g_srikishan

I'm not going to this show, but I had to add my two cents about Grizzly Bear:

People have asked me who my favorite band is, and for at least 3 years it was Wilco- now when people ask me, the answer is Grizzly Bear. I discovered their album Yellow House this year, and it's been life-changing. I haven't seen them live yet, but their videos on youtube indicate that they are quite amazing. I think this will be one of the best shows ever.

1. Muzzle of Bees (without a doubt)

2. Poor Places

3. War on War

Just going through the album, I think 1-4 are just great, thoughtful and listenable songs. You and I is too bland- while Feist seems to be the saving grace for many, I think her role is just kind of distracting. You Never Know has disappointing lyrics coupled with a throwback sound that is so inconsistent with anything else on the album. Country Disappeared and Solitaire have a great acoustic pop vibe to them (the only thing I can't stand is the way Tweedy's voice is double-recorded on Solitaire). The lyrics for these are also pretty great. I don't even wanna talk about how much I dislike I'll Fight. Sonny Feeling is Wilco's epitome of pop- amazing. Everlasting is kind of in the middle for me- I really enjoy and relate to the lyrics, but certain things that occur musically are just too cliche (the bells, ascending orchestral lines at the end). However, I will note that Kotche's drumming is perfect and the last bit of Nel's multiple guitars is an unexpected moment of wide-eyed beauty.

Yeah, I'm surprised that they would choose You Never Know as the single- it is catchy and definitely radio-friendly, but is not representative of the sonic quality of a lot of the album, or Wilco in general.

And tharc, I'm not sure if my commented elicited your response, or not. But I think it's important to stay away from making generalizations in these broadly inclusive terms like "the indie crowd." Indie, the word itself, is already something that seems to have taken on too many meanings for it to ever be used to actually convey any one single idea. Regardless of all those semantics though, I feel like I need to defend myself and say that, no I don't think they NEED to continue in the experimental direction because of the fact that they have already made YHF and AGIB. Instead, I wish they had done something more experimental because currently I find myself more interested in it, moreso than pop stuff. Still, I certainly respect the decision they made to go in this direction, and they did it damn well. I would never say that anything on the album is "bad music." There's just too much that is admirable about all of the musicians in Wilco...

EDIT:

I should add that all of SBS was perfect- the best follow up to AGIB I could ask for. I don't feel that way as much about W(TA) in terms of following SBS.

I feel weird jumping in at this point, but I've kept up with this about half way through I think (around page 15?).

Personally, I think Wilco has a way of changing directions with every one or two records; AM and BT were overtly country albums. Summerteeth moved to pop, YHF was deeply experimental (I still have no idea why people always call it the greatest American *rock* album), AGIB was a blend of experimentation and pop/folk, and SBS was country/folk again. I feel that W(TA) is pretty much a straightforward pop album. That said, the context in which I view it (pop context) shows me that it's a fantastic album by any pop standards- it's catchy and easy to like on first listen, and actually shows good musical aesthetic and technique (largely due to Glenn and Nels). And while I think Wilco moved well in the direction they chose, I wish they didn't move in a pop direction. I think a great follow up to SBS would have been something that was somewhat more experimental, or more subtly textured (along the lines of AGIB). Still, I hold that Wilco always has a way of upsetting some significant portion of its fan base, and they have failed to do so to me, until now. I should say, I'm not terribly upset though- this will still be an album I listen to a lot, as soon as I pick up a copy.

And on a side note, I really appreciate Nels' presence on the album; I think he does the most to contribute to the textural layering of the album. Also, everything is just really fucking interesting, whether you're a musician or not.

Wow...I had no idea of the great hatred towards this song. I think it's a stretch to say it's the worst thing Wilco ever recorded- there are some cool musical aspects to the song, like Nels Cline rocking at the end.

My room mate is watching Heroes right now, and I heard a snippet of "Glad It's Over!" Haha, I kinda freaked out and was very happy...yeah. Anyway, for all of you who haven't heard it:

I could only pick 2, which would be Why Would You Wanna Live? and Kingpin. I know, I know, all you old-school Wilco fans probably want to kill me...

Pieholden is one of my top favorite songs...it brings back a lot of sad memories, so I don't listen to it much. But I still love it.

I went to the Bang on a can marathon today (at U of I). And it was a hell of a show. Glenn Kotche and Lee Ronaldo played with the Bang on a Can All-stars as well and it was amazing! After the show, everyone came out to the lobby and hung out, so I got a chance to talk to Glenn, and that was really awesome. The environment alone was amazing. There weren't that many people in the audience, so it felt a lot more intimate, especially when you're literally a few feet away from the musicians. Did any other fellow VC'ers go?

Thanks guys! I'm sort of new here, and I'm really impressed at how quick and accurate these responses are. Thanks again, I'm gonna have to go get a dulcimer now...

What is the instrument used just after the first chorus and before the next verse?

Thanks

Yeah! I play the violin, I can't say I know it all off the top of my head, but one day just before a concert I was fooling around on the violin and started to play the beginning of Jesus, etc. How long have you played the violin?

That was a wonderful show. Even on the radio it was enough to keep me satisfied. The stuff Nels was doing on Outtasite was incredible!!

Muzzle of Bees, any day, any relationship. It's universal. By the way, I'm new here, so hi!

Right, I'm new here, so I was wondering if anyone on here has one extra for 2/15. Honestly, I haven't got much of a story to go with it or anything, I was just at school when they went on sale. I couldn't put money forward the night before, so my friend couldn't get me an extra while he was buying his. If you can help me out, my email is g_srikishan@hotmail.com

Thanks