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{{about|the album by Elvis Costello|the Smog song|Knock Knock (Smog album)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Look Now
| type = studio
| artist = [[Elvis Costello]] and the Imposters
| cover = Look Now.jpg
| alt =
| released = 12 October 2018
| recorded = 2018
| studio = Hollywood, New York City, and Vancouver
| genre = <!--Do not add unsourced genres -->
| length = 47:14
| label = [[Concord Records|Concord]]
| producer = [[Elvis Costello]], [[Sebastian Krys]]
| prev_title = [[Wise Up Ghost]]
| prev_year = 2013
| next_title = [[Hey Clockface]]
| next_year = 2020
}}
'''''Look Now''''' is the 30th studio album by English singer-songwriter [[Elvis Costello]] and The Imposters, released on 12 October 2018.<ref name="Brian Hiatt 2018">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/elvis-costello-new-album-look-now-735312/|title=Elvis Costello Explains His Great New Album, 'Look Now'|last=Hiatt|first=Brian|date=2018-10-10|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2018-10-26}}</ref> ''Look Now'' was the first studio album released by Costello since 2013.<ref name="Brian Hiatt 2018"/> The album was co-produced by Costello and [[Sebastian Krys]].
The majority of the songs here were written by Costello, though three were co-written with [[Burt Bacharach]]. Costello's collaboration with [[Carole King]], "Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter," had existed only as a demo for 20 years before being produced for release on ''Look Now''.<ref name="King">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/arts/music/elvis-costello-carole-king.html|title=Elvis Costello, Carole King and a Song 20 Years in the Making|work=The New York Times |date=9 October 2018 |access-date=2018-10-26 |last1=Farber |first1=Jim }}</ref> Costello told [[NPR Music|NPR]] that ''Look Now'' is the "uptown pop record with a little swagger" that he had been wanting to make for 20 years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/10/11/656195169/elvis-costello-doesnt-want-your-nostalgia-he-wants-you-to-look-now|title=Elvis Costello Doesn't Want Your Nostalgia, He Wants You To 'Look Now'|work=NPR.org|access-date=2018-10-26}}</ref>
''Look Now'' won the [[Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album]] at the [[62nd Grammy Awards]]. Costello and The Imposters toured America in support of the album in November and December 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elviscostello.com/#!/|title = Official Site}}</ref>
==Critical reception==
{{Album reviews
|ADM=7.5/10<ref name="ADM">{{cite web |url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/9595/Elvis-Costello--The-Imposters-Look-Now.aspx |title=Look Now by Elvis Costello & The Imposters reviews |publisher=AnyDecentMusic? |accessdate=2 September 2019}}</ref>
|MC=83/100<ref name="Meta">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/look-now/elvis-costello-the-imposters |title=Look Now by Elvis Costello & the Imposters Reviews and Tracks |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |accessdate=7 March 2019}}</ref>
|rev1=[[AllMusic]]
|rev1score={{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Review">{{cite web |last=Deming |first=Mark |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/look-now-mw0003206187 |title=Look Now – Elvis Costello / Elvis Costello & the Imposters |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |accessdate=13 October 2018}}</ref>
|rev2=''[[American Songwriter]]''
|rev2score={{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Beviglia |first=Jim |url=https://americansongwriter.com/2018/10/elvis-costello-imposters-look-now/ |title=Elvis Costello & The Imposters: Look Now |work=[[American Songwriter]] |date=12 October 2018 |accessdate=10 March 2019}}</ref>
|rev3=''[[The Independent]]''
|rev3score={{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Beaumont (journalist) |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/elvis-costello-look-now-album-review-the-imposters-tracklist-release-date-tour-a8576051.html |title=Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Look Now album review: Suitably refined |work=[[The Independent]] |date=11 October 2018 |accessdate=13 October 2018}}</ref>
|rev4=''[[The Irish Times]]''
|rev4score={{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Clayton-Lea |first=Tony |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/elvis-costello-look-now-review-focused-and-pulsating-with-vigour-1.3647920 |title=Elvis Costello: Look Now review – Focused and pulsating with vigour |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=5 October 2018 |accessdate=10 March 2019}}</ref>
|rev5=''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
