Hey Clockface
Studio album by
Elvis Costello
Released30 October 2020
Recorded2019–February 2020
StudioSuomenlinnan Studio, Helsinki; Les Studios Saint Germain, Paris; Leonia Sound, New Jersey
Genre
Length49:52
LabelConcord
Producer
Elvis Costello chronology
Look Now
(2018)		 Hey Clockface
(2020)		 The Boy Named If
(2022)

Hey Clockface is the 31st studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 30 October 2020 by Concord Records.[2][3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The Independent[6]
musicOMH[7]
The Observer[8]
Pitchfork7.5/10[1]
The Telegraph[9]

Hey Clockface received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 78, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 9 reviews.[4]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave Hey Clockface a positive 4-star review, stating that the record shows "Costello's mastery of mood and storytelling".[5] Writing for Pitchfork, Daniel Felsenthal noted that Hey Clockface merges the "potentially divergent sensibilities" of "driving, ageless rock" and "conventions of the American songbook" into "an adventurous set of songs about time's ceaseless march....Alone, either style might have seemed like predictable genre play for Costello at this stage in his career, but together, they make for an album that's energetic and consistently surprising."[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Elvis Costello, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Revolution #49" 2:41
2."No Flag" 3:56
3."They're Not Laughing at Me Now" 4:26
4."Newspaper Pane"
4:10
5."I Do (Zula's Song)" 3:49
6."We Are All Cowards Now" 3:36
7."Hey Clockface / How Can You Face Me?"
2:56
8."The Whirlwind" 3:17
9."Hetty O'Hara Confidential" 4:14
10."The Last Confession of Vivian Whip"
2:59
11."What Is It That I Need That I Don't Already Have?" 3:46
12."Radio Is Everything"
4:25
13."I Can't Say Her Name" 2:57
14."Byline" 2:40
Total length:49:52
Japanese edition (bonus track)[11]
No.TitleLength
15."Phonographic Memory"4:05
Total length:54:04

Personnel

Helsinki recordings (tracks 2, 6, 9)

  • Elvis Costello – all voices and instruments

Paris recordings (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14)

  • Elvis Costello – voice, guitar, snare drum, bass, piano

Le Quintette Saint Germain:

  • Steve Nieve – grand piano, upright piano, organ, mellotron, melodica
  • Mickaël Gasche – trumpet, flugelhorn, serpent
  • Renaud-Gabriel Pion – contrabass clarinet, bass clarinet, Bb clarinet, tenor saxophone, bass flute, cor Anglais
  • Pierre-François "Titi" Dufour – cello, foot stomps
  • AJUQ – drums, percussion, harmonies

New York recordings (tracks 4 and 12)

  • Elvis Costello – voice via electrical wire
  • Michael Leonhart – trumpet, drums, guitar, synthesizer, bass, organ, trombone, piano, surdu
  • Bill Frisell – guitar, loops
  • Nels Cline – guitar
  • Nick Movshon – drums
  • Emily Hope-Price – cello
  • Chris Bullock – alto flute
  • Danton Boller – acoustic bass fill

Charts

Chart performance for Hey Clockface
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] 166
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 91
Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] 15
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 88
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 39

References

  1. 1 2 "Elvis Costello – Hey Clockface". Pitchfork. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "Elvis Costello Announces New Album Hey Clockface, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Hey Clockface by Elvis Costello". Apple Music. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Hey Clockface by Elvis Costello Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  5. 1 2 Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Hey Clockface - Elvis Costello". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "Album reviews: Bring Me the Horizon, Elvis Costello and Eels". The Independent. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "Elvis Costello – Hey Clockface". musicOMH. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "Elvis Costello: Hey Clockface review – worthy of your time". The Observer. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Elvis Costello, Hey Clockface, review: a hot, defiant mess to rouse us out of lockdown". The Telegraph. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  10. ↑ Felsenthal, Daniel (4 November 2020). "Hey Clockface Elvis Costello". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  11. ↑ "ヘイ・クロックフェイス [SHM-CD][CD]" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Elvis Costello – Hey Clockface" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Elvis Costello – Hey Clockface" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  14. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Elvis Costello – Hey Clockface" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  15. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Elvis Costello – Hey Clockface". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
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