Costello, Elvis: Hey Clockface (Coloured Vinyl 2xLP)

Hey Clockface was recorded in Helsinki, Paris and New York and mixed by Sebastian Krys in Los Angeles.

After travelling alone to the Finnish capital on February 16th 2020, Costello worked for three days at Suomenlinnan Studio, a recording facility a twenty-minute ferry ride from downtown Helsinki. Asked about the choice of recording location, Costello, explained, "I wanted to go somewhere nobody knew me. So, this is ‘The Helsinki Sound.’"

The resulting track was "No Flag", recorded by Eetu Seppälä - assisted by Tim Mikkkola - in Helsinki and mixed by Sebastian Krys in Los Angeles.

Following the solo recording of “No Flag”, “Hetty O’Hara Confidential” and “We Are All Cowards Now” at Suomenlinnan Studio, Helsinki by Eetü Seppälä in February 2020, Costello immediately traveled to Paris for a weekend session at Les Studios Saint Germain.

Costello tells us, “I sang live on the studio floor, directing from the vocal booth. We cut nine songs in two days. We spoke very little. Almost everything the musicians played was a spontaneous response to the song I was singing. I’d had a dream of recording in Paris like this, one day.”

The ensemble, dubbed, “Le Quintette Saint Germain” by Costello, was recruited for these dates by Steve Nieve (who plays grand piano, upright piano, organ, mellotron & melodica) features Mickaél Gasche on trumpet, flugel horn and serpent, Pierre-François ‘Titi’ Dufour on cello and the drums, percussion and high harmonies of Ajuq. Reed player, Renaud-Gabriel Pion brought many tones and colors to the performances, playing, contrabass clarinet, bass clarinet, Bb clarinet, tenor saxophone, bass flute and cor anglais.

1. Revolution #49
2. No Flag
3. They’re Not Laughing at Me Now
4. Newspaper Pane
5. I Do (Zula’s Song)
6. We Are All Cowards Now
7. Hey Clockface/How Can You Face Me?
8. The Whirlwind
9. Hetty O’Hara Confidential
10. The Last Confession of Vivian Whip
11. What Is It That I Need That I Don’t Already Have?
12. Radio Is Everything
13. I Can’t Say Her Name
14. Byline