bird jam

Based on the anticipated Pitchfork review, I rank the new album last. The rest of them are tied for first.

Ha. Ha. You also missed mine... Pitchfork can write what they want, but it is frustrating that they have such an influence. For example, it is common knowledge that Pitchfork has a make or break factor in up and coming bands. A review can be a blessing or a curse. It is just unfortunate that a reviewer that reviews music through factors having nothing to do with the music itself commands such influence.

Who are they influencing? I could see your point if we were talking about Rolling Stone or Entertainment Weekly or something, but does Pitchfork really move units? Does Wilco or their label give a damn what Pitchfork thinks? I'm guessing they don't.

This is what frustrates me about forums, the poster merely commented that Pitchfork reviews based on the "hip scene," but of course people find room for criticism in order to make themselves seem intelligent, mature, and loyal to the band. The poster never stated that he or she seeks approval for their own musical taste in pitchfork. they were just commenting on an often frustrating aspect of a music reviewer. Don't question whether or not someone's love of the band needs to be validated, because that is NOT WHAT THEY SAID. Pitchfork's influence is undeniable, it is just unfortunate that they approach music, or music scenes rather (in general) the way they do.

You seem to have missed my point entirely. There is a lot of serious anger at Pitchfork in this thread and others. If Pitchfork pisses you off that much, don't read it. If any reviews of anything (which are, by their very nature, purely subjective,) piss you off that much, then you should probably steer clear of reviews. Buy a parrot.

Similarly, if message boards frustrate you, then posting on them about your frustration seems like an exercise in futility.

LOUD NOISES!!!

Pitchfork is just a website... Their album ratings are pretty consistent in terms of what they rate well or rate poorly. YHF overlapped pretty well with what they typically like, SBS did not. If the new album contains the sort of things they value, it will score well, if it doesn't it won't. If their tastes don't overlap with yours, calm down and read some other music site.

I don't get this anti-Pitchfork attitude. Like any review site, they review things so you don't have to buy everything that ever existed to find things you like. If they give things high marks that you think are awful, maybe Pitchfork is not for you. If they give things low marks that you think are manifestations of god on earth, then maybe Pitchfork is not for you. I tend to find that Pitchfork matches my taste most of the time and so when they give something a high mark and it sounds like something I would like, I go buy it. I discovered the New Pornographers and Destroyer that way. Of course, they gave the new Mates of State a middling review and I liked it (though not as much as Bring It Back), so they don't represent my exact taste.

 

Really, Wilco reviews are of limited use to anyone here. We're going to buy the album regardless of what anyone says so looking up Wilco reviews seems like an exercise in insecurity -- we want to be sure that other people think that our taste is cool. Sorry, but the really cool kids still don't think we're cool; it's better if we just accept that and be happy liking what we like.

These two posts sum up my feelings about Pitchfork pretty well. How can people get so angry about what other people (they have never met) think about an album?

Do you really need your love of Wilco (or whomever) to be validated by everyone else in the world agreeing with you? That sounds like a you problem, not a Pitchfork problem.

I guess it all depends what you are looking for when you read a record review, whether it is Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, or wherever. If you are looking for someone else's thoughts on something, unafraid of differing viewpoints, then reading record reviews can be interesting, productive, and even fun. If you are looking for a stamp of approval of your own musical taste, I guess they can make your blood boil.

god bless pearl jam for attempting to fight the machine. with the merger between TM and live nation, it doens't look like things are gonna improve, just like dmait alluded to.

sucks.

Yes, God bless the 1995 version of Pearl Jam.

But not the 2009 version with Eddie Vedder charging $73 (before all the TM add-on BS) for a solo show. Boo!

Can anyone identify themselves in this video clip from Record Store Day?........

 

Yes! Saw myself and my daughter and one of our friends! Very cool, thanks for posting that.

Were the extras only supposed to be downloadable for a limited period of time? I thought I might have read that somewhere, but I could be wrong...

i wish i had been up on my wilco followin' to know about this!!! i didn't even know this went down till jeff mentioned it at the show...then i was like wtf.

 

if you guys want to see some pics, become a fan of the disc exchange, knoxville on facebook. they have quite a few pics from the event.

Very cool pics, thanks for the tip. I see myself in a few of them.

There was a lot going on in Knoxville on Saturday and we could not find a place to eat without a long wait, but the hostess at the Saphire (I think that's what it was called) found a spot for us and our waitress got us in and out with time to spare before the show.

The UT football spring game brought about 50,000 people to the downtown/UT area who probably wouldn't otherwise be there on a Saturday afternoon.

Agreed solid show! I don't know the little girl's name but I think it was the same girl that I remember helping Jeff sing Hummingbird in Asheville 05 and Chapel Hill 06 because he commented on how she was getting bigger everytime he saw her.

That moment in the 2005 show is my single favorite moment from any concert I have ever been to. Sorry I missed her encore performance last night.

DB PowerAmp is another one - although, EAC is the best.

I use Foobar 2000 to convert FLAC to WAV, but it has a lot of features that I don't use and I wouldn't be surprised if it could convert FLAC to mp3. In fact I'd be surprised if it didn't!

 

Also, it's free.

Cool, thanks guys. I will have to check those out when I get home tonight.

