Blackberry Rust

I was there! We'd come over from Adelaide for the third night. This was the first time I'd seen Wilco in *checks notes* ...21 years. Over a decade ago, I regularly pass on making the trip over to the eastern states thinking: "Oh, they'll include Adelaide on the next tour..or the one after that." After passing us again on the 2013 tour, I was ready to commit to a Melbourne or Sydney trip, not knowing that it would be over ten years before they'd dip down to the Antipodes once again. I really feel for New Zealand and Perth who missed out completely.

I thought it was an excellent gig. Jeff seemed really upbeat and the band were clicking perfectly. An absolute thrill hearing "Company In My Back" live. I do find it a little odd that Cousin material is being relegated to 3-4 songs a night, because hearing songs like "Levee" live really makes me want to hear "Sunlight Ends" and "Ten Dead" out in the open.

Damn, that's a great track!

One thing I've enjoyed about "Evicted" and especially "Cousin" is that Jeff's writing solid bridges/middle-eights into songs again. Less verse/chorus/verse; more verse/chorus/weird twist/chorus/verse.

58 minutes ago, RainDogToo said:

Here's a 30 sec preview of the Cousin (the song). 

 

https://music.apple.com/au/music-video/cousin-lyric-video/1706920538

Strong Cate Le Bon influence on that. 

It's been ten long years...no Adelaide (their only visit was in 2003) so looks like Melbourne is the go. 

https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/music-reads/music-news/wilco-announce-australian-tour-2024-dates-tickets-leah-senior/102841264

Wed 13 March - Princess Theatre: Turrbal Jagera Land, Brisbane

Fri 15 March - Canberra Theatre: Ngunnawal, Canberra

Sun 17 March - The Forum: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, Melbourne

Thrs 21 March - Sydney Opera House: Gadigal Land, Sydney

Via a Hoffmann Music Forum user:

From Uncut: 9/10 review:

“If there’s any criticism to be leveled at Le Bon’s production work, it’s that her fingerprints are often audibly all over the albums she produces. However, that’s not the case here: Cousin is deliciously weird and intoxicatingly angular, but it still sounds like a Wilco album, not a Le Bon collaboration. There are crisp drums, bone-dry guitars and woozy synths – of course – but as always with Wilco the material is the thing. No matter how strange they get, these songs could all be played on acoustic guitar, and indeed Tweedy’s acoustic does feature prominently on a number of these tracks. “Pittsburgh”, for instance, is a fingerpicked ballad, yet it opens with huge slabs of distorted synths and plummeting guitar. In one sense Wilco have never sounded like this; in another they always have….

The real highlight, however, is the opener. Almost six minutes long, “Infinite Surprise” is one of the bravest and most infectious songs Wilco have created. It cuts straight in with a clipped beat and guitar abstractions, then builds masterfully as instruments join, fall away and return changed. At its heart it’s an accessible, deeply melodic folk song about the sad mysteries of life and death (“It’s good to be alive/It’s good to know we die”), but it’s dressed in wondrous experimental finery. It ends untethered, exploding into crackles and rattles, an avant-garde fanfare for its makers: (still) the greatest American rock group of the last 30 years.”

Absolutely delighted (and relieved) an external producer has been brought in. Over the moon that the producer is Cate Le Bon, who - IMO - is one of the most interesting and compelling artists out there at the moment.

As for the preview track: breezy and mid-tempo (as per usual since Schmilco), however the production touches are really nice. The stacked guitar/keyboard counterpoint moments in the chorus/outro are pure Cate Le Bon, so that bodes really well for the rest of the album.

I am absolutely stoked that "Soldier Child" made the cut. This bodes very, very well.

Any Australians here? I ordered the CD version SDE via the AU Wilco Store back in April and prior to receiving the advice that the release had been delayed to 30/9, the method of delivering pre-release tracks has been through SendOwl. It's been a day now and there's been no notification from the web store as to what's happening re: mp3s. Anyone in the same boat? Advice?

Hints - "Rivers rounding ridges in our fingerprints" 

That's an absolute pearler, Jeff.

