Rolling Stone, November 27, 2018: Difference between revisions

From The Elvis Costello Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
m (update "previous" in browser)
(formatting +category +index link / standardize quotes, apostrophes)
 
Line 2: Line 2:
{{:Bibliography index}}
{{:Bibliography index}}
{{:Rolling Stone index}}
{{:Rolling Stone index}}
{{:US rock magazines index}}
{{Bibliography article header}}
{{Bibliography article header}}
<Center>Real Life Rock Top Ten</center>
<center><h3> Elvis Costello’s deep dark truthful mirror </h3></center>
<center><h3> Elvis Costello’s deep dark truthful mirror </h3></center>
----
----
<center> Greil Marcus</center>
<center> Greil Marcus </center>
----
----
'''“Real Life Rock Top Ten” is a monthly column by cultural critic and RS contributing editor Greil Marcus.
'''Elvis Costello & The Imposters <br>
'''''Look Now'', with ''Regarde Maintenant'' EP <br>
'''Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis
{{Bibliography text}}
{{Bibliography text}}
'''Elvis Costello and the Imposters, ''Look Now'', with “''Regarde maintenant''” EP (Concord), and at Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota (November 15th).'''<br> ''Look Now'' is 12 songs baked in a cake. Even with a 14-piece string section on the last track, the four songs on the EP that comes with the expanded edition aren’t burdened by the curlicues and sprinkles of the album numbers. The gem of the entire enterprise, from the EP, is “The Final Mrs. Curtain.” A gauzy, disorienting melody leads you into a story that takes place somewhere in the half-worlds of, say, Cole Porter’s “Miss Otis Regrets” and Costello’s own “Sleep of the Just” and “My Dark Life.” It’s not altogether clear who the murderer is, or the victim, or how many there are. The mood isn’t menacing. It’s not any kind of satire, but an untangling of the pun in the title as if it were a clue — to some other mystery, maybe.


Despite a request, Costello didn’t play the tune in Minneapolis. For a crowd of more than 2,500 where it was hard to spot anyone under 40, he opened with a harsh “This Year’s Girl” that couldn’t break through the echoey, muddy sound; brought songs from Look Now down to earth, and ended the 11-song encore set with (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”. The performance I’ll keep thinking about was “Deep Dark Truthful Mirror,which turned into the kind of epic “I Want You” once was: a performance that can come back and trip you up, change your day, invading your memory without warning, and a song that, as a performance, felt as if it could go on forever without exhausting what it had to say. I have no idea how long the song was this night — six minutes? Ten? — but it dwarfed everything else Costello played. As it went on, his voice got bigger, then seemed to double in reach, range, intensity and desire — desire for the song itself, desire for the mirror to reveal all his secrets, or all of yours. It wasn’t a scary prospect. When the song did end, it felt as if he should have gone right into part two.
''Look Now'' is 12 songs baked in a cake. Even with a 14-piece string section on the last track, the four songs on the EP that comes with the expanded edition aren't burdened by the curlicues and sprinkles of the album numbers. The gem of the entire enterprise, from the EP, is "The Final Mrs. Curtain." A gauzy, disorienting melody leads you into a story that takes place somewhere in the half-worlds of, say, Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets" and Costello's own "Sleep of the Just" and "My Dark Life." It's not altogether clear who the murderer is, or the victim, or how many there are. The mood isn't menacing. It's not any kind of satire, but an untangling of the pun in the title as if it were a clue — to some other mystery, maybe.
 
Despite a request, Costello didn't play the tune in Minneapolis. For a crowd of more than 2,500 where it was hard to spot anyone under 40, he opened with a harsh "This Year's Girl" that couldn't break through the echoey, muddy sound; brought songs from ''Look Now'' down to earth, and ended the 11-song encore set with "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding."
 
The performance I'll keep thinking about was "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," which turned into the kind of epic "I Want You" once was: a performance that can come back and trip you up, change your day, invading your memory without warning, and a song that, as a performance, felt as if it could go on forever without exhausting what it had to say. I have no idea how long the song was this night — six minutes? Ten? — but it dwarfed everything else Costello played. As it went on, his voice got bigger, then seemed to double in reach, range, intensity and desire — desire for the song itself, desire for the mirror to reveal all his secrets, or all of yours. It wasn't a scary prospect. When the song did end, it felt as if he should have gone right into part two.
 
{{cx}}  
{{cx}}  
{{Tags}}[[Look Now]] {{-}} [[Regarde Maintenant]] {{-}} [[The Final Mrs. Curtain]] {{-}} [[Sleep Of The Just]] {{-}} [[My Dark Life]] {{-}} [[Cole Porter]] {{-}} [[This Year's Girl]] {{-}} [[(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?]] {{-}} [[Deep Dark Truthful Mirror]] [[I Want You]] {{-}} [[The Imposters]] {{-}} [[Briana Lee]] {{-}} [[Kitten Kuroi]]  
 
'''''Real Life Rock Top Ten'' is a monthly column by cultural critic and ''RS'' contributing editor Greil Marcus.
 
