also sounds like nothing he's done before. Recording in London, Dublin, New Orleans and Hollywood, Costello brings together a number of different styles, from New Orleans shuffle to Irish folk to gritty funk, and combines them with his own unique blend of folk/country and mainstream pop in a way that they don't step on each other's toes.
For his label debut Costello has again left his regular recording and touring trio, the Attractions, at home in England and has taken up with an assortment of musicians that range from New Orleans' Dirty Dozen Brass Band to songwriting buddy/melodic role model Paul McCartney, who co-wrote and plays bass on two songs, to co-producer T Bone Burnett's stable of Los Angeles studio players.
Side one roams through the Costello canon, from the blurry guitar pop of the opener "...This Town..." and "Veronica" to the hard-edged Louisiana stomp of "Let Him Dangle" and "Chewing Gum" to the folkier "God's Comic" and "Tramp the Dirt Down." Through it all, he fits these conflicting styles together beautifully, combining his fascination with folk idiom (circa King of America) and Beatle-era pop to much better effect than on his last album, Blood & Chocolate.
Lyrically, of course, he's all over the place, drawing on the deep well of resentment and contempt he's drawn on for more than a decade. Love equals betrayal ("Baby Plays Around," "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror"), politics and power are invariably evil (the anti-Thatcher "Tramp the Dirt Down" and the anti-capital punishment "Let Him Dangle"! and society in general is perverse ("...This Town..."). Even God himself is a bit of a lout ("God's Comic").
Which is all good fun when you feel the same way, or can handle the relentless cynicism and despair when you don't. But it can be wearying, as when the rapid-fire lyrics of "...This Town..." get lost in the music.
But musically, Spike is the best Costello has produced since 1982's Imperial Bedroom.
His personality still shines brightly, even harshly, which may keep away listeners who've been put off. But if ever his music has reached out to the world beyond Costello fans, this is the album.
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