DiamondClaw

Wow, there's a blast from the past! 

I watched several YouTube clips from this Argentina show and all I can say is wow! The enthusiasm from the audience is just incredible. The chants to the "Impossible Germany" riff and the "Either Way" solo were especially invigorating to hear like that. I can't believe Jeff resisted playing what would have been an epic "Spiders." 

On 5/7/2025 at 7:10 AM, SarahC said:

Oh my goodness, yes. "Insignificance" in particular has such a place in my heart with those albums that just kinda wiggle into your ears and stay there forever. It's so good. 

I agree "Insignificance" may be the best overall, but "Simple Songs" is super underrated. Also, I've been alternating two of the instrumental ones, "Bad Timing" and "The Visitor," just about daily while I work. Gorgeous pieces of music.

Just wanted to say that listening to this podcast (which was great!) made me go back and revisit some of Jim O'Rourke's solo albums. My goodness, what absolutely amazing records those are.

2 minutes ago, chisoxjtrain said:

I am going to annoy the absolute shit out of my wife with all the different versions of Spiders.

That makes two of us!

Plus three versions of "Muzzle of Bees," two versions each of "Panthers" and "Diamond Claw" (both personal favorites of mine), "The High Heat," something called "Improbable Germany," and a whole bunch more. This track list is a dream.

1 hour ago, TCP said:

It's up for pre-order on the Nonesuch store:

https://store.nonesuch.com/en/nonesuch/a-ghost-is-born-deluxe-edition-9lp-4cd-mp3-bundle/075597897159.html

I would hold off on ordering as the Wilco Store usually has an exclusive variant.

You called it, TCP! I just saw the tracklist and I am floored.

https://ghostisborn.com/

On 11/18/2024 at 10:37 AM, TCP said:

My prediction is a reissue will get announced next week. 

 

Intriguing! Any reasons (that you can state publicly) for this prediction?

2 hours ago, bböp said:

My sincere apologies to the dwindling number of people who actually tune in for these musings of mine for the delay in posting something about this show. Hey, what are off days for if not getting to the next gig and actually trying to maintain some semblance of health? Anyway, that's a poor excuse for not getting something up sooner but that's all I've got. I suppose it's sort of in keeping with the rhythm of a tour which, incidentally, is what Jeff seems to have settled into as this cross-country jaunt starts to wind down over the next week upon reaching California.

Say what now? There are still plenty of us 'round these parts who tune in for these!

1 hour ago, uncool2pillow said:

Me too! Leaving Des Moines at 3:30 to make it just in time. Then Riotfest all day tomorrow.

Me three! They come on at 11:15 tonight — I'm getting my coffee ready now.

19 hours ago, bleedorange said:

 

I found it way too sleepy and same-y sounding, and thought it did not succeed in the same ways that Ode to Joy did where both are mining the same territory. And none of the songs worked for me at their show, which might not be a fair criticism since it was pretty early on, but they just fell flat on stage.

 

The disappointment came from "Cousin," which is a great song, but turned out to be an outlier. 

That makes sense. I think Cousin is great, their best album since The Whole Love, but a not-insignificant factor in my enjoyment of it is an adjustment in expectations. With each new album over the last several years, I've hoped for a more explosive, dynamic Wilco, and then ended up somewhat underwhelmed by the eventual release. I had to just accept what Jeff Tweedy is nowadays and what he wants out of a Wilco album. That said, his own "art pop" hype didn't do this project any favors, since it conjured up expectations of stuff even more adventurous.

On 7/11/2024 at 6:28 PM, bleedorange said:

Hey Everyone,

 

Just wanted to jump on and say that this EP has been a welcome surprise! Cousin was a massive disappointment for me (Cruel Country was to...to a lesser extent), and this EP goes in a lot of places sonically that I wish they would venture more often and expand on. The comments about Jeff's singing is something that has bugged me for quite a while now, but I think it works wonderfully here.

 

Of course, I also really liked Ode to Joy, which along with Star Wars, have been my favorite post-SBS things they have done. I would add this to that list.

Curious, what made Cousin such a disappointment for you?

It's no coincidence that I think "Hot Sun" is the best song on the EP. It's the only one CLB is credited on, and it feels the most developed, three dimensional and Cousin-like to me.

31 minutes ago, knotgreen said:

I agree with all of this and you've both put to words a lot of what I've been feeling about most Wilco records post- Star Wars. 

Jeff's proven what a prolific songwriter he is and I just wonder if too much of that writing is done in isolation. That is, by the time the band is involved they're not fleshing out a song anymore but filling in holes. 

 

And while I don't want Wilco to remake YHF or AGIB ad nauseam, I do miss the rewards of obsessive studio-tinkering. Those songs have a "layered" quality that I find absent on a lot of Jeff's recent output. 

