Elvis Costello and the Imposters: Momofuku

Elvis Costello and the Imposters: Momofuku Momofuku is Elvis Costello's 36th studio album, but who's keeping count? In the late 70s and early 80s, he was the punk you could bring home to momma. The last time he made a dent in the US charts was in 1994 when he released Brutal Youth which was voted one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. His last time charting in the US at all was 2002's When I Was Cruel which was attributed to Elvis Costello and the Imposters. Since that time Costello has released jazz, classical, and piano ballad albums, but finally he is returning with the Imposters to make another rock record. The record is named after Momofuku Ando, the inventor of the Cup Noodle. Costello has noted "all we had to do to make this record was add water." The sound show it. The record feels a little more organic than many of his esoteric releases of recent memory. The record is heavy on guitar and Wurlitzer. It has a lot of the same feeling as Costello's early work like Armed Forces and Get Happy!. It might not have the same energy as those records but as close to it as a 53 year old Costello can muster. On the record he has a cast of revolving characters which includes members of Eisley, The Like, Cracker, and Los Lobos. Also appearing on over half the songs is Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley fame. Costello does occasionally fall into his recent piano ballad ways which really drags down the energy of the album. Besides the disjointing with the slower number that quite frankly bore me, Momofuku is a nice return to form for Costello. Although it may not go down as an all-time classic, it may go down as the most important album he records this decade. Rating: 6.1/10 MP3: Elvis Costello and the Imposters "Stella Hurt"