The Fix

Elvis Costello is the latest in a string of high-profile artists who are utilizing vinyl records to set themselves apart from the same old music industry release dilemma. Momofuku is the title of Elvis Costello’s latest album, to be released exclusively on vinyl April 22 on Lost Highway and containing a coupon good for one free digital download of the album with purchase. No CD counterpart in sight. The album title translates roughly to “lucky peach,” a bit of rough slang that mixes up Japanese and Korean. But New Yorkers and followers of culinary trends know Momofuku as the name of a small but popular chain of Asian restaurants in Manhattan owned by culinary wunderkind David Chang.

Coincidence? Parallels? Would we go so far as to liken the original Momofuku Noodle Bar to the true aim of Costello’s career from its starts up through Spike? To compare Momofuku Ssam Bar, its trendier and more daring successor, to Costello’s wild experiments of the ‘90s from opera to duets with Diana Krall and Burt Bacharach? And now, Momofuku Ko, an intimate dining experience involving a menu that changes at chef David Chang’s whim, and an exclusive online reservation system…to Elvis’ own Momofuku.

Sure, we can go there. In the past six months, bands like Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Jack White’s supergroup the Raconteurs have all figured the format significantly into their latest releases, coinciding with an uptick in vinyl sales across the music industry. Maybe it’s the collectibility factor, or a growing desire for formatted, curated content among the listening public: the return of the album, if you will, and the return of artists whose careers have been staked on the long form object, rather than single tracks. But it seems to be working, at least from the looks of intrepid indie labels like Matador, Sub Pop, and Secretly Canadian, all of which have been including download coupons with their vinyl titles for the past year or two.

A vinyl-only release is a bold move, one which surely might limit Elvis Costello’s audience on this one…but hey, much like Chang’s done with Ko, it’s his choice. No word on whether Costello’s a fan of Chang’s restaurant, but if he could find a way to give out an order of Momofuku’s steamed pork buns with the record, that’d be good enough for me.