New album for 2013: "Wise Up Ghost" (with The Roots!)

[jardine]

Agree, PD, that not only is it lamely compared to "weak" recent work (!!), almost every review starts off with something like "well, who would have thought? I was dreading that this would be e.c.s rap record, but no!!" So we have to repeatedly work through each reviewer's silly presumptions. Really taints things when most review start off with saying that this could have been awful or I was worried or the like...does demonstrate something of ec's thoughts on critics. just hope he ignores it and keeps with the deeply insightful interviews...


...and, finally with the lyrics in hand, I think "Puppet" is one of the best songs he's ever done--music, vocal, lyrics and all...

[And No Coffee Table]

http://twitter.com/ElvisCostello/status ... 5187154944

Today,Tuesday 24th September @ElvisCostello & @theroots on NPR's @worldcafe. find your local station & time here - http://www.npr.org/templates/stations/s ... /?prgId=39

[Jack of All Parades]

As for "Come the Meantimes," Johnanderson is right; a grand pop confection. I especially love that descending baritone bit ("he came back!") and rather wish it had recurred for one more go-round before the end. This song should be a single. I might add that it's yet another example of the profligate religious evocations on this album, the "HE" in question being a clear echo of Christ...or maybe the real thing Himself.

And while it isn't my favourite cut by any means, I'd also like to put in a good word for a song that seems to be underrated, i.e., "Cinco Minutos Con Vos." Unlike anything else in his standard repertoire, I like the vibe this gives of Elvis as an Englishman in an exotic far-flung situation a la Graham Greene. (Akin in this sense to "Bullets for the New Born King," with quite a different backdrop). An evocative duet that, against all odds, seems to work very nicely on this record.

I, too, am with Mr. Anderson when it comes to "Come the Meantimes"-easily my favorite amongst many on the record. It should be released as a single. The 'double tracking' is exquisite and the associations- personal, social, political and religious just richochet off of one another thoughout the lyric. And what is going on with the ringing bell as it grows with urgency through the song-it is almost as if Tucco's uncle- Hector 'Tio" Salamanca from Breaking Bad -was frantically communicating- speaking of betrayals. The guitar distortion at the end sends me over the edge in a good way.

Also agree about "Cinco Minutos Con Vos"-that dynamic of strong and softer vocals is effective and it very much makes me think of Mr. Greene's doomed priest down in Mexico.

This record consistently pays off as listenings accumulate- I have not had as much fun with a total EC record in quite some time. It has been a fairly consistent loop at my work station and at home.

[oliversa1]

Fantastic album - Best piece of work he's done in a long time.

[docinwestchester]

http://twitter.com/ElvisCostello/status ... 5187154944

Today,Tuesday 24th September @ElvisCostello & @theroots on NPR's @worldcafe. find your local station & time here - http://www.npr.org/templates/stations/s ... /?prgId=39

Tonight at midnight on WFUV:

http://www.wfuv.org/programs/worldcafe

[Jack of All Parades]

Many great moments on here. But, Otis, I still find "Tripwire" to be its the most moving moment (although "Puppet" is obviously very strong too, a close second - but I think it's helped along a bit by the author's backstory, which is arguably inadmissible in terms of assessing the song as such). "Tripwire" seems to me an achingly sad documentation of the eternal human "tripwire" whereby we render other people beyond the pale; and pretty soon you have Anne Frank saying things like

Don't open the door 'cause they're coming
Don't open the door 'cause they're here...

Despite the wistful thought that there might be "more to forgiveness/than all we conveniently forget," we never do learn. Hell, we've lived through it in our own time, as we rushed to bomb and invade and torture after 9/11.

Above there's an ominous humming
Below there's a murmuring prayer

The delivery is tender, exquisite. Think how diminished the simple - and profound - truth of the closing statement would be if he gave it his patented sneering vibrato. No; here he avoids all such traps, and one of his simplest, most poignantly perfect songs comes fully to life. I'll rank this with any track he's done. Not as showy as "I Want You," certainly. But so powerful, in its quiet way.

Otis- "Tripwire" is one tortuous emotional mine field- the potential for 'damage' is poignant with each vocal step-no matter the direction. It is a private hell that singer is inhabiting when any step can result in the various mis-step consequences the singer brings to life in his or her mind.

[Otis Westinghouse]

I can't quite a hang on the lyrics just hearing the live version. Partly because I'm enjoying the tune too much! If my bloody CD would hurry up and arrive...

Regrettable that a fair chunk of reviewers feel required to praise this album via a contrast with his supposedly "inferior" recent work - especially given that this record follows one that most of his actual listeners consider to be among his most inspired. I've never had much time for EC's whining about aspects of the industry, including critics, but this sort of fatuous commentary does incline me to a bit of sympathy. How lame.

