'Lost Highway will release Momofuku from Elvis Costello'

[VonOfterdingen]

http://www.nymag.com/listings/restauran ... u-ssam-bar
says
“Momofuku (the word means ‘lucky peach’ in Japanese)”

And a peach is the logo for the noodle house

http://www.momofuku.com

Im so happy there's a new album from EC coming out, but isn't the titel and the cover a bit silly? I mean to name an album after a restaurant and to have a bowl of peaches on the cover is far from everything else he's done. This is after all a man who seems to care about albumtitles.

Anyway this will be the soundtrack of my summer so I shouldn't care but still... Momofuku

[martinfoyle]

Probably no cd copies have circulated yet, since it hasn't leaked on any torrent sites yet. Or it could be not many people, dare I say it, are all that interested in our Dec anymore. Meanwhile, hasn' t anyone told David Chang about the curse of Elvis yet?

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/foo ... 79,00.html

Quick to click for the hottest stool in town

Ed Pilkington in New York
Monday April 14, 2008

Guardian

Manhattan is a famously elitist place when it comes to fine dining. Who you know, rather than the size of your wallet, is often the key to securing a table at one of the hot new restaurants.
Imagine the horror then, when the latest hyper-chic establishment of New York's most happening chef abolished the old table-by-cronyism reservation system and opted for an egalitarian alternative. David Chang opened his Momofuku Ko in the East Village just a few weeks ago and the city's dining world has been in a lather ever since.

The only way to secure one of the tiny restaurant's 12 bar stools is via the internet. To foil syndicates booking seats using computer programs, valid credit card details are required on the restaurant's website.

Then you have to start frantically bashing your keyboard in an attempt to snatch one of the openings logged on a virtual grid. Places become available at 10am each morning for the next seven-day period, and only for a matter of seconds. The competition among diners is that fierce.

And do not bother trying to by-pass the online system with a quiet call to the maître d' about who you are. Dignitaries, from the editor of Gourmet magazine to a former top Microsoft executive, have all been turned away with a polite reference to the booking website momofuku.com.

Frank Bruni, the legendary food critic for the New York Times, spent days trying to get a seat. He describes Chang as the Tiger Woods or Roger Federer of the restaurant scene, and was so determined to sample the $85 tasting menu he perfected his technique.

The way to do it, Bruni writes on his blog, is to "click-click-hope-click-pray-click-please-God-click-fret-sweat-panic-pray-some-more". Which may be painful, but at least everybody is in the same boat.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2008

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/ ... /#more-422

[strangerinthehouse]

There was also this story in the Associated Press. Maybe the album is EC's appeal to the chef.

Online Reservations Only at NYC Hot Spot

NEW YORK (AP) — When one of the hottest chefs in town opened his newest creation, Momofuku Ko, the rich, powerful and influential immediately set about trying to land a reservation the easy way. They appealed to the chef.
So far, they’ve had little luck.
Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, asked David Chang for the hook up. Sorry, he told her. A former top Microsoft executive asked too. Same answer: Nope. Chang even shut down a top New York chef. Can’t do it, he said.
“I’ve said no to a lot of people,” Chang said. “We are not making exceptions. If my parents want to eat there, they have to make a reservation too. It’s really quite simple. If we do it for one person, we’d have to do for everybody.”
Chang has caused a stir in New York, instituting an online reservation system for tiny Ko’s 12 counter seats. It’s meant to level the playing field in a city where money and prestige usually ensure access.
“It’s egalitarian,” he says. “We want to run something honest.”
The only way to land a spot is to log on to Ko’s Web site, create an account, register with a credit card and take a shot at finding an empty space on a bingo-like grid. Seats are released at 10 a.m. everyday for the current seven-day period.
Some have succeeded — even repeatedly — at eating at Ko, with its $85 tasting menu which emphasizes French and Asian cooking. But there are no moments for indecision — you have to click on a green arrow the moment you see it — and luck seems to play a big part.
It was “a total lark,” said Ian Volner, 26, who snared a 6 p.m. reservation on the very same day he logged on — for the first time — about 8:30 a.m.
“I spent the afternoon desperate to get a date,” he said.
Michael Cabin and two of his classmates at Columbia Law School had been trying to get a reservation at Ko shortly after it opened. During administrative law class, they used their laptops and repeatedly tried to hit the jackpot.
About a week ago in class — bingo! Cabin, 24, got one for four people.
Was it worth the hassle? “Totally,” Cabin said.
Most, though, have failed.
Reichl got a chance to eat at the restaurant before it officially opened, and tried to secure another seat. She said on her blog that she was turned down, calling her trip there a “last supper.”
New York Times food critic Frank Bruni even blogged about it earlier this month, expressing his frustration and amusement. “If you want to eat at Ko, you must muster real commitment,” Bruni wrote. “And you could wind up committed.”
Adam Platt of New York magazine, who awarded the restaurant four stars, decided that because of the difficulty in getting into Ko, he’d only be eating there once before writing his review.
“Under these trying conditions, getting in the door once, let alone the three times most critics prefer, could take months or even years,” he wrote.
Yes, eating at Ko has become “mission impossible,” flummoxing foodies and Chang devotees who long to try his third restaurant in the East Village and perhaps the best of the trio.
Chang said he set up his own online system, in part, because his 650-square-foot place is so small. And, he said, he didn’t want Peter Serpico, the chef and partner at Ko, wasting his time “trying to play favorites.”
The seemingly exclusive system has brought its share of headaches.
Somebody hacked into the reservation system the first time it went online, causing it to crash. There were also incidents involving scalpers — people who scored reservations and were trying to sell them.
“I ... loathe reservation scalpers,” he said. “I’d take a bat to their head if I could. You can quote me on that.”
Chang apologizes for any grief he has caused, calling the buzz over Ko’s opening and the reservation system “insane.”
“It wasn’t the intent to make people frustrated,” he said. “It was just something we thought would be easier. Why would we need a phone? People have the Internet. At the end of the day, it’s a silly, silly reservation system. But we have to be straight up. We are trying our best to make some system work that is not corruptible.”
Yet in the competitive restaurant business, the survivors are often those who take care of their repeat customers, assuring a good table even on a night when there are ostensibly no reservations.
Chang, who acknowledges he is bucking conventional wisdom, said his fans can head to his other nearby spots, Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssam Bar.
But what if the godfathers of food approached him — French masters like Michel Bras, Pierre Gagnaire or Joel Robuchon?
Chang hesitated, and seemed to indicate a certain flexibility.
“If Michel Bras came in and wanted to eat ... what the hell are we supposed to do?” Chang said. “That certainly causes more of a dilemma. Those are the only people we’d actually consider.”

