Costello Music

Background

The band’s first gig was in a basement in Glasgow in February 2005. The band were spotted by a record company talent scout shortly thereafter. Music Week's Stuart Clarke said, "A month after the scout discovered them, labels were flying up to Scotland to see them. Most, if not all, the major labels and a handful of indies showed a lot of interest in the band." The band was eventually signed to Island Records and the album was released under its UK subsidiary, Fallout Records. The band were flown to LA to record the album in the Sunset Sound recording studio, which was previously used by Bob Dylan and the Beach Boys. The choice to record in Sunset Studios rather than the UK was due to Jon’s desire to create an old-fashioned, analogue sound. They were in Studio 3, which contains vintage equipment. Jon said, "It makes you feel a bit more like you’re part of something you were interested in". Producer Tony Hoffer was flown in to help complete the album. The album was named "Costello Music" after a studio they used to rent in Budhill, Glasgow.

Lyrics and composition

Critics likened the album to the works of The Libertines, Babyshambles and Arctic Monkeys, all bands known for their British rock roots. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said that ‘they sound like songs by about 15 other Britpop acts’ but went on to say ‘it’s one thing to copy a look, a sound, or a formula, it's another to do it so utterly convincingly and with such infectious raucousness’.

Paul McNamee of NME noted that most tracks on the album told a story; "Henrietta", tells the story of an older woman who stalks the song's narrators; "Vince the Lovable Stoner" is about a man with a drug addiction, and "Chelsea Dagger" is said by Jon Fratelli to be about a showgirl.

Release

Costello Music was released on vinyl and CD on 11 September 2006 in the UK. Five songs were released as singles; "Henrietta", "Chelsea Dagger", "Whistle for the Choir", "Baby Fratelli" and "Ole Black ‘n’ Blue Eyes". "Flathead" was used in an iPod commercial, which led to it being released as a download only single via iTunes and later as an EP. The album was then released on 13 March 2007 in the US. The cover art for the album and its singles was created by Sam Hadley.

The album did best in the UK, peaking at number two on the charts there. It reached forty-two on the US Billboard 200, and managed to chart in Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, France and New Zealand. "Chelsea Dagger" was the most successful single, peaking at five in the UK and four in the Netherlands. The other singles with the exception of "Flathead" only managed to chart in the UK, where they were moderately popular.

A Japanese version of Costello Music was released on 21 February 2007 containing two tracks unavailable on other versions: "Dirty Barry Stole the Bluebird" – a B-side of the "Chelsea Dagger" single, and "Cigarello" from the Flathead EP. This version of the album also contained the videos for "Flathead", "Chelsea Dagger", and "Henrietta", which could be viewed directly from the disc using an Adobe Flash program.

The album's success led to the band winning the BRIT award for Best British Breakthrough Act in 2007. The album also won an EBBA award in January 2008. In total, the band sold 1.5 million copies of Costello Music worldwide and over 900,000 copies in the UK.

Critical reception

Costello Music received generally favourable reviews. Pitchfork Media’s Stuart Bertman called The Fratellis ‘artless but amiable’, ‘predictable’, and ‘intermittently rewarding’. Elizabeth Goodman of Rolling Stone called the single Flathead ‘preternaturally catchy’ and stated that ‘it makes you elated in the moment’. Helen Phares of Allmusic called it ‘high energy’ and ‘fun in the moment’. Stylus Magazine's Ryan Foley shared similar views, describing it as ‘beyond infectious’ and claiming that they fill ‘their three-minute, pop-punk ditties with melodic snarl, flouncing sass, and enough lusty sing-along parts to keep the punters busy’. IGN’s Chad Grischow gave the album an Outstanding rating in his review of the album saying it was ‘not the most refined album you will buy this year, but surely one you will not regret’. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine was the most negative, calling it ‘tediously misogynistic’ and ‘instantly memorable but thankfully wordless’.

Tour

Following the release of the album, The Fratellis embarked on a tour of the UK festival circuit, headlining at popular festivals such as NME's Rock ‘n’ Riot tour and T in the Park 2007, amongst others. They opened for The Who at the BBC Electric Proms in October 2006, and in December they supported Kasabian on their UK tour before playing 10 dates by themselves in February and March 2007. The locations included Nottingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and London.

They then set out on a worldwide tour to play dates in Japan, Europe and the US. They cut short the US leg of their tour, canceling nine dates, citing fatigue from their many months of touring as the cause.

Track listing

All tracks written by The Fratellis.

Bonus tracks

Personnel