{{Tags}}[[Look Now]] {{-}} [[Regarde Maintenant]] {{-}} [[The Imposters]] {{-}} [[Steve Nieve]] {{-}} [[Davey Faragher]] {{-}} [[Pete Thomas]] {{-}} [[Kitten Kuroi]] {{-}} [[Briana Lee]] {{-}} [[Minneapolis]] {{-}} [[Northrop Auditorium]] {{-}} [[The Final Mrs. Curtain]] {{-}} [[Sleep Of The Just]] {{-}} [[My Dark Life]] {{-}} [[Cole Porter]] {{-}} [[This Year's Girl]] {{-}} [[(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?]] {{-}} [[Deep Dark Truthful Mirror]] {{-}} [[I Want You]]


{{cx}}
{{cx}}
Line 27: Line 36:
'''Rolling Stone, November 27, 2018
'''Rolling Stone, November 27, 2018
----
----
[[Greil Marcus]] reviews ''[[Look Now]]'' and Elvis Costello and the Imposters with Briana Lee and Kitten Kuroi on Thursday, [[Concert 2018-11-15 Minneapolis|November 15, 2018]], at Northrup Auditorium, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
[[Greil Marcus]] reviews ''[[Look Now]]'' and reports briefly on Elvis Costello & [[The Imposters]] with [[Briana Lee]] and [[Kitten Kuroi]], Thursday, [[Concert 2018-11-15 Minneapolis|November 15, 2018]], Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.


{{Bibliography images}}
{{Bibliography images}}


[[image:2018-11-27 Rolling Stone ml.jpg|180px|border|Look Now]]<br>
[[image:2018-11-27 Rolling Stone photo 01 ml.jpg|180px|border]]
<small>Photo by [[Matt Licari]].</small><br>
<br><small>Photo by [[Matt Licari]].</small>


{{Bibliography notes footer}}
{{Bibliography notes footer}}
Line 49: Line 58:
[[Category:Album reviews]]
[[Category:Album reviews]]
[[Category:Look Now reviews]]
[[Category:Look Now reviews]]
[[Category:Concert reviews]]
[[Category:2018 concert reviews]]
[[Category:2018 concert reviews]]
[[Category:Look Now And Then Tour|~Rolling Stone 2018-11-27]]

Latest revision as of 19:04, 15 December 2019

... Bibliography ...
727677787980818283
848586878889909192
939495969798990001
020304050607080910
111213141516171819
202122232425 26 27 28


Rolling Stone

US rock magazines

-

Elvis Costello’s deep dark truthful mirror


Greil Marcus

Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Look Now, with Regarde Maintenant EP
Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis

Look Now is 12 songs baked in a cake. Even with a 14-piece string section on the last track, the four songs on the EP that comes with the expanded edition aren't burdened by the curlicues and sprinkles of the album numbers. The gem of the entire enterprise, from the EP, is "The Final Mrs. Curtain." A gauzy, disorienting melody leads you into a story that takes place somewhere in the half-worlds of, say, Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets" and Costello's own "Sleep of the Just" and "My Dark Life." It's not altogether clear who the murderer is, or the victim, or how many there are. The mood isn't menacing. It's not any kind of satire, but an untangling of the pun in the title as if it were a clue — to some other mystery, maybe.

Despite a request, Costello didn't play the tune in Minneapolis. For a crowd of more than 2,500 where it was hard to spot anyone under 40, he opened with a harsh "This Year's Girl" that couldn't break through the echoey, muddy sound; brought songs from Look Now down to earth, and ended the 11-song encore set with "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding."

The performance I'll keep thinking about was "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," which turned into the kind of epic "I Want You" once was: a performance that can come back and trip you up, change your day, invading your memory without warning, and a song that, as a performance, felt as if it could go on forever without exhausting what it had to say. I have no idea how long the song was this night — six minutes? Ten? — but it dwarfed everything else Costello played. As it went on, his voice got bigger, then seemed to double in reach, range, intensity and desire — desire for the song itself, desire for the mirror to reveal all his secrets, or all of yours. It wasn't a scary prospect. When the song did end, it felt as if he should have gone right into part two.

Real Life Rock Top Ten is a monthly column by cultural critic and RS contributing editor Greil Marcus.


Tags: Look NowRegarde MaintenantThe ImpostersSteve NieveDavey FaragherPete ThomasKitten KuroiBriana LeeMinneapolisNorthrop AuditoriumThe Final Mrs. CurtainSleep Of The JustMy Dark LifeCole PorterThis Year's Girl(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?Deep Dark Truthful MirrorI Want You

-
<< >>

Rolling Stone, November 27, 2018


Greil Marcus reviews Look Now and reports briefly on Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Briana Lee and Kitten Kuroi, Thursday, November 15, 2018, Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Images

2018-11-27 Rolling Stone photo 01 ml.jpg
Photo by Matt Licari.

-



Back to top

External links