[wardo68]

isn't the titel and the cover a bit silly? I mean to name an album after a restaurant and to have a bowl of peaches on the cover is far from everything else he's done. This is after all a man who seems to care about albumtitles.

His titles jumped the shark with Kojak Variety. The damage is done.

[cwr]

Kojak Variety was a fine title-- fun and memorable. So's Momofuku.

As a matter of fact, I think that EC's titles have been pretty dull for the past decade or so-- almost all of his records since ATUB have simply had "title tracks." This was a big change for EC, who wrote in the Rykodisc liner notes for Imperial Bedroom that he had "always avoided naming any album after any one song, as it asks a lot of that tune to the possible detriment of others." I remember reading that at the time and thinking that I agreed with him, and that I was glad that albums like Get Happy!! and Trust weren't simply called "Clowntime Is Over" or "Clubland." Of course, from that point on, North was the only Costello album not to have a title track (since it was merely named after a b-side-- or more accurately, a "digital download" track.)

So I have to admit I was delighted to see that there wasn't a "Momofuku" in sight when the track list was announced. It's only a small thing-- I've enjoyed all of those "title track" albums, all of which were good-to-great-- but it's fun when the album title kind of has a life of its own and isn't anchored to one particular song on the album. Even when the title has come from a lyric, it's still different than when it simply shares a title with a song. Punch The Clock might come from a lyric in "The Greatest Thing" (and is echoed in the "clocking on" in "Let Them All Talk") but it's still more interesting than if the album had been called The Greatest Thing or Let Them All Talk.

[wardo68]

Good point, cwr. Maybe if the opening track references the album title -- just like on King of America and Blood & Chocolate -- we'll have a decent album to look forward to.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/82340

ELVIS COSTELLO - MOMOFUKU (2LP)
Mfr/Label: LOST HIGHWAY
Sku: LLH842
Category: Standard Vinyl
Availability: Ships Today* - April 15th !

[VonOfterdingen]

I agree with cwr about the fine aspects of not naming an album after a song title - still 'Momofuku' is a far cry from My Aim is True, Armed Forces, King of America, Blood & Chocolate, Brutal Youth etc. (but I kinda like 'Kojak Variety')

[johnfoyle]

Availability: Ships Today* - April 15th !

I have this ordered from someone else.


http://www.elusivedisc.com/prodinfo.asp ... UNILP76658

They seem to be still stuck with the April 22 date. I was going to cancel and re-order from this lot but the cheapest way they'll send it to Ireland would bring the cost to c.$93.00 - I'll wait!

[verbal gymnastics]

It's actually a compilation of previously released songs on the theme of peaches & other fruit.

