SOUNDTRACK: ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE IMPOSTERS-Momofuku (2008).
I’ve enjoyed Elvis Costello for many years. I’m not a die hard fan, but his Best of is often in play in our house. I got into a little phase where I was buying a bunch of his things, but that has more or less subsided now. And, since he has become somewhat more classically oriented I’ve basically just stopped listening. So, when I heard that on this release he was returning to his rocking days, well, I figured I’d give it a go.
My initial reaction was somewhat muted as I thought I’d be getting a whole disc of “Pump It Up”s and “Oliver’s Army,” which you don’t. But what you do get is almost 
a condensation of his albums from My Aim is True through to about Spike (a long period, granted, but it makes sense).
The album opens with a few rocking tracks that hearken back to his earlier punkier songs. Although “No Hiding Place” sounds “fuller” than his 1970s records, it doesn’t sound out of place with classic tracks. But really, it’s “American Gangster Time” that brings back that classic Costello organ sound. This track could have been written thirty years ago and would easily fit on any Best Of. “Harry Worth” hearkens back to Costello’s ballads. It’s a bit less punchy than say “Everyday I Write the Book,” but the wit is in high marks. “Drum & Bone” has the fun tongue twisting chorus of “I’m a limited, primitive kind of man.” One of the highlights is “Flutter & Wow” a potentially timeless love song that somehow rings of Van Morrison. It’s really stellar track.
Side Two (his phrase not mine) starts off rocking once again, and, while “Stella Hurt” rocks pretty hard, it tends to drag on a bit long. But it quickly moves to another beautiful ballad, “My Three Sons.” The album ends with “Go Away” another organ-heavy rocker.
And so the album is mixed nicely with some rockers and ballads balancing out the totality of the disc. Lyrically, the songs are tight and witty. The ballads are lovely. I don’t know if Costello’s work with more more mature performers has affected him a lot, but it certainly hasn’t impacted his ability to write good rock songs. Welcome back Elvis.
[READ: November 20, 2008] Pnin
I harp on the appearance of book covers a lot. I know that the contemporary covers are fine and they try to retain a consistency for each author. But, I love this early cover. I especially like that there’s an artist’s rendering of Pnin himself. It really paints an immediate picture of the man.
I bought my copy of Pnin many, many years ago, probably right after I had read and enjoyed Pale Fire so much (I had a coworker who really loved Nabokov and insisted that I keep reading him). It has been sitting on my bookshelf for all this time just waiting for me to read it. About three months ago, I decided I would like to read all of Nabokov’s works, so I brought it out of the basement and left it next to my bed. Then, I got the October 2008 Believer. The first article, “Amerikas,” by Adam Thirwell (excerpted here) was about novels and translations. And, since Nabokov is a novelist and translator, he was included in the article. About seven pages into the article is an excerpt from Pnin. And the excerpt was quite amusing, so, I took it as a sign to read Pnin next.
The most fascinating thing to me about the book is that is told by a narrator whose name we never learn, and whom we don’t actually meet until the last chapter. (more…)
I was thinking about the parallel careers of R.E.M. and U2 the other day. The both started at around the same time: R.E.M. on an indie label and U2 on a major. R.E.M. was a college band loved by critics but not really a big seller. U2 had some huge hits in their early days and slowly grew to be college darlings too. Then in 1987, they both hit it big time: R.E.M.’s Document had “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” and “One I Love” and of course, U2’s The Joshua Tree was the hugest album in the world.
I Just Read About That... 