|rev5score={{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Snow |first=Mat |author-link=Mat Snow |title=Elvis Costello & The Imposters: Look Now |journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=300 |date=November 2018 |page=86}}</ref>
|rev6=''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
|rev6score=8.0/10<ref name="PF">{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-the-imposters-look-now/ |title=Elvis Costello / The Imposters: Look Now |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=18 October 2018 |accessdate=18 October 2018}}</ref>
|rev7=''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
|rev7score={{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cavanagh |first=David |author-link=David Cavanagh |title=Soap Operas |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=391 |date=November 2018 |page=107}}</ref>
|rev8=''[[Rolling Stone]]''
|rev8score={{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine |last=Dolan |first=Jon |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/review-elvis-costello-the-imposters-sharp-sophisticated-look-now-736210/ |title=Review: Elvis Costello & the Imposters' Sharp, Sophisticated 'Look Now' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=11 October 2018 |accessdate=11 October 2018}}</ref>
|rev9=''[[The Times]]''
|rev9score={{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Hodgkinson |first=Will |author-link=Will Hodgkinson |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pop-review-elvis-costello-the-imposters-look-now-vzfqzmh6c |title=Pop review: Elvis Costello & the Imposters: Look Now |work=[[The Times]] |date=12 October 2018 |accessdate=7 September 2019 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
|rev10=''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
|rev10score=8/10<ref>{{cite journal |last=Deusner |first=Stephen |title=Elvis Costello & The Imposters: Look Now |journal=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |issue=258 |date=November 2018 |page=22}}</ref>
}}
''Look Now'' was extensively reviewed upon its release, and received aggregate ratings of 7.5/10 and 83/100 from AnyDecentMusic? and [[Metacritic]] respectively.<ref name="ADM"/><ref name="Meta"/> [[NPR Music]] described the album as "Meticulously crafted, clever, polished...you can't imagine a group of surer hands for him to be working with" and called it one of the "best new albums" out at the time it was released.<ref name="NPR">{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/10/12/656770416/new-music-friday-for-oct-12-six-albums-you-should-hear-now|title=New Music Friday For Oct. 12: 6 Albums You Should Hear Now|work=NPR.org|access-date=2018-10-26}}</ref>
Chris Willman in''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called Elvis Costello and The Imposters "the world's greatest ''pit'' band."<ref name="Chris">{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2018/music/news/elvis-costello-look-now-album-review-1202977011/|title=Album Review: Elvis Costello and the Imposters' 'Look Now'|last=Willman|first=Chris|date=2018-10-11|work=Variety|access-date=2018-10-26}}</ref> Willman explained his description by stating that he intended it to act as "a raging endorsement of Costello's rage-free side," adding "It's so funny to be seeing him [Costello], after all this time, making a great cake of an album that doesn't really sound that much like any of the 30 before it."<ref name="Chris"/>
''[[USA Today]]'' said, "The sophisticated chamber-pop arrangements suggest a return to the form he first explored in depth on ''[[Imperial Bedroom]]'', a 1982 release produced by [[The Beatles|Beatles]] engineer [[Geoff Emerick]]. And it does so while holding its own against that masterpiece, perhaps because it was conceived after revisiting that album on the road."<ref name="USA">{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/10/11/elvis-costello-look-now-album-review/1605749002/|title=Elvis Costello returns to 'Imperial' form on first album in 5 years, 'Look Now'|work=USA TODAY|access-date=2018-10-31}}</ref>
Joe Lynch for ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' praised the album as "a collection of lush, sophisticated pop."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/magazine-feature/8477389/elvis-costello-look-now-album-interview|title=Elvis Costello on His Cancer Scare, Reteaming With Burt Bacharach & Immigration|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2018-10-31}}</ref>