 

But FWIW I really like this EP, especially Hot Sun.

Good way to put it. Wrestling songwriting (any aspect of it) from Jeff Tweedy has become more and more difficult as time goes by. But even if the songs are written by him in isolation, it's nice to get either 1. the band involved in the arrangement or 2. a different producer involved with the development. When Jeff handles every task end to end there does seem to be a bit of diminishing returns.

12 hours ago, Brian F. said:

Does anyone else hear "Paperback Writer" in the riff for "Hot Sun"? Every time I hear the "Hot Sun" riff in my head, and it was stuck there for a couple of days, it segues into "Paperback Writer."

Ha, no I hadn't heard that one, but "Annihilation" — which has been stuck in head relentlessly — segues into the middle of "Born Alone" from time to time for some reason.

I would think the next thing we hear about would have to be the AGIB deluxe box set, right? Maybe they'll play a few special shows for that like they did for the YHF one a couple of years ago. In addition to the new Tweedy album late this year/early next year, I think the Autumn Defense has a new album in the can as well that hopefully comes out soon. Maybe they'll support that one with a little run of shows.

I love that they left "Panthers" in the set! One of my favorites.

1 hour ago, Brian F. said:

There seems to be a lot of consensus that "Livid" is a highlight of this EP. When I first heard it, I thought that it was too bad it hadn't been developed into a more fully realized song.

I think "Livid" has a very cool riff and has the elements to be a highlight, but at only a minute long, it's hard to take it seriously. There are a couple of times within the track I think even the band is winking at us saying this is just a joke — namely when those video game-like sound effects come in and that random giant drum drop at 0:52.

Have to agree with the frustration at the continued lack of projection and passion in Jeff's lackluster vocals. It's not new, and not a total deal-breaker, but I still miss the old Jeff. That said, first impression of this EP is it rocks!!

10 hours ago, Brian F. said:

That comment about XRT is a very shrewd observation about how radio treats veteran rock acts. I can't speak from experience about XRT and Wilco, but I've seen enough instances of, for example, KROQ here in L.A. playing the new single from any of a number of bands that broke through in the '90s and running contests for listeners to call in and win tickets to see said bands, only to quickly abandon those new singles and go right back to playing the same three or four nostalgia songs from the '90s by those bands. Even U2 gets this treatment from rock radio.

I'll stick up for XRT a little on this one. While of course they do tend to gravitate toward the older, best-known songs, they gave both "Evicted" and "Meant to Be" very good runs of pretty much daily (if not twice-daily) plays when they were released. They also sprinkle in cuts like "What Light" and "Love is Everywhere" enough to keep us honest.

Amazing night top to bottom! Really wish I could make it back tonight. It was a rocking setlist, and the band was hitting on all cylinders. "Can't Stand It" and "Levee" were very pleasant surprises to me! And it can't be overstated how mind-blowing "Bird Without a Tail" is. Oh, and I was standing right next to the guy Jeff jokingly accused of asking women to flash him for a photo, and I can vouch that the guy definitely did not say that!

On 5/29/2024 at 10:04 PM, linclink1111 said:

Anyone know which tracks have lyrics & which are the instrumentals? Figure some may have shown up on "The Tweedy Show" and/or "Starship Casual" & that folks here might know... Life circumstances have kept me from being able to keep up as much as I'd like... Maybe, someday soon (cue up the appropriate "Being There" track now)... aaaaaaand, mic drop...

Sleuthing through Wilcoworld, it appears "Livid" and "Inside the Bell Bones" are instrumentals. "Hot Sun," "Ice Cream" and "Say You Love Me" all have lyrics posted. I don't see anything for "Annihilation."

Agree that was a great interview — thanks for sharing! Nels is really eloquent and insightful, and I loved hearing his thoughts about specific songs (writing, recording, attempting to reproduce live, etc.) I wonder what the one deep cut is he wouldn't mention that Jeff specifically doesn't want to play!

1 hour ago, Heart full of holes said:

A pretty nifty look at the thinking behind the last few Wilco albums:

https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/wilco-dbpm-records-list?utm_source=notification

I saw the thread title "Jeff Tweedy walks..." and thought this was an update on his hip surgery recovery.

One more I had been hoping for was announced today — Faye Webster on March 1.

Wilco tie-in here: She had been playing a new song on her most recent tour with the working title "Wilco Type Beat." Very catch song, like a cross of "Jesus, Etc." and "Impossible Germany." I really hope it's on here.

On 1/2/2024 at 1:40 PM, TCP said:

Hopeful:

 

Mac DeMarco (with lyrics!)

 

I liked Five Easy Hot Dogs! But yes, here's hoping for something more conventional* this year.

(*conventional for Mac is still wacky!)