Preferred B

Ha, I was just going to make the same observation. I have never understood the compulsion people have to rank albums in relation to each other. (And not chronologically.) Clearly I'm in the minority, because everyone else seems to do it. But that's just not how I think of it at all. I know what I like and don't like - I could give you lists of stuff I love and hate - but I've never felt the need to put it all onto any sort of continuum. Which is odd, because I organize the hell out of most things in my life. SS - people are doing it all over the place here in terms of where this album

You tell me! (Lolla totally doesn't count.)

Oh yeah that's where I heard "gold" too. Well that changes things.

Reading the lyrics in the other thread for I'll Fight, I have no idea what the storyline is anymore.

Jeff actually said in some interview that this is about a guy who killed his girlfriend. But again, it could work on multiple levels. Most certainly.

Who uses Kiehl's grapefruit hand/body lotion?

Yeah, there is a lot of that too. It seems to be in the context of saying that the person who didn't go will be able to appreciate and do those things in the future. But then there's the whole "my love will come across" line at the end so ... it doesn't all seem to fit into any simple storyline to me. I need another listen later.

I don't think Jeff has said anything yet about what the song (I'll Fight) means. But though I need to listen some more to get the lyrics, I thought I remember gold being mentioned, "a deal was made" "I was paid" etc. Doesn't mean it can't have more than one meaning for people though.

That seems to be what I'm getting. And if so I just love how the chorus, absent that context, could totally be seen as a sappy love song chorus and nothing else. That's what I was hearing the first time.

At our show I asked Jeff what they'd do live for Feist's parts and he said he didn't know; not sing them? Pat and John were deemed not feminine enough.

I'm not someone who can listen to something a million times right away; I do best when I let things sit for awhile. That said, after two widely spaced listens, I find myself with the same opinion as a lot of people here. I love the first four songs. W(ts) is very fun, and I love the guitar sound. Deeper Down is fascinating musically. I haven't yet gotten to a point where I really know the lyrics, but there's so much going on in there. I can't wait to see those transitions live. I like One Wing but so far of these four it stands out the least. Bull Black Nova blows me away, and the fact

I need to go to bed. Maybe I'll wait another month to listen again.

I remember that, Judy. Didn't Late Greats surface way later than the others?

Didn't AGIB get pretty good reviews?

So is this chick named Sonny, or what? Is I'll Fight about a guy who literally got paid to take someone's place in a war? Finally getting to the point when I start to process lyrics.

Place bets on how long this thread will be by tomorrow morning! And how many people will make their first post here!

It's a great time to be PM-less at Via Chicago!

I'll Fight was played by the full band at the first Milwaukee show on April 14th. You Never Know was played live by the 7 Worlds Collide ensemble in Auckland, but I don't really know who that included on stage. It was not acoustic, though.

Yes, emails from Wilcoworld have hinted that it will be available before June 30th. This poll needs another option for "first listen." But I've been thinking about my second (and subsequent) listens. I can't decide.

I am not Kenneth from 30 Rock, although that would be cool. I'm not even a guy.

I really wish they were playing somewhere nearby in the foreseeable future. What Jayhawks cover?

First CD I bought with my own money - Wilson Phillips (s/t) First cassingle I bought - Urban Dance Squad's "Deeper Shade of Soul" I can't remember the first tape I bought on my own, which surely preceded both CD and cassingle. Oh, may have been "Flesh and Blood" by Poison. Has Pitchfork ranked any of these?

They should have stopped at Mars Cheese Castle, too.

I think the most impressive thing was how you churned these out in a freakishly short period of time, Lauren. And this is my favorite line: "Dreadlocks, dead-locks, OMG". I heard the song "Retrieval of You" today for the first time in a couple years. It reminded me of other possible routes Jay could have taken.