Plumplechook

From the London Evening Standard. 4 out of 5 stars http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/article-23712622-details/CDs+of+the+week/article.do There must be reasons why a rock band as assured and talented as Wilco have not achieved greater popularity and a higher profile. One of them must be that the combo are a tad too unpredictable for a world that dislikes surprises. They have been prone in the past to follow a song of unsurpassed melodic loveliness with 10 minutes of horrible droning noises, up with which many will not put. Or perhaps it's something as mundane as the leader's name. Son

Review from the Irish Independent newspaper: http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/still-rocking-it-1791504.html By John Meagher Friday June 26 2009 Wilco Wilco (The Album) (Nonesuch) HHHHI You've got to hand it to Jeff Tweedy, Wilco's frontman. When this, their seventh album leaked online about two months ago, Tweedy didn't do what most other musicians of his stature would and complain bitterly in the media about how vile the internet is or bring forward the release date of the album to maximise sales. Instead, he made the songs freely available to stream on the band's website

I am strangely both surprised and saddened by this news.

Review from today's edition of 'The Independent' (UK daily newspaper). This might be the the most favorable review I've read so far: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-wilco-wilco-the-album-nonesuch-1719714.html Reviewed by Andy Gill Friday, 26 June 2009 With the magnificent Wilco (the album), Wilco (the band) reach the point that REM were at around the time of Automatic for the People: a group at the peak of its powers, offering hope and consolation in the face of growing discord, and an undimmed faith in the transformative power of rock'n'roll.

This is really sad. In spite of all the years of weirdness you cannot deny his brilliance. They were playing 'I Want You Back' on the radio on the way into work this morning. What a superb pop song that is - and what an amazing performance from an 11 year old kid.

Entertainment Weekly brings the hate. Not enough Nels wig outs thinks Clark Collis: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20285485,00.html Review by Clark Collis Jeff Tweedy's decision to give Wilco's new album the most
 prosaic moniker in rock history initially seemed like evidence of his dry wit. Listening to the band's seventh studio collection, you have to wonder if that choice isn't also a subconscious admission that his ideas cupboard is temporarily bare. ''Wilco will love you, baby,'' Tweedy sings on the opening midtempo rocker, ''Wilco (the song).'' But fans of the band are more
 ac

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A favourable review has just appeared in Drowned in Sound: http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14450/reviews/4137067 by James Skinner A reasonable question to ask of Wilco (the album) – particularly given its definitive title – is exactly which Wilco we’re being offered here. Recent years have seen us graced with the yearning soundscapes of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the migraine-approximating krautrock of A Ghost Is Born and the polished (if rather unexciting) gait of Sky Blue Sky. Of course, throwaway descriptions paint a picture far from complete. Numerous constants can be drawn over their

According to the Mediabase Radio Charts 'You Never Know' is already at number 6 on the airplay charts on Triple A stations across the US. It's one of the fastest gainers on the Triple A charts. But to put it in perspective Triple A is a bit of a ghetto and it only requires an accumulated three or four hundred plays a week across all the the Triple A stations to make the top 10. By contrast it takes two or three thousand plays a week to make the top 10 in the 'AC' (adult contempory) station charts - or 10,000 plays a week to make the top 10 in the 'Top 40' station charts. It's rare for

Apologies - but for some reason I can't open the 'Published Reviews' thread for the new album - so I'm posting this in a new thread. Maybe one of the mods can move this to the 'Published Reviews' thread later. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-tc-music-wilco-0529-0531may31,0,1617765.story Wilco presents nuanced snapshots on self-titled release By Greg Kot | Tribune newspapers critic May 31, 2009 Wilco's latest album, "Wilco (The Album)," is a mostly modest collection of sturdy songs, long on craft and nuance. But there are two surprises -- one nightmarish,

Great review Mahinty - thanks for the link.

