DiamondClaw

That must have been where I read that.  I think that approach worked well for Star Wars.  Not as well for Schmilco, if that was made the same way.  That one sounds more like a Tweedy solo album to me.  It's the Syncronicity Side 2 of WIlco's discography.

I agree re: both Star Wars and Schmilco. I also kind of hoped the whole band would record together from scratch for a new Wilco project to create a different vibe than overdubbing to Jeff-and-Spencer demos as described in Let's Go.

Ever since Sky Blue Sky, my impression is that their studio approach has seemed to be getting more piecemeal, with Nels increasingly becoming an auxiliary player who adds his bit after the tracks are mostly recorded.

 

My impression could be totally wrong, but I believe I've read somewhere that this has been their process on the last couple of records.  I suppose they could do a whole record with no instances of the entire band playing together at the same time.  That's how many records are made, but it's weird to think of a band, and particularly one like Wilco, who are such a unified ensemble as a live band, working that way. 

That's definitely the way Jeff described the recording for Star Wars — calling band members in one at a time to overdub as necessary.

This is great news. I was wondering when the heck they would logistically even be able to get all six guys in the same place at the same time before they hit the road in June (even just to rehearse, let alone record a new album!). They all have a lot of solo stuff going on — Jeff and Nels especially. May seemed to be the only open month on the calendar. Nels is on the road this month, so if Wilco is currently working at the Loft, I wonder if Nels was able to drop by briefly.

Plus, is Jeff still planning to release "Warmer" this spring?

I don't have a definitive ranking this year, but here are my favorites in no order:

• Josh Rouse – Love in the Modern Age
• Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
• Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
• Natalie Prass – The Future and the Past
• Salad Boys – This is Glue
• Jim James – Uniform Distortion
• Kurt Vile – Bottle it In
• Mark Knopfler – Down the Road Wherever
• Elvis Costello – Look Now
• Jeff Tweedy – Warm
• White Denim – Performance
• Snail Mail – Lush
• J Mascis – Elastic Days

So I was thinking about these new songs the other day, that they felt so familiar to me already. Part of it is that they are just good songs, warm and timeless. But another part of it is they (subtly) reminded me of older songs that I just couldn't put my finger on. It was killing me that I couldn't nail it down... until I did!

It finally came to me yesterday:

1. "Don't Forget" --> "Burned" (Wilco cover version)

2. Chorus of "I Know What it's Like" --> Chorus of "The Kids are Alright" by the Who

Does anyone else hear these similarities? Nothing so overt that it is a blatant copy, just subtle tone or melody influences. Any other connections people are making with these new songs?

Listened to it three times through now, and my first impression is it is great. "Warm" is a great title because it fits the vibe. Minus "Let's Go Rain," which I just can't get into, and the first half of "How Will I Find You," which I think is weak until the guitar gets going, this is a just a pleasure from start to finish. Highlights for me are "Some Birds," "Don't Forget" and "I Know What It's Like." And "Having Been."

Seconded, great album! 

Thirded!

First of all, thanks a million for your recaps on this tour, bbop. These threads are appointment reading the morning after Wilco/Tweedy shows! I've seen "On and On and On" pop up several times this tour, but no footage of it exists. I'm curious how that one sounds solo acoustic.

New Wave Theater is listed as Having Been Is No Way To Be on the Pabst FB post. Not a fan of the show setlist for Milwaukee on their website missing 5 songs. I mean, some really cool people keep their own show statistics in an Excel spreadsheet. Think that leaves Family Ghost and Evergreen (unless Jeff reworked Childlike & Evergreen)?

What about "Drawing From Memory"? Is that accounted for here under a different title or not on the album?

This is great news! It's been apparent at these solo shows over the past few months that Tweedy had a critical mass of new material, and the only question was whether they were on reserve for a future Wilco session or were already in the can in another form. This seems like a really good batch of songs, so I'm really excited for this!

It's funny you picked "Nope" because it has kind of unique vocal production compared to the rest. The slap echo and doubling makes it sound kind of whimsical and Guided By Voices-ish to me. Suits the song.

 

Most of the other stuff has a more 'uneffected' sound (not unaffected). They seemed to have really gone for a straight at the mic sound without a lot of extra gloss on it for the last few records. I think it sounds intimate, but I can see how some might hear it as sounding flat.

 

Speaking of head colds, listen to 'I am Trying to Break Your Heart', that guy used to have some real sinus issues that were somehow endearing. In fact maybe the slightly brighter vocal sound on YHF is what you're missing. But I digress- sorry I'm an audio engineer so I can get really geeky on this stuff, but the important part is what connects with the listener- what they chose didn't work for you.

This is interesting. Maybe it is a slightly "brighter" vocal sound that draws me in. I really don't like the distorted/flat/fuzzy/echo thing, which I (maybe wrongly) attribute to songs like "Nope" or "The Joke Explained."

Jeff's vocals didn't bother me so much when I was getting into it, but coming back to it lately this is probably the thing that grates the most with Schmilco - especially on the second side. I hear a similar approach on Tweedy and the quieter material on Star Wars. It works quite well with the Tweedy stuff, but by the time the Wilco releases roll around there's definitely something nagging about it. It could also be due to my opinion that some of the material on both of those Wilco releases is well below par.

Maybe that's part of it too, because I really like Sukierae. Could just be the formula was a little worn out by the time Schmilco came out. Though it is also interesting to think of Sukierae, Star Wars and Schmilco as a trilogy. Either way, I am very eager to hear what direction the next Wilco album takes. Whether you like the trilogy or not, it would be interesting to see Tweedy veer in a different sonic direction next.

