|
MOMOFUKU
Elvis Costello
Lost Highway/Universal
4 stars
Elvis Costello does things differently.
A couple of months ago, he went down to Los Angeles to guest on a new solo record by Jenny Lewis, the singer in Rilo Kiley. He got inspired, wrote a bunch of songs, called in his bandmates, then recorded his own record in six days.
Two weeks ago, the record was released without any fanfare or hype - but only as a vinyl LP and digital download. This week it comes out on compact disc, still without any fanfare or hype.
Given the bang-bang way it came together, it's not all that surprising that it's a bit of a bang-bang record: Elvis is back in rock and roll mode.
Well, at least on some songs - Elvis Costello records tend to be stylistically varied. The opening No Hiding Place is a stomper with a wicked guitar line, while the raucous American Gangster Time could be an outtake from This Year's Model, propelled by some wonderful new wave-'60s organ from Steve Neive. The nastiest number is Stella Hurt, which is as gnarly and lowdown as anything Costello has ever recorded.
On the flip side, volume-wise, there's a lovely ballad about fatherhood called My Three Sons which features Elvis at his most tender and lyrically direct. Song With Rose (co-written by Rosanne Cash) has a majestic feel enhanced by the use of 12-string and steel guitar, while Pardon Me Madam, My Name Is Eve is a slinky, slow-burning ballad (the title came from Loretta Lynn, who Elvis recently wrote some songs with).
Jenny Lewis chips in some harmonies, and her band joins Costello's Imposters on a couple of songs, making for a nine-piece ensemble (a nonet). In a release Elvis describes the resulting sound as "a fine old noise," an apt description for all of Momofuku.
| 
