Theremin

Just curious. What are the weak tracks on SW in your opinion? I know it's different for everyone.

Joke Explained, Cold Slope & King of You, Where do I Begin (despite a cool ending). Taste the Ceiling wasn't that great either. Even something like More... while certainly not being a weak song wore thin pretty quickly for me. 

Magnetized is alright but not really Reservations level either imo. The two that made me return were You Satellite & RNG, botyh are pretty "meaningless" fun tracks as well but they have good enough melodies to actually deliver on that promise. 

I guess the thing that is supposed to tie SW together is that it's a more fun and lighthearted but I dunno, I like my Wilco to make some more profound statements than just that. I like fun Wilco but SW was a bit too much meaningless nonsense across the board for me.

And a couple of weak tracks on what was already a short album dragged the whole thing down quite a bit for me as well. Schmilco on the other hand doesn't make me reach for the skip button maybe because even the weaker ones make me stay in a certain vibe so it's all good. 

Digging the vibe on Schmilco a lot more than on SW, which was a fun album but ultimately a bit of an empty and too straightforward rock show (with a couple of slower ones that weren't that good, Tweedy seems to have kept the better slower tracks for Schmilco) that didn't keep me coming back except for a couple of stand outs. Never understood why that one got so much love on this board. 

I like that Schmilco goes for the good old album as a cohesive statement vibe which is the first time since SBS I think (though I'd still rank it below TWL which was a bit better than Shmilco on a song by song basis)? 

I know it was 10+ years ago. The point I was trying to articulate is that they once held Wilco in very high regard but took them down several pegs after AGIB -- agreeing with your point.

Not just after AGIB, they gave AGiB itself a whopping 6.6/10 back in the day: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8680-a-ghost-is-born/

That makes Wilco (the Album) the highest rated post-YHF studio album on Pitchfork, which is rather amusing cause that seems to be by far the least liked among Wilco fans. Their Whole Love review was especially confusing, pretty positive in tone yet with a 6.9 attached to it. Like they just weren't cool enough anymore to receive a higher rating.

They still hold YHF in very high regard though, was #4 in their end of decade 00s list if I remember correctly.

If you'd actually listen to that album all the way through you'd notice A Sky Full of Stars in an outlier (sounding like a leftover from the rather hollow and meaningless Mylo Xyloto) and nothing else on it is similar in musical style or lyricism. It's the obligatory "hit" they probably had to write to keep their record company happy (featuring Avicii, says it all really).

Song of Innocences biggest problem is that even when Bono does churn out personal lyrics the slick and hollow way it is produced and predictable songwriting makes it all sound very unbelievable. Like it has gone through a ton of focus groups to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Coldplay just like U2 worked with a gazillion producers on their last album but at least it doesn't sound like they put 10 guys in the recording studio just to overpolish things till there's nothing even remotely interesting left (well, except on A Sky Full of Stars).

It's really good.  As mentioned, it takes a while to get a good understanding of an album, especially one thats an hour and ten minutes long.  I still feel like the mellow stuff hits harder in this context than what the Wilco vehicle does with that material.  For example, I'll take "Fake Fur Coat", or "Pigeons" over "Please Be Patient With Me", or "Country Disappeared".

 

The unwieldy length is great to me.  There are only 3 or 4 albums a year, tops, that I can really dig into and spend a lot of time with.  A solid entry from Tweedy with 20 songs to chew on is a good thing.  Usually when there's a new Wilco record I'm tearing into 2-3 B-sides in addition because I like more.

I don't know, I don't think any of the "mellow" material here is as good as Country Disappeared (though that's my favorite W(TA) song along with Bull Black Nova).

This album really seems to be one of 2 distinct halves: first 10 songs are kinda Loose Fur-y (more Born again... than S/T though) with the exception of Pigeons. Then the second half is pretty much MOR Tweedy balladry except for Down From Above which could've been on the first half. Maybe it makes more sense when seen as 2 seperate discs.

C'mon, the U2 album is no classic but it's certainly better than the last couple Coldplay albums. Let's not get crazy.

 

Coldplays latest Ghost Stories was pretty banal but at least there were some honest emotions to be found there, this new U2 is the most soulless affair from a big band since REMs Around the Sun which is pretty painful since honesty and their "holy fire" was once their biggest asset. Lyrics from the generic Bono-generator, ultra-slick production making these songs instantly ready for an elevator in a supermarket near you and almost no memorable melodies... after a couple of listens I fear it really is their worst yet and maybe the worst album I've heard all year. The last song is the only one that stood out somewhat. I'm a U2 fan up until (the sometimes unfairly maligned) Zooropa and even a ATYCLB had its moments but this and NLOTH is the sound of a band churning out an album because that's what their shareholders and the whole factory surrounding the U2 brand expect once every 5 years.

There are a couple of songs at the beginning that give me a Loose Fur vibe but somewhere halfway the rather MOR mid tempo balladry seems to take over the album.

Not really impressed to be honest. Most of it isn't that bad but it's an album whitout a lot of highlights and the second half gives me flashbacks to the second half of W(TA), lots of tunes Jeff Tweedy can write in his sleep, there's some b-sideish material here that gives me the impression it made the album so Tweedy and son could do a live set with mostly TWEEDY songs. Diamond Light pt 1 was the best song for me probably because it sounds like a Loose Fur outtake.

Then again, it's still early days and a 20 song 70 minute album takes some time to properly digest so I hope it grows on me. And I hoped Tweedy would save his best material for Wilco anyway so if that's the case and this is just an excuse to have some good times with his son I'm okay with that.