But there's no surprise here, is there? Nat Rans may be popular round these parts, but who else was it going to win over? This pattern is very familiar all over: the albums the fans get and love, but only garner lukewarm reports or (these days when my reading of print reviews is now limited to just the two weekend papers) don't get reviewed at all. I've seen this time and again with my heroes such as Ron S and Lloyd C. Long Play Late Bloomer and Lloyd's Standards this year got more attention, but there are scores of brilliant songs/albums that have been ignored. Of course the Roots collab was going to get more attention, and as it's been done well, decent reviews.

[FAVEHOUR]

http://twitter.com/ElvisCostello/status ... 5187154944

Today,Tuesday 24th September @ElvisCostello & @theroots on NPR's @worldcafe. find your local station & time here - http://www.npr.org/templates/stations/s ... /?prgId=39

Tonight at midnight on WFUV:

http://www.wfuv.org/programs/worldcafe

wxpn.org at 2 pm today....

[docinwestchester]

http://twitter.com/ElvisCostello/status ... 5187154944

Tonight at midnight on WFUV:

http://www.wfuv.org/programs/worldcafe

wxpn.org at 2 pm today....

Listening on their stream now...thanks!

[Fishfinger king]

My £9.99 deluxe CD from CD-WOW arrived today!
Only a week after release - I guess it could be a lot worse and the best price - they've put it up since I ordered.
I spend the time working out what the samples and reworkings are on those songs with them in. At the moment it's a bit too distracting to just enjoy them at face value - but I guess that will pass.
At the moment enjoying Come the Meantimes and Viceroy's Row most.

[sweetest punch]

http://www.newuniversity.org/2013/09/en ... s-wise-up/

Costello and The Roots “Wise Up”
by Daniyel Grancich

Elvis Costello & The Roots take trip-hop by storm with their debut collaboration “Wise Up Ghost.” With Costello’s signature funk/punk moody swank hybrid and unmistakable phrasing, this eclectic album catches the ear from the first electronic pulse.

The original pieces are not only ambitious and interesting; they have that jazzy vamping twist that recalls “Supreme Beings of Leisure.” “Ghost” isn’t an attempt at an aging legend to remain relevant, it proves he is as strong as ever. And apparently he actually listens to current music on the scene, too.

“Ghost” is undeniably an experimental album — much of the sound seems “found” (even if it isn’t), and one of the few problems with the album overall edges in on the track “Refuse to Be Saved,” which is a redux of Costello’s 1991 “Invasion Hit Parade” but marred by an attempt at rapping that would have been better left undone. The issue with the re-working of multiple formerly released tracks is that the originals were in all ways superior.

Not quite halfway through the album, a throwback masterpiece appears. “Tripwire” is deceptively simple with its lullaby melody line and Buddy Holly-inspired wholesomeness. But listen to the lyrics — it’s pure Elvis Costello irony in full horrible/wonderful juxtaposition of beauty and atrocity. This waltz has the sound of a first dance at a wedding, but the content of Costello’s lyrics will satisfy somewhat older fans that grew up on the unassuming satire of “Tramp the Dirt Down” (“Spike,” 1989) and “Oliver’s Army” (“Armed Forces,” 1979). Younger fans may require a history lesson to fully appreciate Costello’s corpus of work.

“Stick Out Your Tongue” is another redux — this time of Costello’s eerie, provocative “Pills and Soap,” sans the haunting minor chord reminiscent of the Terry Gilliam sci-fi masterpiece “Twelve Monkeys.” It’s not that I don’t appreciate the hip hop-inspired effort at sampling — but sampling oneself belies either conceit or an implicit fear of intellectual copyright litigation.

“Come the Meantimes” is one particular track that has an eclectic mesh of SBL-inspired backbeat and found sounds. The tinny egg timer is a particularly delightful touch, having all of the appeal of an old-fashioned English doorbell, while haunting enough due to its resemblance to the sinister elevator ding used to ultimate suspense in “Die Hard.”

“(She Might Be a) Grenade,” apart from being deliciously dark, is amazingly complex with vocal overlays, funk fusion, symphonic strings that seem to creep in from the netherverse, and trippy underwater tones as well as an execution drumroll to start off the track on the right note. The sheer volume of lyrics contained in this track is a feat — but considering Costello’s former works (which must’ve by now won him a World Record for most lyrics crammed masterfully into a single song), this shouldn’t be surprising.