The full documentary has now been posted on YouTube in 6 parts - as below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=morsKuvb0S8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5m2pCnv5h0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys73uhGbsw4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx8mZRg-19o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWaM1jJZkcA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFz5pa5Lno0 Also, for equipment and studio buffs out there, here's screenshots of an interesting article about Neil Finn's Roundhead Studios in Auckland NZ where Wilco recorded most of their latest album. The article appears in the latest edition of the Australian Au

By way of balancing out that almost incomprehensible anti-Wilco rant above from cokemachineglow here's a positive little cameo review from 77 square: http://77square.com/citylife/story_452712 77 Square staffers share their latest fixations: 1) "Wilco (The Album)" won't be in stores until the end of June, but Wilco (the band) is streaming it right now at wilcoworld.net. It's the most immediately pleasurable Wilco album in a long time -- Jeff Tweedy and company have taken the simple, direct approach to songwriting pioneered on "Sky Blue Sky" in a much sunnier, more rocking direction. The o

Two additional bits of the documentary have have now been uploaded: Part 3/5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys73uhGbsw4 Part 4/5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx8mZRg-19o

Review by Jim DeRogatis in today's online edition of the Chicago Sun Times - he gives it 3.5 stars (out of 4 I believe): http://blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/2009/05/wilco_wilco_the_album_nonesuch.html As a record-collecting geek and ardent student of rock history, Chicagoan Jeff Tweedy knows the best bands often provide a narrative arc with a dramatic twist or surprising turn upon the release of each new album. The story behind Wilco's first album "A.M." (1995) was Tweedy establishing his own identity separate from Jay Farrar, his partner in Uncle Tupelo, the earlier group that laid the fo

Last month's Q Magazine (UK) had this photo from one the gigs - featuring all the participants: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y235/reds.../7WC_QApril.jpg

Much actual concert footage Mahinty?

All songs by Jeff Tweedy according to the credits listed on the Nonesuch Records info on the new album: http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/wilco-the-album

Mark Olson and Gary Louris were terrific last night at The Annandale Hotel in Sydney. Sublime harmonies. Played for over 100 mins. Did all my favourite Jayhawks songs as well as stuff from their recent album. Highlights for me were Over My Shoulder, Two Angels, and Waiting for the Sun. They were funny as well - dry and a bit sardonic - the Becker and Fagan of alt-country!

A poorly written review in The Boston Phoenix: http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Music/83579-W...ilco-The-Album/

Impossible Germany You Are My Face Black Bull Nova

Here's a link to the studio in Auckland where they recorded the new album - it includes a similar gigapan type 'studio tour'. Maybe that's where they got the idea for the Loft Gigapan thing? It looks like a home-from-home for the Loft boys... http://www.roundheadstudios.com/

Article in The Riverfront Times about the leak of the new album... and how Twitter is now at the forefront of the leak phenomena: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2009..._sky_tweedy.php At What Point Did Wilco (The Album) Become Wilco (The Leak)? By Annie Zaleski in WTF Wednesday, May. 13 2009 @ 1:47AM Yes, Wilco's eagerly anticipated new album, Wilco (The Album) leaked on the Internet last night. How do I know this? Why, Twitter, of course. I was first alerted via www.twitter.com/diditleak, which posted the news at around 12:45 a.m. Then I decided to search back to see when #wilco

Wilco (well duh!) Queens of the Stoneage (like a force of nature live) The Pixies (saw them on their reunion tour a couple of years back and they were better than when I last saw them 15 years ago) Crowded House (one of the few bands who regularly manage to break down the barriers between the band and audience) Rory Gallagher (one of the first concerts I saw back in 1975 and it's still etched on my brain) Graham Parker and the Rumour (in the late 70s/early 80s these guys were unbeatable) J Geils Band (the tightest, most dynamic live band I ever saw) The Datsuns (old school rock and roll done

Here's a new clip posted on Youtube of Jeff performing 'Fake Plastic Trees' - taken from the last night (Jan 7). Much better quality than the clip posted a couple of weeks ago from the first show: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=8WBq23wJJXI Also, this new clip shows a few brief highlights from the last night - including Wilco performing At Least That's What You Said - and Jeff and Neil Finn joining forces on 'I Got You' (the Split Enz song) - with Pat Sansone on bass: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=dwOdZX9D-pI