*** The Beautiful South

QUENCH

(Mercury)

The Beautiful South's Dave Hemingway says his favorite rock lyric is "They call her Natasha when she looks like Elsie." Let me expand on that by saying that anyone who misses the sharp sarcasm, shrugged erudition, and pop glee of early Elvis Costello can sate his or her jones by living with Quench for a couple weeks. With philosophy costumed as pub wit, it picks up where stuff like Get Happy left off. Driven by the signature contrast of lollipop melodies and arsenic lyrics, Quench is the Brit sextet's most irresistible disc since '92's 0898. Their formula hasn't changed: romantic imbalances, political inequity, and existential quandary are still addressed with a nudge and a wink. But what's immediately evident this time around is the advanced studio craft of Paul Heaton and pals. These tracks glisten, the product of a trad-hit maker's ear. They're as tuneful as Elton John and as accusatory as Jon Langford -- a potent juxtaposition in a song that laments the clout of capital, as "Big Coin" does. I guess if you boast enough pop savvy to make a line like "Suicide's just the anarchist that kicks down modesty" roll from the tongue, anything's possible.

-- Jim Macnie