I know it was, I was just saying it's musically comparable with the AFP situation which didn't really lead to very good results. So I'm just speculating whether Tweedy will be capable of dividing his time between several bands whitout results suffering.

This is kind of like Jon Bon Jovi recording and touring without Bon Jovi.

 

Hopefully the quality of the material and performances will be as strong as well!

It's more like Thom Yorke playing with Atoms for Peace outside Radiohead only Radiohead has always been the same 5 dudes so that made more sense. I guess it's a good thing Tweedy is looking for different solutions at this point instead of just forcing members out of the band when he feels like it, especially since I feel like the current line-up has still something left in them.

Lets hope Tweedy is bringing better material than Yorke though, that AFP album was pretty bad. Though I also kinda hope he saves the best tunes for Wilco because Tweedy basically being the only songwriter in Wilco post-Bennett might be problematic for his main act between this and the rumors of another Loose Fur album.

What the hell is going on here? Open Mind is a gorgeous song with vivid lyrics that tickle my senses. A wonderful love song. Some of you have last your minds! Damn I love that song.

It's also a bit boring, lets face it.

As much as I love Tweedy's solo shows, and I do love them, I'm looking for more Wilco music and Wilco tour.  The concept that there won't be either until 2015 saddens me.

Has this actually been confirmed somewhere or is this just speculation based on solo projects?

i wish atease would adopt some of this boards emoticons

 

       

People would just spam them endlessly whitout ever making any other contribution again.

But why?

Also, Wilco doesn't do albums full of songs like Open Mind.

classic theremin

Hi

I'm here because of your rumor mongering.

So the first Loose Fur album in ages, the first Jeff Tweedy solo album ever (with Spencer on drums no less...), hopefully, continuing Jeff solo dates for this year... & then more likely 2015 for the new Wilco album & Solid Sound for sure. That's a whole lot to look forward to!!

Did they postpone it yet again? First they were gonna release something last year, now it's already 2015 or what? They don't really seem to have their heart in Wilco at this point.

Oh and this could be interesting but at the same time I kinda expect 10 x something like Open Mind from a Jeff Tweedy solo album and I can't say that's a very exciting prospect.

Less Than You Think. And I'm not just saying this in a bad attempt to troll this place. Genuinly think the first 3 minutes or so of this song is the best moment on AGIB past Handshake Drugs. The drone would've been okay if it was just 2 minutes or so.

Also On and On and On and Far, Far Away.

Nah, first of all: it's a silly line. And besides from that it impies some kind of "the band is having fan and so should you!"-attitude, the kind of attitude that usually leads to subpar albums like W(TA). So someone get them out of those Oceanian beaches asap please, the future of this band depends on it.

classic theremin

Just you wait till Tweedy goes all "c'mon kids you're acting like children" on us again.

Ugh nooo, this has to be the worst news ever. Please someone keep them from going to New-Zealand and create another autopiloted "fun" holiday record like W(TA). For the love of God...

Everlasting Everything is my least favorite Wilco song...ever.

 

Bob

Yeah, it's not very good but What Light takes the cake as worst Wilco song ever. But then again, he's requesting that one and open mind (worst song of the new album) as well. This guy has to be the worst requester ever.

I guess they don't play a lot of songs from this album cause it was just not that good and while Tweedy is never going to admit this himself the lukewarm audience response basically forces them to play limit the number of W(TA) songs on the setlist.. Then again, I've seen them play Bull Black Nova, One Wing and You & I spread over 2 shows this tour.

I feel your pain, victor79. Like it or not, the crowd energy really does have an effect on the show, and I would be disappointed too. But--and I really don't mean this facetiously--you get to live in Paris, so you can console yourself with that! Maybe you just have to travel somewhere else to find a responsive audience for the music you love.

Yeah, just come to a Brussels show next time bro.

And I'm sure that it will come back around. In my experience, things are cyclical, and at some point I'm really gonna get turned on by the guitar again and want to make a record that's a full-on skronk-fest, with me, Nels and Pat doing the triple-guitar attack.

Lol @ those idiots who think chart succes is really the main indicator of longevity. Nirvana is usually considered as the last rock band that had both critical acclaim and huge commercial succes and guess what? It got outsold by a gazillion copies by Shania Twain, Whitney Houston and the backstreet boys in the 90s.

There's always a shocking lack of any historical insight whatsoever in American rock analysis. Annoys me to no end.

I feel robbed now. Standing O is one of their few post-YHF dumb rockers that actually work for me.

Paying to watch a band is stalking? Actually, it's the dedicated fans will will pay to see more than one show in a blue moon that enables the band to return frequently enough for someone to see them on a whim every once in a while. To use the U.S. term: put up or shut up. To use a Europe analogy, it's like Greece or Italy bitching at Germany complaining about money instead of bailing them out more frequently.

Yeah, because of course whitout people like you this band wouldn't tour at all... I think you are overestimating yourself (as usual with self-proclaimed "true" fans). And you might not be aware of this but those other people at a particular show payed as well and like or not but the majority of the people who splashed their hard earned cash on a Wilco-show usually want to hear Jesus Etc. and IATMWLY instead of a lot of deep A.M. cuts or something. Hell, they currently even play a few of those more obscure songs every setlist, there are not a lot of bands who do that.

Many rockin' granddads as myself still prefer hearing live I'm a wheel to You and I, if that was your meaning

No, I agree with this, prefer I'm a Wheel as well. You & I is mom-rock.