Reminds of some of the most beautiful semi-surreal and poetic Wilco/Tweedy lyrics from songs like "She's A Jar", "Chinese Apple", "Panthers", et. al. 

So, thoughts on the album - it's a bit on the long side:

I'll be upfront and say that I'm simply thankful for Cruel Country because it's given us "Country Song Upside Down". When this landed behind the paywall on Starship Casual, I must have listened to it repeatedly on a loop for at least 30 times. For me, it's one of the most beautiful, perfect songs that Wilco's ever recorded. I remember hearing it and being astonished. Everything about it is perfect: its length, lyrics, delivery, the instrumentation. A world within a world within two-and-a-half-minutes. That instrumentation: the acoustic 12-string, lap steel, Mellotron..the rhythm section...John's bass playing is sympathic to the roll and cadence of the song, but so expressive at the same time. And then there's Glenn playing, which is very understated, but - like so much of his playing - with so much going on. The part with the line "this is the gist.." and everything surrounding it is just pure beauty. I have to watch myself with it, because I can feel the tears swelling. I could write an essay about this one song, it's meaning/symbolism and what sounds like it's DNA - specifically "Ballad of Easy Rider" by The Byrds from the 1969 album of the same name. 

To my ears, Cruel Country sounds so influenced by the late era Byrds (1969-1972.) I know there's more to it, but I just can't shake the idellible influence of the 12-string jangle, percussion, loping basslines, orchestral touches, perculiar ambiences and the unmistakable sound of a Parsons-White* B-bender emulating a pedal steel. Oh, Clarence White. These albums by The Byrds weren't perfect, but at their best (and even their worst) they featured top-tier musicians and artists honing their own interpretation of what they thought country music was: an erratic blend of rock'n'roll, folk, pop, psychedelia and 'traditional' country music. Another significant factor is that these albums (Ballad of Easy Rider, Untitled, Byrdmaniax, Farther Along) arrived at a tumultuous time in American culture and history. 1969-1971 was iffy; in 2022, things are in a real state.

So, I suppose that's why I see such a strong correlation between this era of The Byrds and what Wilco's accomplished with Cruel Country. At 21 songs, it's a unweildy, slightly padded collection, but it comes with a lot of depth and flashes of beauty that are sustaining my attention and curiousity on repeated listens. It's also genuinely unsettled. I feel like Wilco haven't done something like this for awhile. As I've thought about the songs on this album, I started thinking about the collection of outtakes and sketches on the CD that accompanied the 2004 Wilco Book. An example from Cruel Country: "The Empty Condor" shouldn't even really be a song; it's so broken, sick and wonky with it's uncertain opening, non-sequiter lyrics and wayward progression, but somehow it works. Its form and dissonance reminds me a bit of "Common Sense" from Schmilco, but whereas that song felt forced and a little contrived, "The Empty Condor" - in it's own broken way - comes across as something far more genuine. 

Thinking about the other songs, I think that having all six members in one place to record these songs has made a world of difference. Whilst listening to the album on a walk to shops today, I paid particular attention to some of the room ambience (what on Earth is going on at the start of "The Empty Condor"?) and some fluffed notes. When was the last time we heard a mistimed or fluffed note on a Wilco record? Probably not since the last 'live' sessions, since everything post-The Whole Love was made up of bed tracks and overdubs from members when they were swinging by The Loft. If you've got the luxury of being in the studio alone doing your parts, then you're probably going to opt to fix a dodgy note with another take. Cutting something live with a group is different. Sure, you could fix what you perceive as a mistake, but it's often the collective feel of take that's going to mean the most. Providing of course it's not a complete disaster. I like Star Wars, Schmilco and Ode To Joy for what they are, but there is a vibe of sterilty and control that felt somewhat 'off'.