Semi-related, does anyone have a free FLAC->.mp3 converter they recommend so I can put shows on my Zune? I have FLAC Front-End but it converts to .wav and the Zune doesn't recognize that.

I never made the connection, but it makes perfect sense that Dave Thorne was inspired by Kidsmoke.

From WilcoWorld:

 

WILCO stopped by the Disc Exchange in Lexington, KY to celebrate RECORD STORE DAY and to sign copies of the Ashes of American Flags DVD for fans, there's a link to more information and some video of it here:

 

Umm... did they forget about us already? It was Knoxville.

dont you have to be in the industry for 25 years before you join the RnR HOF?

Yes, to be inducted. But the original poster was lamenting the lack of Wilco CDs in the gift shop, which sells CDs of many artists who are not actual inductees.

Thanks, birdjam. 'Nels seemed a little subdued though.' I don't know how I missed that. So we weren't the only ones. Did I miss the explanation as to Nels 'busting his ass'. I read and reread but I don't see a reply to the question. I don't recall anything like that and I was pretty close and observant.

I didn't see him fall either, but apparently multiple people did. I have no idea when it happened, but it might be an explanation for what you and I observed...

Interesting enough, you can buy Wilco merch at the PBA Hall of Fame in Milwaukee.

I thought that was in St. Louis.

I did not notice that. But did anyone else think that Nels was somewhat, for lack of a better term, subdued? I don't mean that in a negative way, that he is over the top or something. On the contrary, I very much enjoy watching and hearing Nels. I mean that he didn't seem to be a 'focal point' (again not meaning that he usually makes himself or is made a focal point). My buddy and I were discussing it later how we noticed a subtle change in the way that Nels played. Not tonally or anything like that but physically and temporally. Nels seemed more in the background. Aw, Jaysus, this sounds ridiculous! I can't express what I am thinking competently.

 

Basically, my pal and I were wondering if this was 1)our imagination 2)if true was it conscious or unconscious 3) if conscious, who decided? and 4)Did this occur just for Knox (if it did indeed transpire) or is it for the tour?

 

Oye, I should probably just delete this. Thank you in advance for not having me banned due to incoherent babble.

I felt exactly the same way, and I think you articulated it better than I ever could. But my wife and I noticed it also. (Check the 7th post on the first page of this thread.)

I went to the RnRHOF the weekend before 9/11 (that will always be etched in my memory) and didn't think it was bad, although there are better rock museums around the world. So it was a little disappointing in that regard - you go to Cooperstown and you know there's not a better collection of baseball history anywhere in the world, so I was hoping for something similar in Cleveland. (I've never been to the EMP in Seattle, but what I have read about it makes it sound better than the RnRHOF.)

But it is definitely worth visiting. We went for a Lennon exhibit that was really well done.

Did anyone else notice how incredibly loud the music got towards the end of the show? I could barely hear any vocals. I'm wondering if it was just my ears or if it really was that loud.

No, where I was standing I didn't notice that at all.

I'm coaxing a friend (super taper, poor upp'r) into getting his out first. Hopefully it'll be up tonight.

Coax your hardest, and thanks to you and your friend for your efforts.

Doh! Just corrected by a friend.

 

 

Disc 1:

One Set:

 

01. Outta Mind (Outta Sight)

02. Misunderstood

03. Hummingbird

04. You Are My Face

05. Company in My Back

06. I am Trying to Break Your Heart

07. Kamera

08. At Least That's What You Said

09. Ashes of American Flags

10. Shouldn't Be Ashamed

11. Jesus, etc.

12. Impossible Germany

13. Forget the Flowers

14. Box Full of Letters

15. Heavy Metal Drummer

 

 

Disc 2:

Set One continued:

 

01. A Shot in the Arm

 

Encore 1:

 

02. Late Greats

03. Hate it Here

04. Walken

05. I'm the Man Who Loves You

 

Encore 2:

 

06. California Stars

07. Red-Eyed and Blue

08. I Got You (At the End of the Century)

09. Casino Queen

10. Outta Sight (Outta Mind)

11. Hoodoo Voodoo

That looks correct to me. Please be sure to let us know when and where you put it up. I can't wait to hear it again.

Here's what I have for the setlist.

 

Disc 1:

One Set:

 

01. Outta Mind (Outta Sight)

02. Misunderstood

03. Hummingbird

04. You Are My Face

05. Company in My Back

06. I am Trying to Break Your Heart

07. Kamera

08. At Least That's What You Said

09. Ashes of American Flags

10. Shouldn't Be Ashamed

11. Jesus, etc.

12. Impossible Germany

13. Forget the Flowers

14. Box Full of Letters

15. Heavy Metal Drummer

 

 

Disc 2:

Set One continued:

 

01. A Shot in the Arm

 

Encore 1:

 

02. Late Greats

03. Hate it Here

04. Walken

05. I'm the Man Who Loves You

 

Encore 2:

 

06. California Stars

07. Red-Eyed and Blue

08. I Got You (At the End of the Century)

09. Casino Queen

10. Hoodoo Voodoo

 

May have tapes up a the next few days....

Excellent, glad to hear somebody taped it. But did you miss Outta Site (Outta Mind)?

(And did I nail the setlist from memory, albeit out of order? Holy shit!)

A little video from the in-store: