Yale Daily News, October 28, 1983: Difference between revisions
(+text part 1) |
(+text part 3.) |
||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
The theme of this album is betrayal, but its mood is positive and undefeated, and most of the songs are upbeat and optimiistic, in a bizarre Elvis Costello sort of way. ''Punch the Clock'' seems the appropriate next step in the maturing of Costello, from the hostility and anger of his early albums, to the depressed ''Bedroom'', up to this, an enthusiastic and knowing assortment of great music. | The theme of this album is betrayal, but its mood is positive and undefeated, and most of the songs are upbeat and optimiistic, in a bizarre Elvis Costello sort of way. ''Punch the Clock'' seems the appropriate next step in the maturing of Costello, from the hostility and anger of his early albums, to the depressed ''Bedroom'', up to this, an enthusiastic and knowing assortment of great music. | ||
Many of the songs on this album are extensively orchestrated, perhaps too much so for some Costello fans, who might find the heavy use of horns too much of a big band sound and too far from the sparse songs of the early Elvis. | |||
But the classical Costello hallmarks are all there, in his ironic, perfectly crafted lyrics. The words are often bitter, in surprising contrast to the upbeat melodies. ''"I wish you luck with a capital F"'' he croons, in "Love Went Mad," an aggressive and syncopated number. All Costello's songs demand more than one listening to catch his triple (or more) entendres and hidden ironies. ''"I'll write this story down, but you'll never guess the / Final twist"'' he sings and it applies to his own music as well as the song's story. | |||
Costello's music is always unpredictable. He plays on words and fits them to the music in unexpected ways. He is always clever, but never at the expense of the music. ''"They come from lovely people with a hard line in hypocrisy / There are ashtrays of emotion for the fag ends of the aristocracy,"'' he says, in a typical Costello creation: biting, ironic and right on target | |||
Melodies have always been a strong point in Costello's music. and ''Punch the Clock'' is no exception. There are all kinds of tunes, from the punchy, syncopated "The Greatest Thing" to the laid-back love-song-with-a-twist "The Element Within Her," to the wistful ballad "Shipbuilding," a disillusioned lament of betrayal and war. | |||
{{cx}} | {{cx}} | ||
| Line 21: | Line 30: | ||
{{rttc}} | {{rttc}} | ||
Revision as of 22:44, 20 April 2015
|