''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' stated: "''Look Now'' plays at first like a simple set of songs that eschews grand concepts for immediacy... Despite their stateliness, these tunes are startlingly direct, both emotionally and melodically. They carry only the [[vaguest]] air of Costello’s signature cleverness and no trace of anger. [After 'Under Lime',] the rest of ''Look Now'' proceeds at a gentler, empathetic pace, lingering upon the bittersweet plights of their protagonists—usually women, always etched with kindness—instead of rushing toward a conclusion."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-the-imposters-look-now/|title=Elvis Costello / The Imposters: Look Now Album Review - Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com|access-date=2018-10-31}}</ref>
[[Uproxx]] described Costello as "one of the greatest songwriters of the last 40 years. Full-stop, no question, no debate necessary."<ref name="Uproxx">{{Cite news|url=https://uproxx.com/music/best-new-rock-albums-this-week-kurt-vile-elvis-costello/2/|title=All The Best New Rock Albums That Dropped This Week|date=2018-10-12|work=Uproxx|access-date=2018-11-02}}</ref> It added that the track "Unwanted Number," with its "mix of cheeky irreverence and deep melancholy sadness" was indescribable other than as an Elvis Costello song.<ref name="Uproxx"/>
''[[Consequence of Sound]]'' stated, "Costello's been around so long that it should be easy to pinpoint what a new record will sound like even before fans put ears to it, but his ability to shape-shift in and out of genres wide and far still gives his new material a bit of intrigue. ''Look Now'' is another solid entry into an already healthy and vital body of work. It’s not his absolute best, but it still earns a spot in the meatier part of his iconic recording arc."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/10/album-review-elvis-costello-look-now/|title=Album Review: Elvis Costello Brings a Swanky, Sophisticated Cool to Look Now|date=2018-10-10|work=Consequence of Sound|access-date=2018-11-02}}</ref>
Some reviewers were less enthusiastic.  Kitty Empire for ''[[The Observer]]'' gave the album a score of 6/10 in her review,<ref name="Meta"/> stating that "The album’s title speaks of urgency; its nearest song, 'Don’t Look Now,' details the unwanted advances that bedevil a model. But the episode twinkles a little too prettily for the subject matter."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/14/elvis-costello-look-now-review/|title=Elvis Costello & The Imposters: Look Now review – pretty but patchy|date=2018-10-14|work=The Observer|access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref> Similarly, ''[[The Evening Standard]]'' gave the album a score of 6/10,<ref name="ADM"/> describing "The arrangements [as] gorgeous, some of the chorus hooks less so, and overall the laid-back Broadway-meets-Abbey Road vibe suit[ing] his adroit observations."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/music/albums-of-the-week-jess-glynne-s-in-the-groove-and-she-s-going-global-a3960841.html/|title=Albums of the week: Jess Glynne's in the groove and she's going global|date=2018-10-12|work=The Evening Standard|access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>
[[AllMusic]] called the album "a cross between ''[[Imperial Bedroom]]'' and ''[[Painted from Memory]]'', Costello's 1998 collaboration with [[Burt Bacharach]],"<ref name="Review"/> adding that the album "isn't rock & roll so much as it is pop that blends the craft of classic [[Brill Building (genre)|Brill Building]] tunes of the '60s with the narrative maturity of classic Broadway musicals and the sort of ballads that were once the purview of classic jazz vocalists."<ref name="Review"/> A reviewer for [[The Associated Press]] described the album as a series of lamentations by various characters.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://apnews.com/71f8e827005a422989209e878dc4ede4|title=Review: Elvis Costello views misery on sumptuous 'Look Now'|date=2018-10-09|work=AP NEWS|access-date=2018-10-31}}</ref>
==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| headline = ''Look Now''
| title1 = Under Lime
| writer1 = Elvis Costello
| length1 = 5:35
| title2 = Don't Look Now
| writer2 = [[Burt Bacharach]], Costello
| length2 = 2:28
| title3 = Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter
| writer3 = Costello, [[Carole King]]
| length3 = 4:16
| title4 = Stripping Paper
| writer4 = Costello
| length4 = 3:52
| title5 = Unwanted Number
| writer5 = Costello
| length5 = 3:33
| title6 = I Let the Sun Go Down
| writer6 = Costello
| length6 = 4:26
| title7 = Mr. and Mrs. Hush
| writer7 = Costello
| length7 = 3:46
| title8 = Photographs Can Lie
| writer8 = Bacharach, Costello
| length8 = 3:38
| title9 = Dishonor the Stars
| writer9 = Costello
| length9 = 3:18
| title10 = Suspect My Tears
| writer10 = Costello
| length10 = 4:49
| title11 = Why Won't Heaven Help Me?
