lost highway

9 hours ago, u2roolz said:

 

Reddit rumor: a certain someone (Solid Sound & SBS alum) produced the record. 
 

Oh, don't be a tease!

42 minutes ago, theashtraysays said:

Gone now… apparently somebody at hq reads VC !!!

I feel like we just got in trouble for peeking at the Christmas presents when mom and dad weren't home. Sorry, Wilco. We'll wait for the holiday!

"Soldier Child" is riveting solo and you can hear all of the spaces for the other 5 to fill. It's going to be amazing.

4 hours ago, heychicken said:

2023, guys! I was trying to wait until 2024.

2 hours ago, chisoxjtrain said:

::whispers:: I may have heard one of the new songs

Wai- wai- what? How? Where? What was it like? So many questions!

Jeff mentioned putting songs in two stacks when things started taking off with the boys in the loft. The country stuff seemed to be coming faster and the spirit of the moment so they left a stack of "weird" songs that were coming along to be the next thing. It sounds like the goal is something more challenging and artsy. I'm down.

6 hours ago, bböp said:

 

I'm a little alarmed that anyone other than Uncle Albert would be on pins and needles waiting to read any of my cockamamie blatherings, but thanks for being interested, I guess?

Long time listener, rare commenter here- keep em coming!

New single, "Eucalyptus" from The National features literal lyrics, a speak-sing chorus and a traditional guitar solo. I don't know what to make of it yet but it feels very different for them.

I think when you've released 12 albums and plan on no repeats the stats are going to be too weird to judge other than " here's some songs we thought would be fun tonight". There was only 1 song from YHF which is a total anomaly.

Yeah, but whud they play last nite?

Rodney's got some real Roy Orbison on Traveling Wilburys vibes going on this one. Very nice.

I like the Wilco- Pearl Jam/REM comparisons because they both have latter day catalog entries that are criminally underrated. But I would argue both of those bands have runs of albums where they lost the plot and Wilco never has.

I suspect the vault on AGIB is nearly as deep as YHF. Even if that's only half true it could produce at least one entire fascinating disc of unheard material.

I've recreated Baroque Down Palace as a Spotify playlist if anyone's interested.

Okay, someone's got to have these playlists. I could see waiting for them to take down the radio first, but I think Pat and Nels have made my new favorite mix tapes.

Nels' country selections are excellent. You can see where the vein of his particular Americana influences lies.

6 hours ago, The Inside of Outside said:

That's crazy!

 

Yeah, it makes me feel old.

3 hours ago, 5hake1t0ff said:

 

 I have come to think Garcia is underrated as a songwriter and overrated as a live musician/cultural icon.

That's a fresh take. I'll have to think on that next time I get Dead curious and give another peek at their massive discography.

1 hour ago, chuckrh said:

Didn't they put out a triple cd (with other artists) of Fred covers?

Oh shit, you're right!

I'm only surprised because you really can't hear the influence in their original material.

54 minutes ago, chuckrh said:

 I'm chemo sick this week & just had to get it off my chest. 

Oh dang. Sorry to hear it. Wishing you well.

56 minutes ago, chuckrh said:

On the other hand, I don't care for the National. They took it way too far. 

Wait, you detect traces of Dead in the National?

First off: Dead fans, many of you seem accustomed to people shitting on your favorite band and you seem to handle it with grace and good humor. You do you. It's refreshingly unpretentious.

Secondly, I am a fellow Dead skeptic. Although, I find some rewarding music can be found on American Beauty and Working Man's Dead as the pure folk side of the band, I find their overall shtick and sound to be annoying and lame like you.

As for Wilco, I think the Dead connection on CC might be some subtle echos of those two folkier GD albums I mentioned above. I've seen them play "US Blues" and it was fine. Everyone was having fun so I bit back my cynicism for love of humanity. I think this is about as Grateful Dead as you're going to see it get (unless for some reason you're going to a Philco show). The thing with Wilco is like My Morning Jacket- they have some crossover fans with String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic and other jam band fans. This connects with the Dead too. While far more deliberate and concise in their music, these folks get off on the level of improvisation and instrumental prowess the Wilco guys bring to a show. 

I guess what I'm saying is, "Don't worry." That stuff has always been adjacent. It's sweet, harmless, and horribly dorky but it's not exactly where our favorite Chicago sextet is coming from. This is as Dead as it's going to get.

1 hour ago, Chez said:

The Mekons continue to put out great music 40+ years [!] after their 1979 debut. Twenty years in, they released "Journey To The End of the Night."   And two of my favorite releases of 2022, Spoon's "Lucifer On the Couch" and Drive-By Trucker's "Welcome To Club 13" were both released more than 20 years after each band's debut.

Excellent picks. I still contend these, and Wilco, are the exception not the rule.

Gutted. So sad.

7 hours ago, Lukestar said:

 

The Stones hit their 20yr mark with Undercover (not awful, IMO, given I was 15 and it was part of what formed my perception of who they were as a whole...beginning with Some Girls thru Tattoo You. The following 10yrs of discovering and digging into their entire catalogue were just as formative, and I still feel that thrill when listening from time to time, after having stepped away from their music for a while), their 30yr mark with Voodoo Lounge (uhhhh, ok*) and Bridges to Babylon, almost halfway through their fourth decade (just happy they were still active, making music to go on tour with).

 

 

 

 

Oh God, you're right! The Stones longevity exceeds my math abilities.

Psyched for new YLT coming soon. Those guys are definitely in the 20+ and going strong club.

Hey VCers. A thought occurred to me in a nerdy record collector conversation that brought me yet another new appreciation for Wilco. The stat is this: music acts after their 20 year mark. I needn't remind you Wilco brought the excellent run of Star Wars, Schmilco, Ode to Joy and Cruel Country.

Set aside how many never make it that far, let's look at what other greats have coughed up at this stage in their career (if I throw shade at an underappreciated lp feel free to push back).

Rolling Stones-Bridges to Babylon

Bob Dylan- Empire Burlesque

Neil Young- Freedom 

The Who- It's Hard

The Kinks-Word of Mouth

Guided By Voices- Let's Go Eat the Factory

Smashing Pumpkins- Oceania

I have some peers for them who released strong work later, but as I think on it Wilco's longevity is pretty exceptional.