1. Sweet Pear
2. Fig Tears
3. Let Him Damson
4. Why Can't a Mango Stand Alone?
4. The Grape-est Thing
5. Strict Lime
6. Moods for Melons
7. All This Useless Fruity
8. Mandarin Out Of Time
9. My Funny Clementine
10. Plum It Up
11. Beaten to the Fruit Punch
12. Accidents Will Apple
13. Fish & Chip Papaya
14. Almost Blueberry
15. What's so Funny bout Peach Love & Understanding?

Excellent. The bonus track would be Peach In Our Time.

[migdd]

I wouldn't be surprised if the April 15 release date isn't correct as everybody else still has it slated for Aprill 22.

Surprisingly Amazon just reduced the retail price of the CD to $9.99!!

http://www.amazon.com/Momofuku-Elvis-Co ... 168&sr=1-1

[Otis Westinghouse]

Wow! It's £13.49 here, nearly three times the US price. I'd order it from there if the postage wasn't $6.49.

[The Deliveryman]

I wouldn't be surprised if the April 15 release date isn't correct as everybody else still has it slated for Aprill 22.

I pre-ordered from Music Direct and received a shipping notice yesterday. According to the tracking code, it's due to be delivered tomorrow (April 16).

[migdd]

Cool! We'll expect a full report by 5:00pm tomorrow evening! It's your civic duty, ya know.

[Lester Burnham]

I just ordered from Music Direct, too. It appears that they have it in stock, so yippee! Now I just need to figure out how to cancel my order with Elusive Disc...

[johnfoyle]

Now I just need to figure out how to cancel my order with Elusive Disc..

Elusive Disc respond to my query-


We should have them by the end of this week.
Jason

[johnfoyle]

Wes posts to listerv -

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:18:07 -0500

Am I the first one?


I ordered from Music Direct yesterday - it showed up today..... Can't
listen to it yet 'cause I had to go back to work..... Special Guests
include David Hildago, Jenny Lewis, Tennessee Thomas - a bunch more I
can't remember right now....

[BlueChair]

Lost Highway has really done a horrible job at promoting this new release - or is the whole point that it's release is so elusive and mysterious?

[The Deliveryman]

OK -- I'll copy and paste what I just posted to the listserv about the new album. Beware there are plenty of spoilers, so don't read if you want to be surprised.....



I'll have to leave it to others to report about the music itself -- my turntable is out for repairs (didn't anticipate the early release! grrrr!) -- but here are a few details about the new album.

First surprise -- it's not the album with T-Bone Burnett. The album is produced by Elvis Costello & Jason Lader (who produced the most recent Rilo Kiley album). Momofuku was "Recorded and Mixed at Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA on the 16th of January and between 07th to 14th February, 2008".

Second surprise -- Jenny Lewis is ALL OVER this record. She's credited with harmony vocals on 5 of the songs and part of a background "supergroup" on a couple others.

The cover is a big purple gatefold sleeve, with lots of in-the-studio photos on the back cover and left inside panel of the gatefold. The track credits and liner notes are on the right inside panel (and include the following: "This album has no connection with the restaurants of the same name but Elvis Costello does recommend their cooking"). The record labels replicate the basket of peaches and stencil titles of the front cover.

The download certificate directs to http://www.MomofukuDownload.com. It states that the download will be available beginning May 1st (and will cease to be available on May 1, 2009). I tried the webite -- it doesn't exist yet.

Also included - a cardboard "MOMOFUKU" stencil, so you can spraypaint confusing graffiti all over anything you wish.

Here's a quick and dirty look at the track personnel:

No Hiding Place:
EC and the Imposters +
Pedal steel - "Farmer" Dave Scher
Amplified Gibson J-45 - Johnathan Rice
Harmony Vocal - Jenny Lewis
Vocal Supergroup - Jenny Lewis, Johnathan Rice, "Farmer" Dave Scher, Davey Faragher

American Gangster Time:
EC and the Imposters

Turpentine:
EC and the Imposters +
Drums - Tennessee Thomas
Pedal steel - "Farmer" Dave Scher
Amplified Gibson J-45 - Johnathan Rice
Fender Telecaster - Jonathan Wilson
Harmony Vocal - Jenny Lewis
"Supergroup" - Jenny Lewis, Johnathan Rice, "Farmer" Dave Scher, Davey Faragher, Jonathan Wilson

Harry Worth:
EC and the Imposters +
"Supergroup" - Jenny Lewis, Johnathan Rice, "Farmer" Dave Scher, Davey Faragher

Drum & Bone:
EC and the Imposters +
Drums - Tennessee Thomas
Gibson J-45 - Johnathan Rice
Lap Steel - "Farmer" Dave Scher
Harmony Vocal - Jenny Lewis
"Supergroup" - Jenny Lewis, Johnathan Rice, "Farmer" Dave Scher, Davey Faragher

Flutter & Wow:
EC and the Imposters +
Fender Telecaster - David Hidalgo
Vocal Group - Davey Faragher, David Hidalgo, Elvis Costello