| writer11 = Costello
| length11 = 3:22
| title12 = He's Given Me Things
| writer12 = Bacharach, Costello
| length12 = 4:11
| total_length = 47:14
}}
=="Regarde Maintenant"==
The deluxe edition of the album was released with a bonus EP called "Regarde Maintenant," also credited to Elvis Costello & the Imposters, containing four tracks. These tracks were also included on deluxe digital editions of the album, as well as the vinyl 2xLP.<ref>{{Citation|title=Elvis Costello & The Imposters – Look Now (2018, CD)|date=12 October 2018 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/12652567-Elvis-Costello-The-Imposters-Look-Now|language=en|access-date=2021-12-04}}</ref>{{Track listing
| headline = Track listing
| title13 = Isabelle in Tears
| writer13 = Elvis Costello
| length13 = 4:02
| title14 = Adieu Paris (L'Envie Des Étoiles)
| writer14 = Elvis Costello
| length14 = 3:31
| title15 = The Final Mrs. Curtain
| writer15 = Elvis Costello
| length15 = 2:58
| title16 = You Shouldn't Look at Me That Way
| note16 = from the Motion Picture ''[[Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool]]''
| writer16 = Elvis Costello
| length16 = 4:33
}}
==Personnel==
{{div col}}
*[[Elvis Costello]] – vocals, arranger, composer, multi-instrumentalist
;The Imposters
*Steve Nieve – Fender Rhodes, keyboards, Mellotron, piano
*Davey Faragher – bass, vocal arrangement, background vocals
*Pete Thomas – drums, percussion, tambourine
With:
*[[Sebastian Krys]] – co-producer, engineer, mixing, percussion, producer
*[[Burt Bacharach]] – composer, piano
*[[Carole King]] – composer
*Bob Ludwig – mastering
*Steve Bernstein – piccolo trumpet, trumpet
*Cyrus Beroukhim – violin
*Katarzyna Bryla – viola
*Christopher Cardona – viola
*Claire Chan – viola, violin
*Robert Chausow – concertmaster, violin
*Doug Emery – chart, pre-production
*Lawrence Feldman – alto saxophone
*Duarte Figueira – production assistance
*Erik Friedlander – violoncello
*Clark Gayton – trombone, bass trombone
*Juliet Haffner – string contractor, viola
*Sheryl Henze – flute, alto flute, piccolo
*Christopher Komer – French horn
*[[Tommy Faragher]] – backing vocals
*[[Kitten Kuroi]] – backing vocals
*Briana Lee – backing vocals
*Jeremy Levy – transcription
*Tim Mech – guitar, technician
*Scott Moore – second engineer
*Louise Owen – violin
*Seth Presant – second engineer
*Michael Rabinowitz – bassoon
*Chaz Sexton – second engineer
*Coco Shinomiya – layout
*Antoine Silverman – violin
*Eamonn Singer – illustrations
*Ivy Skoff – production coordination
*Ron Taylor – engineer
*Gosha Usov – second engineer
*Doug Wieselman – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
{{div col end}}
==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2018)
! scope="col"| Peak<br/>position
|-
{{album chart|Austria|21|artist=Elvis Costello & The Imposters|album=Look Now|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|6|artist=Elvis Costello & The Imposters|album=Look Now|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Wallonia|96|artist=Elvis Costello & The Imposters|album=Look Now|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardCanada|62|artist=Elvis Costello|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|35|artist=Elvis Costello & The Imposters|album=Look Now|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|32|id=367173|artist=Elvis Costello & The Imposters|album=Look Now|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Portugal|50|artist=Elvis Costello & The Imposters|album=Look Now|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Scotland|8|date=20181019|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Spain|17|artist=Elvis Costello & The Imposters|album=Look Now|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|40|artist=Elvis Costello & The Imposters|album=Look Now|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Switzerland|37|artist=Elvis Costello & The Imposters|album=Look Now|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|14|date=20181019|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|46|artist=Elvis Costello|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 November 2018}}
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* {{Discogs master|type=album|1436418|name=Look Now}}
{{Elvis Costello}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:2018 albums]]
[[Category:Elvis Costello albums]]
[[Category:Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album]]