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Pure, punchy Elvis
Elvis Costello / Punch The Clock
Lee Rademacher
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Elvis Costello is an artist from whom other bands might want to develop their own sound. It is evident that Costello has some of the better musicians from the rock and roll circle playing for him. The music is not played by four individuals, but a single unit that emanates four different instrumental sounds. Costello's nasal voice has never appealed to me, but he does sing on key which isn't always an attribute in rock vocalists.
Lyrically, the overall concept of the album is incoherent because Costello seems to be writing about experiences only he knows about, and he apparently wants to keep it that way. The song "Shipbuilding" is a slow bluesy tune which has a great trumpet solo by Chet Baker. "The World and His Wife" is about a family that doesn't seem to have it all together, but Costello thinks lightly of it anyway.
Overall, this is a cohesive album. It is not the usual bang bang of guitars and does not have the common high-tech sound that bands such as Duran Duran, The Fixx, and U2 employ, using a lot of echo and reverb on the vocals (these little helpers cover mistakes more than some people realize), over-used synthesizer parts and uncreative drumbeats. Costello has something to give to the music world — music without any of the cosmic additives. Costello is the granola of the music industry. It is pure.
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