Assisted Listen: Elvis Costello’s Momofuku

Circumstances of purchase: Having decided it was too hot to cook dinner, we went out to a dairy bar in Watertown that has the best hamburgers in the greater Boston metro area and some damn fine vanilla soft-serve. Afterwards, we went to the nearby Newbury Comics at Fresh Pond, where I purchased the LP and Charity got the two-disc deluxe edition of Forever Changes. (Suck it, Mod.)

Mood at time of first listen: Still full of excellent burger and soft-serve, and pleased that that screechy Irish girl was finally voted off American Idol. Somewhat tired, but with a fair amount of work to do before I can go to sleep in good conscience.

Place of first listen: In the office, sitting at my desk. Charity’s at her desk behind me, filing an invoice and looking at her nightly blogs.

While taking off the shrinkwrap: Cool, a gatefold. Can’t even remember the last time I saw a gatefold LP cover — even back in the ’80s, they started just shoving both discs in a single sleeve.

On opening the package: Oh, it’s like PiL‘s Metal Box. Two discs, three songs per side. I would have preferred a single disc, but that’s just the purist in me.

Best line in liner notes: “This album has no connection with the restaurants of the same name, but Elvis Costello does recommend their cooking.” There was a profile of the chef who owns Momofuku, David Chang, in the New Yorker a few weeks ago. Honestly, even by chef standards, he came off like a major-league dick. I do hear the restaurants are good, though.

On taking out the first disc: There’s a cardboard stencil. I am so doing this. There’s stenciled graffiti all over my neighborhood, and I suspect this is just going to confuse people.

On placing the disc on the turntable: Good heavy vinyl. 180-gram at least.