“Cinco Minutos Con Vos” reprises what Costello fans expect from The Imposter: deep bass brass, sweeping strings, a sexy beat; the Spanish-language lush female voice is a nice addition. Songs like these only lack the high-energy nuance of Steve Nieve’s wild, high-pitch piano from Costello’s days with The Attractions. This particular song makes me wonder what an Elvis Costello/“Bitter:Sweet” duet would sound like.

Speaking of which, the intro to “Viceroy’s Row” sounds straight from a “Bitter:Sweet” trip-hop intro. It is interesting that Costello — who went from pop-punk to vintage-style crooner with his 1996 “All This Useless Beauty” — seems to be taking his cues from the vampish, female trip-hop artists more than the traditionally masculine sound of sampling artists. The intricate, otherworldly sound of the bridge in “Row” is particularly alluring.

The album’s titular song, “Wise Up Ghost,” borrows a bit from the traditional sampling style of the trip-hop genre, but without losing its suspenseful, vamping edge. The repetitive strings stanza later referenced by electronic instruments increases this element of suspense, and Costello’s unfaltering lyrics take us deep into a dystopian nightmarescape that are a portmanteau of nursery rhymes and the reality of war: “Old woman livin’ in a cardboard shoe/Lost so many souls she don’t know what to do/So say your prayers ‘cause down the stairs it’s 1932” — just deconstructing these lyrics could require a separate article.

“Wise Up Ghost” ends with a seemingly sweet ballad, “If I Could Believe.” The track begins with a soft piano and the sentiment: “If I could believe/Two and two was five/Two wrongs make a right;” this is everything we expect (and more) from the lyrical master of the 20th — and now 21st — century.

For those inclined, it is worth buying the Deluxe album, which contains three bonus tracks: “My New Haunt” has a dense funk feel and showcases Costello’s rich lower vocal register, while the female back-up members lend a gospel choir aspect to the track. “Can You Hear Me?” oddly sounds a bit like a Trent Reznor composition… with a brass section. Although somewhat repetitive, the brass complements Costello’s drowned-out vocals and dissonant harmony/melody lines. “The Puppet Has Cut His Strings” is a gem that sounds straight from the marvelous ballad-heavy “All This Useless Beauty.” “Puppet” is among Costello’s moodiest sentimental ballads, in the ranks of “The Birds Will Still Be Singing” and “Almost Blue.”

RECOMMENDED: Solo or collab, Costello still reigns his status as one of the best musical artists of the past three decades.

[sweetest punch]

http://wesleyanargus.com/2013/09/23/mig ... the-roots/

Mighty Like a Root: Elvis Costello Teams up with Questlove and the Roots
By Nate Johnson

The funky, soulful hip-hop sound of The Roots has blended seamlessly with the alternative, new-wave pub-rock sound of Elvis Costello to produce one of the more exciting and out-of-left-field collaborations of the year in Wise Up Ghost.

The album as a whole refuses to fall under any organized genre, such as Costello’s typical rock and roll or The Roots’ usual hip-hop. The Roots provides Costello a new setting and framework, which allows him to bend his typically wordy lyrics towards rap.

The formative factor throughout the album is Questlove’s hip-hop drumbeats. Despite this connective tissue, the two musical experimentalists stay away from sticking to a specific style, even a disorganized one. Rather, as with most of their productions throughout their careers, The Roots and Elvis Costello spotlight substance.

As can be expected from these two legends, Wise Up Ghost focuses on the tumultuous relationship between man and world, a world in chaos and confusion. The heavy, dark poeticism of Elvis Costello meshed with the gloomy, sinuous strings of The Roots develop the ominous, almost hopeless mood of the album. The dim sentiment evoked by the sounds of the album culminates in the final two tracks, “Wise up Ghost” and “If I Could Believe.”

The album’s title song resembles the introduction to a James Bond movie, inducing feelings of danger or violence in the listener. The refrain of “Wise up Ghost,” “She’s pulling out the pin,” hearkens back to “(She Might Be A) Grenade,” another track on the album, only underscoring the foreboding emotional reaction The Roots and Costello were hoping for in their listeners. Costello also calls upon the listener to take action and do something about this world in turmoil in the chorus of the song, saying, “Wise up / When are you going to rise up?”

Following the call to arms of “Wise up Ghost,” “If I Could Believe” forces the listener to question whether or not this uprising can actually make a difference. Costello sings, “If I could believe two and two is five / Two wrongs make a right… / That might sound like prayers / If I could believe.” In other words, Costello is questioning his ability to believe that a solution is possible. If he forgets all that he has been taught and throws aside all common sense and logical thought, then perhaps he would be able to believe that his prayers will be answered.

