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I couldn't recommend this more highly. Each song has that tightness that doesn't come off as contrived, or worked for.which in a way also makes it sound loose in the best way.(For example, on "Flutter and Wow," in the middle of the song, Elvis shouts 'To the bridge.' and the band follows him seamlessly. Momofuku, Costello's 2008 release, proves that over and over again. Elvis Costello and the Imposters (the Attractions minus Bruce Thomas plus Davy Farragher on bass) is clearly hitting it's stride as a band on Momofuku. It's very much an album of 2008, and it's fully integrated throughout.
The rockers sit comfortable next to the ballads which sit comfortably next to the occasional folky song; none of which seem incongruous next to the noisy experimentation of "Stella Hurt." Momofuku is, in many ways, a synthesis of all that's kept Elvis Costello among the greats for years, and that's due not just to the writer, but to the Imposters, who have an identity all their own. From the opening crash-tastic "No Hiding Place," in which Elvis and Pete hit the same relentless beat over and over again to Steve's organ stylings on "American Gangster Time" the album at once has a tightness that only players who know each other very very well can achieve. Elvis Costello and the Attractions were at their best from 78-86, when they played together so much that they grew as a band. It's a great moment on an album full of great moments).However, this isn't This Year's Model II, or Blood & Chocolate Redux. And those are only the first two songs.Throughout the album, Costello's writing is also topnotch--his wordplay is excellent as always, and his melodies are strong. The jury, which was probably never out, is officially in: Steve Nieve is the most simpatico keyboardist that Elvis Costello has ever played with, and Pete Thomas is the drummer with the best fit.
It's also refreshing to see that he's not embracing a certain form of music (as he's done in the past), or striving to reconstruct sounds from his past (which he's also done on occasion). It's Elvis Costello as he is now, with twenty-plus years of playing and influences between him and those sessions.
I will always love the guy, but his wad is blown, and I don't know why he can't see it. There isn't a compelling song in the lot. The last great album from him came out in 1996, and this is the 9th since then. There are many a five star review of this album here, and I can't imagine why. Sorry, Elvis has left the building. This looks and feels like the one off that it is, quickly recorded and sped into the market.
That's a lot of cash gone that would have been better spent. I am a life long Elvis fan who just about everything that he has ever produced, and this may be the last album I buy from him, he has gone from must-have to disappointing. If this gets 5 stars what do you give his great albums like Get Happy, My Aim is True or All this Useless Beauty. This can't even come close to The Delivery Man, and that was just a so-so effort.
But when you see the enclosed card the download expired. Warning: If you purchase this album on vinyl it says on the cover mp3 download of the full album available. It is not noted on the outside of the album.
You can hear the talent in there but the delivery is just unlistenable. Elvis, at this point, seems a bit like the Stephen Spielberg of alt rock music (with Mr. So what else is new. In fact, this is the kind of thing that he's taken others for task for over the years. He needs to take a page out of Nick's playbook and only release something after it's been groomed and nurtured, not sprayed with liquid fertilizer and shrink-wrapped while the stench is still wafting out of the studio. Elvis peaked with Spike, slipped a notch with Mighty Like A Rose and then flipped us off with what coulda been with When I Was Cruel. Certainly explains this snooze-fest. Unless he's trying to groom new fans, those who prefer absinthe to caffeine.
Spielberg getting the worst of this comparision - he's still turning out quality work): He was never recognized or appreciated by the "establishment" when he did his best work and, now that he's getting some kudos, he's just running from award dinner to tv appearance to recording session, cashing in on his newfound admittance to "What's Shakin' on the Hill". Since then, it's been like listening to Shatner read Robert Frost. Elvis, by his own admission, did not spend a lot of time on this collection of recordings. As a life-long fan, I find that very insulting, by the way. Yep, that's a nod to his good friend Nick Lowe's latest release.
Two disappointed stars. This album lacks the discipline that comes from this practice - it just sort of meanders through the sounds of albums past. Sorry Elvis. One of the things I've always enjoyed about Elvis' music is the "integrity of the album" - broadly speaking each album had its own sound, its own comprehensive style, and sometimes an overarching theme. This is a syrupy, auto-pilot, rhyming dictionary track that serves no purpose. The twins are too young to be amused by its banality and Matt is probably embarrassed as he envisions his father singing this in 15 years in some backwater casino with his keyboard on "lounge" setting.Listenable, certainly. I'm wondering if you are just sick of it all, or if you are simply getting lazy. going through the motions.
Many of the tracks sound like leftovers from "Brutal Youth," although "Mr. But not a worthy effort for this artist. With Momofuku, Elvis serves up a bland, thin broth brimming with leftovers.Okay, I'm a lifelong fan who has spent thousands on Elvis albums, concert tickets, and associated travel. Like when you stumbled over some lyrics at a concert a couple years ago because your mind was clearly elsewhere. Feathers" clearly bears the fingerprints of "Spike" and Paul McCartney's influence.Perhaps "My Three Sons" ruptured the trust developed over the years.
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