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Peace In Our Time / Withered And Died
The Imposter
Mark Moses
More and more, Elvis "The Imposter" Costello's flair for curt provocation seems in conflict with his ongoing love of songwriting craft. No doubt this is a good single, smart and trenchant — but it's also hedged. The cold-war setting of the A-side dissipates when Costello forsakes the homely details of his native Europe for wayward stabs at the American election: he's at ease exposing the political repercussions in mundane acts rather than chasing after the grand statement. The song's sad sway and graceful trumpet — part dirge, part national anthem — carry him along nonetheless. The B-side's nod to Richard Thompson (a songwriter in whom tradition coexists with acuity) is a laudable gesture and a memento of Costello's acoustic tour, but Linda Thompson's rippling, bottomless vocal on the original shames Costello both as small-town complainer and world-class singer.
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