lost highway

He always finds a way to come up with a new and intense fuzz sound for the beginning of ITMWLY

Still a little loose on this number with this lineup. Just proof it needs to be in the set more.

Amazing maraca playing here, I'm not even joking. Way to put in the small details Pat!

Anyone's right channel going in and out?

Yes, it is. Woop, fixed it just now.

NPR has had some great streams lately (Dr. Dog, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Jonsi). So far I prefer the first disc to the second. That disc might be my favorite thing he's done since The Giant Pin.

The dissonance is perfect, a sonic disruption for an already uneasy dream-like, murder ballad. It is the same idea flirted with on BT during "Misunderstood", and the same kind of narrative tear that makes YHF most defining moments. It was only logical that the band would later create a track that featured only dissonance and noise for the majority of its duration. Part of what makes it one of my favorite tracks on the record is it adds tension and lends to the surreal atmosphere conjured by the lyrics. Just like the images in the words it spontaneously goes out of focus and disappears a

Sort of... I was more using the songs for examples of eras of the band. Again this is an interesting, but silly conversation. So if it seems frustrating (which I can see someone mouthing off about how something you like is 'less cool' can be pretty annoying) just ignore me. I was mostly interested in the idea of a musician being cooler in their 40's than in their 30's. I like music theory though too. And I will say that Impossible Germany has more complex chords, harmonies, counterpoint, dynamics and a greater musical arc. Overall it is more nuanced. I think this makes it a rich song t

There's a lot more to the song than the solo. And by salad shooter are you critiquing Nels' diet? Also when cool seems like a burden, then it is definitively not cool. I wouldn't be surprised if being cool was very low on Jeff Tweedy's priorities. I also wouldn't be surprised if that fact was responsible for what I recognize as him becoming inexplicably cooler as he approaches middle-age. I think I use that word in a different way than it is being interpreted. I mean having a magnetic, artistic persona (the external) that operates in conversation with the art itself. Everyone has thei

Awesome guys. The enthusiasm is refreshing. I'm 27 right now, and I definitely could stand to have my balls rocked off when I'm 54, or 64 like the McCartney song.

Yes, it is totally sublime. Did they do a version of this at the residency?

This is really interesting, and a little scary. I've heard this story from a lot of people who've passed their mid-twenties. I often wonder if it has already happened to me. I am still interested in new music and get great enjoyment out of new albums coming out from a lot of people. Somehow I don't have it in me to get as obsessed with things. It's kind of sad. I've heard friends say that this is proof that music is declining in quality, but I would argue that it's just the listener. What happens there, I'm still not sure.

Being cool has been a basic component of rock and roll since it started. It's part of what makes pop music tick. This is because you can't really just absorb someones song in a vacuum, something about their voice, presentation, and theme create a picture. This is true of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Lou Reed, the Beatles, the Talking Heads and so on (this is also why laying on the floor while the record is playing and just staring at the LP jacket is mesmerizing). Popular Culture's consensus is not quite the same thing, cool is an element whether the economy is measuring it or not. I mean.... I c

It's interesting to see people put SBS up against W(TA) if only because they both come out of the recent Wilco era where for some reason amongst fans it's hipper to dislike the newer records (I don't fully get that). I like to think of what part of the albums I find essential as opposed to just good (or occasionally a weak one). For me SBS= Either Way, YAMF, Impossible Germany, Side With the Seeds W(TA)= Deeper Down, One Wing, Bull Black Nova, You and I, Solitaire, I'll Fight What's exciting is that this is a band that has stayed interesting. I don't think I'll ever have my soul struck

Yeah, I always find it curious that I live in a country where so many people find buying houses and cars on credit with interest is a "step up", but getting pinched a little harder on their taxes to reform health care, or make overdue steps in environmental responsibility is "damage".

Rock against climate change. What's not to get?

If you're looking for one decent channel for a mic preamp, and you need some compression the Focusrite Platinum Trakmaster is totally usable. Its got optical compression on it, and I still use it after years, and I have some stuff that is much nicer. If you are interested in recording with more than a mic or two at a time and you want something to grow into look up Sytek. The MPX4aii has four channels, can be found used for 6-700 dollars, and is a phenomenal piece of solid state mic preamp. Steve Albini has championed them for years. I've got two of em and use them on drums and bass guit

AGIB YHF WTA SBS ST BT AM I had a really weird moment in Wilco fandom when one of my buddies put on Being There when a few of us were drinking beer and hanging out. I'd always thought of it as this daring, ambitious step forward for them (Misunderstood) sprinkled with new American classics (Far, Far, Away) and then I realized listening front to back how tepid that album is. I think AM and BT are more 'dad rock' then anything else they've done. Total MOR hum along easy going pop/classic rock with a few moments of undeniable brilliance, but to me as a crafted piece of art that I can interac

"Prolific?" I don't think this word means, what you think it means.

I'm wondering where the tech savvy fan is that will post this as an album of mp3's when it's finished. I want them for my Ipod because it has come out wonderfully.

It's ok. Pretty versatile. Decent on everything, but only decent (except snare where it excels). If you're just recording yourself with a little interface, a SM57 will not be a source of trouble. Working with condenser mics can be really fun, especially if you're new to the biz. You can find really affordable mics made by MXL that sound pretty good, will be better for vocals, and can still do electric guitar depending on the model. Only catch there is you need a mixer or a preamp with phantom power. The other alternative to the SM57 is an old Electro Voice mic. You can find EV RE10's

That's Tchad Blake, I think it's a really cool sounding record. Do you have an adjective to describe whats so bad about it? I find the O'Brien produced stuff to sound a little to glossy.

What's so great about long-career rock bands like Pearl Jam, is by the time you turn in your sixth album any fan's hierarchy of albums, or songs that they respond to starts to turn fractal. They're like finger prints, everyone starts to approach the band their own way navigating a catalog of over a hundred songs. That said I think the best Pearl Jam albums are easily Riot Act, Binaural and Vitalogy. Riot Act might be the best. I suppose that makes me weird around these parts. That and I think Ten is awful. One listen in and Backspacer sounds fun, serviceable, solid, and forgettable. M

You know, all of that said- I realize why I post less on here lately. I sometimes feel as a Wilco fan, it's nice not to come around here. I love listening to the band, I love talking to a lot of you about the band, I love getting a heads up about new side-projects, recordings, tours, etc. But, sometimes wading through a lot of tepid whining about the band is not worth the time. I could just listen to them, or something else, or make my own music (or insert any preferable activity). This is not written to antagonize anyone, I'm sure there's a good percentage of folks here who feel the sam

Yeah, I've heard mixed responses on those things from people 'in the know'. They kind of sketch me out. You can definitely pull power tubes from an amp and effectively make it quieter. I would definitely check with a tech to make sure you do it right, but you can cut your wattage in half by cutting your power tubes in half. This will allow you to drive the pre hotter, while using less volume, and not injecting some other company's attenuator in the chain between your amp and its speaker.