Stella Hurt:
EC and the Imposters +
Drums - Tennessee Thomas
"Supergroup" - Jenny Lewis, Johnathan Rice, Davey Faragher, Elvis Costello

Mr. Feathers:
EC and the Imposters
Backing Vocals - Davey Faragher and Elvis Costello

My Three Sons:
EC and the Imposters +
Viola & Hidalguera - David Hidalgo

Song With Rose:
EC and the Imposters +
Amplified Gibson J-45 - Johnathan Rice
Pedal steel - "Farmer" Dave Scher
12-String Rickenbacker - Jonathan Wilson
Harmony Vocal - Jenny Lewis
"Supergroup" - Jenny Lewis, Johnathan Rice, "Farmer" Dave Scher, Jonathan Wilson, Davey Faragher

Pardon Me, Madam, My Name Is Eve:
EC and the Imposters
Backing Vocals - Davey Faragher and Elvis Costello

Go Away:
EC, Pete Thomas, Davey Faragher +
Drums - Tennessee Thomas
Fender Telecaster - Johnathan Rice
Acetone Electric organ - "Farmer" Dave Scher
Harmony Vocal - Jenny Lewis

[The Deliveryman]

I just noticed one really terrible thing after I sent the previous description.

From the download certificate:
"Offer good in US only"

Hopefully that won't really be the case when the download site goes live.

[arcadecline]

Since Elvis is on Jenny’s new record and Jenny is all over EC’s new record it would only make since that they tour together. That would be a great tour! Elvis has recorded many times with artists that influenced him, it’s about time he start recording with artists that have been influenced by him. I can’t wait to hear Momofuku!

[migdd]

Thanks for the detailed report. It's great to see that the album was recorded in Los Angeles with the help of so many friends, which should help flesh out the Imposters' spare but powerful sound. I'm particularly intrigued that Tennessee plays drums on so many tracks. Does that mean that there are two drummers, ala the Allman Bros. or Grateful Dead, or does Pete step aside on those tracks. Sounds incredibly interesting!

And David Hildago playing guitar and supplying backing vocals - yowza!!

[And No Coffee Table]

Lost Highway has really done a horrible job at promoting this new release - or is the whole point that it's release is so elusive and mysterious?

I vote for the elusive and mysterious option. Even a badly promoted album would get a press release with basic information about the album. When we don't even know until now that Jenny Lewis and David Hidalgo are on the album, it can only be because of deliberate secrecy.

Elvis hinted in the recent Word interview about abandoning the usual promotional efforts:

If I record again it will be a different way of doing it. And not the actual making of the music, because that can only be the same, you go in a room and you play something and it gets captured on tape or whatever format you try to record it on. But I just don't think you can go on with this old way of doing things. "OK, it's three months till the record's release, okay, we've got to do all these things." Did you see that interview with Paul McCartney where he said, they always say go to Cologne and do these interviews, they always say that, regardless, you know? I thought that was pretty funny, after 40 years they were still saying the same thing to him. It made me feel a lot better about what had been said to me, I have to tell you, you know. Because I've been on that plane to Cologne a lot of times, and you know what, I ain't going anymore. Because I can go there under my own steam and it will be about why I want to be there, you know, which is to play, not to go and talk about it. I mean, I'm not degrading what we're doing right now, but with a few noble exceptions, there's not an awful lot to be told on those junkets, you know. And you have to go on this TV show and then it's got to be this, and this has got to go here because this goes there, and it's all part of some template that they've got, you know, people that have been in the job five minutes. Meanwhile music, everything goes on like at the speed it goes on and right now I have a lot of reasons to be somewhere else, not least of all being a father again makes me want to have the pace of my life be different, not slower, heaven knows not slower, much, much faster, you know. But I want my time to be mine, or ours, and then when I work I want it to be on my terms. And I really don't see any reason why it shouldn't be.

Since Elvis is on Jenny’s new record and Jenny is all over EC’s new record it would only make since that they tour together.

But is Elvis really on Jenny's next album? Or was that an erroneous report based on her contributing to his album??

[Lester Burnham]

Now I just need to figure out how to cancel my order with Elusive Disc..

Elusive Disc respond to my query-


We should have them by the end of this week.
Jason

Yeah, but Music Direct sent me an email today saying that Momofuku should be expected on Friday. Ah well, I'll just give my extra copy to a fellow EC-fan friend of mine.

[The Deliveryman]

TI'm particularly intrigued that Tennessee plays drums on so many tracks. Does that mean that there are two drummers, ala the Allman Bros. or Grateful Dead, or does Pete step aside on those tracks. Sounds incredibly interesting!

Yep, double drums on the tracks Tennessee plays on. There's a picture on the sleeve of Tennessee (with "The Like" on her bass drum head) set up and playing right next to her dad.