“If I Could Believe” probably involves the fewest instruments on the album but makes plentiful use of Costello’s vocal capabilities. He serenades the listener over minimal back -up from The Roots, thus allowing the listener to focus on the lyrics of the song. This compositional decision only underscores the question posed by Costello: can we, as humans, solve the problems we’ve created?

Wise Up Ghost shows just how far The Roots and Elvis Costello can go with their musical talents. Costello had reign over the lyrical aspect of the album, while The Roots took control of the beats and sounds backing him up. While one can still hear the rock-punk preference of Costello, as well as the neo-soul or hip-hop preference of The Roots, the two manage to cooperate and collaborate flawlessly. Costello steers clear of his vibrato and tendency toward melodrama in order to mesh well with the drum stylings of Questlove and the rest of The Roots.

The tangy, modern, and instrument-heavy inclination of The Roots creates the perfect frame for the poetic lyrics and harsh, elegiac voice of Costello. What started off as a small joke made by Questlove on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” about making a song with Costello turned into an unexpected, yet unsurprisingly strong, album.

[docinwestchester]

The album’s title song resembles the introduction to a James Bond movie

Nice!

[rightbrain]

With the ongoing discussion of the religious imagery in mind, I found this traditional Catholic prayer that any Altar Boy EC's age would have known by heart:

Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and enkindle in them the Fire of Thy Love.
Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;
And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray.
O God, Who by the Light of the Holy Spirit didst instruct the hearts of Thy faithful, grant us in that same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolations, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The "truly wise" bit struck me.

Wise Up, Ghost!

[bronxapostle]

With the ongoing discussion of the religious imagery in mind, I found this traditional Catholic prayer that any Altar Boy EC's age would have known by heart:

Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and enkindle in them the Fire of Thy Love.
Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;
And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray.
O God, Who by the Light of the Holy Spirit didst instruct the hearts of Thy faithful, grant us in that same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolations, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The "truly wise" bit struck me.

Wise Up, Ghost!

love that prayer!

[sheeptotheslaughter]

Still I wait for the deluxe CD from WOW HD

An absolute disgrace I will never use them again and the will get a very 'shitty' email once the cd finally arrives.

[verbal gymnastics]

Still I wait for the deluxe CD from WOW HD

An absolute disgrace I will never use them again and the will get a very 'shitty' email once the cd finally arrives.

Ditto.

[John]

Ditto.

[And No Coffee Table]

Regarding the US Billboard chart...

http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watc ... 23767.html

Elvis Costello and the Roots' Wise Up Ghost debuts at #16. It's Costello's fifth top 20 album; the Roots' eighth. (It's not really fair to compare the two artists' tallies. Costello was active in the '80s when it was considerably harder to make the top 20.) Costello has previously charted with album-length collaborations with the Brodsky Quartet, Burt Bacharach and Allen Toussaint; The Roots made the top 10 with an album-length collabo with John Legend. Bacharach received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Costello is about due for one too, come to think of it.

EC's previous Top 20s were Armed Forces (#10), Get Happy!! (#11), When I Was Cruel (#20), and Secret, Profane & Sugarcane (#13).

MTV says Wise Up Ghost sold 18,000 copies.

[bricas]

Has anyone seen this?

http://www.allmusic.com/album/wise-up-g ... 0002582067

I haven't heard anything about it (and google isn't helping).

-Brian

[Neil.]

Not really into remixes - but good to hear that Elvis has gone Top 20 with the album. Now they just need to keep it in people's consciousness - I really think that a radio edit of the title track would draw in a lot more interest.

[Yanyna]

Does somebody know why some words in the names of songs are written with capital letters?

[Neil.]

Does somebody know why some words in the names of songs are written with capital letters?

The whole design of the album is like a famous series of poetry books in the USA. Perhaps that's how they used to present the poetry titles in those books? Any USA fans know?

You can see one of the books here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Howl-Pocket-Poe ... 0872860175

[John]

Not really into remixes - but good to hear that Elvis has gone Top 20 with the album. Now they just need to keep it in people's consciousness - I really think that a radio edit of the title track would draw in a lot more interest.

Surely a second "single" would make a load of sense. The video for Walk Us Uptown has over 282,000 hits. If I was I new fan hearing a second track I liked would probably convince me to buy the album. It would also keep the record on the radio.

[Jack of All Parades]

Does somebody know why some words in the names of songs are written with capital letters?

This perhaps can give you an idea of what they perhaps are trying to emulate with that- notice the use of capitalization in the text:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... e5f3gQhEUg

Another source to check out would be the comprhensive annotated edition of the poem that Ginsberg had issued prior to his death.