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Punch The Clock
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Gene Triplett
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Elvis Costello is more prolific at cranking out new songs than rabbits are at making new bunnies.
Each successive album has offered from at least a dozen and all the way up to an unprecedented 20 tunes from this British singer-songwriter. But the most impressive thing about Costello's works is that each composition stands on its own with a separate and distinct musical personality.
Working from a basic pop-rock stylistic foundation that some have likened to that of the late Buddy Holly, Costello's incredible catalogue of original songs has reached beyond mere pop confines to envelope elements of jazz and country as well. And while the music was engagingly eclectic and refreshingly experimental at times, his lyrics — whether dealing with social or personal issues — have always been articulate and compelling.
On the 13-song collection Punch the Clock, Costello has outdone himself. This is his most varied and colorful batch of tunes to date, from the frenetic, brass-laden "Let Them All Talk" to the haunting, rolling organ and disturbing lyrical imagery of the slow-flowing "Shipbuilding." Jazz trumpeter Chet Baker adds a stirringly moody solo passage to this latter song.
Then there's the offbeat handclapping and electronic keyboard rhythms of "Pills and Soap" and the danceably soulful jubilance of "The World and His Wife" to balance the overall tone of the proceedings.
The good moments are too numerous to mention here. Suffice it to say this is his liveliest, most unusual and yet most accessible LP. His concert this Saturday at the Zoo Amphitheater should offer a fine sampler.
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