Ah, so these are not tracks from the Tweedy album?   I suspected that, but I've never heard Sukirae all the way through and wasn't sure.

They're not but I wish they were! I like the Sukierae album, but "Everybody Hides" and "Why Why Why" are as good as anything on there.

Always wanted to chime in on this thread. Here's my top 10 from 2017:

1. Spoon – Hot Thoughts

2. The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding

3. Ryan Adams – Prisoner

4. Bash & Pop – Anything Could Happen

5. GospelbeacH – Another Summer of Love

6. Son Volt – Notes of Blue

7. Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice

8. Real Estate – In Mind

9. Beck – Colors

10. St. Vincent – Masseduction

Yep, same old boring setlist.  I've said it before, but with a catalog of songs like he has and one of the most seasoned and road-tested rock 'n' roll bands on the planet, its a colossal shame and waste that he does shows like this, IMO.  A lot of my disappointment is that I have been such a fan for so long and I know what they are capable of. 

 

If they can't rock for 2 hours anymore, maybe its time for that all acoustic, sit down and play, theater tour.  But then all the mainstream fans they've pandered to for the past two decades would complain.

As a diehard Heartbreakers fan myself, this hits the nail on the head. On the bright side, they did add "Swingin'" from the long-forgotten Echo album to the set last night. First time it had been played in 18 years. Who knows if it'll stick, but that's definitely a very welcome breath of fresh air.

Bumping this. 2 tickets still available for tonight. Great seats too! Just looking for face (OBO). Email me if interested.

mdepilla at gmail dot com.

Something just came up with the family and I won't be able to make Wednesday's show at the Chicago Theatre, so I am just looking for face value for this pair. The seats are in the mezzanine box section - Row Q2. I've seen shows here before and I love the vantage point and ambiance. $200 for the pair, and they're hard tickets. Message me if you're interested. Thanks!

So Wilco starts their fall Midwest tour in two days. Do you think they will

a. "Leak" and/or stream Schmilco in the next couple of days?

b. Perform some new tracks without the album being out there?

c. Stick with the Star Wars tour setlists for the time being?

It would be a very Wilco thing to do to have Schmilco appear on their website before this week is over...

So, what do you think would have been good album titles?  Too early to speculate on Schmilco, but how about the other releases?

I always thought "Dark Neon" would have been a cool album title (and probably would have made for some cool art). I also think that album would have been better if that track was included — I never did understand how it "didn't fit" when the rest of the songs on WTA were very different from one another to begin with.

For Star Wars, no idea. Pickled Ginger, Alien Ache, Knitting the Divide, Flame Creator are each cool nuggets of imagery.

While it is ultimately completely unimportant and unrelated to the quality and enjoyment of the music itself, I do have to admit a slight preference for album titles (and art) that have something to do with the collection of songs they represent. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost is Born, Sky Blue Sky, even The Whole Love all seem to capture those particular albums to me in some thematic way. Wilco the Album, Star Wars, Schmilco, yeah they're lazy or cutesy or whatever, but the main thing is they're not evocative to me in any way. (Though to reiterate, in the end it is the music that matters.)

Right On!...and... Right On! I've given up trying to rank them, but I'm still a huge champion of the severely underrated "Wilco (The Album)". When I saw Jeff solo, at the all-request benefit show a year or two ago, the person I was standing next to in line & I compared notes & both of our top requests were for "Everlasting Everything". When Jeff played it he noted that none other than Bill Fay had told him that he thought it was the best song he'd ever written.

I also agree that "Solitaire" is one of his greatest songs ever. And let me put in a word for "Deeper Down" here as well, since it's one that neither of you mentioned. Jeff did it, solo acoustic, at the Tweedy Washington D.C. show (it was my WilcoWorld request that night) & it was jaw dropping- a total fave. That covers almost the whole album now... So what's left out- "You Never Know", "Sonny Feeling" & "I'll Fight" & I have to say I don't hear a weak track amongst those either...and... I totally dig "Dark Neon"- especially the recent live takes on it.

Ranking the albums is an impossible task for me, but I wanted to chime in on the underrated WTA. I also think it's far better than people give it credit for. The one thing that's always baffled me is why the heck they left "Dark Neon" off the album. It's not like the album had a cohesive feel that "Dark Neon" wouldn't fit — the album was a "little from here, little from there" anyway, and "Dark Neon" would have added some color and punch, especially to the post-"Country Disappeared" stretch. I'm not saying WTA is Wilco's finest album — even as a fan I don't like the arrangements on some of the songs toward the end — but I think including "Dark Neon" would have changed the album's public perception a bit.

My quick take: I like the album, and I love the fact that Wilco is both able to make albums like this and albums like The Whole Love. Star Wars is jagged, fuzzy and jarring. The Whole Love is lush, warm and poppy. I can't really rank one vs. the other and I don't consider one style "better" than the other — I think the versatility Wilco shows in nailing both is the most impressive thing of all.

Just popping in to note that, on 3/14/15, Jeff failed to capitalize on the opportunity to play "Pecan Pie" at this show.

1. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

2. Casino Queen

3. Spiders

4. Bull Black Nova

5. Side with the Seeds

6. Ashes of American Flags

7. I Got You (at the end of the century)

8. Capitol City

9. Pot Kettle Black

10. Walken

11. Reservations

12. One Sunday Morning

13. Summerteeth

I played this playlist while I was working today (with one substitution- "Say You Miss Me" for "Walken"), and I have to say it is awesome! What a great mix of Wilco.