lost highway

^ To each their own etc etc al, but when it comes to enjoyment of music by an artist I'm invested in the criticism might only be as good as fiction. What's the quote: "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture"? Anyhow I might have been more blustery than was necessary. I know fighting with strangers about music isn't what anyone is here for, so apologies if I made it turn in that direction. Obviously everyone can and will read and listen on their own terms to their heart's content.

Come on now, it's okay. I won't get mad at you. I just thought your bummer sounded potentially avoidable.

So you listened to some of the music and liked it. But reading about the music you haven't heard leads you to determine you won't like songs you haven't heard and that makes you feel sad. Preemptive disappointment is very 21st century.

And my inner misanthrope says, "See?! One of their worst songs charted the highest!". To all who enjoy that song, please ignore my negativity and keep having fun with it.

^ It's really something to have a relationship with an artist that puts out such high quality material for so many years. Like, "Don't ask me about the new Wilco unless you have a couple minutes." I wish I could engage with more things at the same level, but on Friday I'm sure I'll be just as awash in my expectations and the arc of these guys' work.

I think to get anywhere close to comprehending the intersection of art and commerce that is a 'hit' song you have to look and see who is even vaguely stylistically adjacent who's had some kind of hit in the last 3 years. I don't know much about popular music, but I think the closest you get is Mumford and Sons which is still a few years ago and much more straightforward than anything this 6 piece would conjure.

Looks like I'll get my third Wilco Red Rocks outing. Psyched.

^ Yep. Best one yet. I generally dislike when songs have the word 'song' in their title, and almost always dislike a song that says the name of the genre that it is in the title. Somehow the premise of the lyrics makes me like how those traits work here.

I had a new thought relistening to Falling Apart today in light of the "live studio takes" details in the press release. I suspect the baritone guitar solo is Nels and the later phaser tele solo is Pat. I might be wrong, but if it is would that be the first proper guitar solo by Pat on a Wilco record?

Yes. It does that magic thing of being totally a quintessential Wilco vibe, without sounding like any of their many other songs in particular. When the guitar lead and "oooohs" kick in..... yeah.

There's something uncharacteristically on the nose about hearing Jeff Tweedy singing the words "red, white, and blue". This could be a hint of an album that dispenses with exploring the American mythos through abstraction, like the band often has, and instead states ideas plainly.

So who thinks this will actually be a largely country record? In some ways this single is a more faithful channeling of the Bakersfield sound than anything from the "alt country" days of AM. Also, I'm playing the game of what is everyone who isn't the rhythm section doing? Nels- kaleidiscopic phaser country lead kicking ass all over the place Jeff- foundational acoustic strumming Pat- spanky, plucky telecaster part Mikael- ???? Not a lot of organ, or piano on there. I might be picking up on some subtle keyboards. Also, I'm guessing John and Gl

Whoa. Not what I expected! Full on Sun Records slap echo on the vocals. Can't wait to hear the whole thing.

If I had to gauge from the unfinished stuff he's shared on his newsletter (which could be misleading), I'm expecting something multi-layered and vibrant like some of the stuff on The Whole Love. Kind of the yin to Ode to Joy's yang. A little less stark. But who knows. They've been talking about doing a double album for years. I'm excited this one was made with a lot of the team all together for major portions of it.

Yes, and before that AGiB. They've shared a lot but I still suspect there are more oddities from that process lurking in the archives at The Loft.