Of the more 'conventional' songs, these are some of the best that Jeff's written in a long time. For the record, I've always had more time for Wilco's mid-tempo territory over the straight ahead rockers. I love "Kidsmoke" out and out, but I would happily take "She's A Jar", "Everlasting Everything", "One Sunday Morning", "Company In My Back" or "You Are My Face" over it any day. On Cruel Country, I think the style of songwriting that Jeff has been honing since Sukirae has been perfected: the mixture of pensive/depressed introspection, surreal imagery and dose of humour to leaven things out. Of course, that style is quintessential 'Tweedy' and has been there since whenever, but for the last ten years I feel like it's settled into an assured, mature place and comes more genuinely from the heart. Setting that songwriting against a world (and country) that is in a genuine state of peril makes certain songs like the title track, "Hints", "All Across The World", "The Universe", "Falling Apart", "Story To Tell", "Sad Kind of Way" and "Other Worlds" (oh my, *that* song) all the more powerful.

I won't go on too much longer, but I want to give a shout-out of appreciation to two members of the group who have felt largely sidelined since around The Whole Love: Mikael and Pat.

On Mikael, it's so good to hear some keyboards and sonic fairy dust right up there in the mix and - especially - piano leading off some of the tracks. I felt like Mikael was rendered almost invisible on Star Wars, Schmilco and Ode To Joy, which was such a shame since some of the songs on those albums could have been much better served with some audible piano/organ or a rich texture here and there. Instead, there was thinness or a vacuum for something - to my ears - that should have been there all along. On Cruel Country, he's audibly embedded in the songs. The atmospheric touches are also a great addition to several of the songs too, especially where they take a more prominant place: the bridge of "Tired of Taking It Out On You", or filling the air in "The Universe", "The Plains" and "Other Worlds" (OH MY, *THAT* SONG.)

Then there's Pat. PAT SANSONE. An accomplished, brilliant musician. I am just so stoked that his guitar work has finally come to the fore on a Wilco record. I remember listening to "Falling Apart" when it dropped and thinking to myself, "Nope, both of those leads CANNOT be Nels." I listened again: "(...) that's Pat...PLAYING A B-BENDER TELECASTER...and HE IS TEARING IT UP." Then I heard more B-bender on the title track, his clear apreggios on "Tired Of Taking It Out On You", then the album comes along and the B-bender is here, there and..everywhere on the incredible outro of "Other Worlds" (...yes, that song.)  I was watching the live stream of the band performing the Cruel Country in full this morning down here in the Antipodes and I was constantly fixated on what Pat was doing. He was in his element. The jammier guitar-led passages of "Bird Without A Tail" and "Other Worlds" raised the hair on the back of my neck. It was thrilling stuff.

So, there's a dump of things I really like about this album. Cruel Country is certainly the most engaging and lovely record they've made in a long, long time. If this is where they want to be at this point of their remarkable career, then they've got me sold, committed and completely back in love with them and where they're at. Well done, you wonderful humans.

The album's really, really good (more thoughts later) and I'm watching the live stream from Solid Sound from here in little old Adelaide, SA. These live renditions really bring some of the more subdued songs to life. 

Can we also please have a round for Pat? His playing on this album and on stage at Solid Sound is nothing short of brilliant.

Just now, coldasgasoline said:

And just like that country song upside down is up on starship casual and it’s gorgeous!!! 

I think it's the strongest of the bunch so far, and that's really saying something!

6 hours ago, DiamondClaw said:

Wow, I just played that track based on your comments. Beautiful! It really shows how talented Pat is. Hopefully he gets a chance to shine like this somewhere on Cruel Country.

Great! Yeah, it's got a very Byrds-y feel to it - really emulating Roger McGuinn's 12-string style.

Speaking of the Byrds, if I were to place a pin of where I think Cruel Country is sitting, what I've heard/read so far is firmly planting it in late-period 1969-1972 Byrds territory (Ballad of Easy Rider, Untitled, Byrdmaniax, Farther Along) with some Gram Parsons and Jackson Browne vibes. Given McGuinn and the Byrds are a big influence on Tweedy that's not really a surprise. A fifth pre-release track, "Country Song Upside-Down" just dropped behind the paywall on Starship Casual and it's gorgeous. If anything, corralling the whole band together in the studio for the first time in forever has worked wonders on the arrangements and overall quality of the songs. Stoked for this album. Stoked.

9 hours ago, jff said:

It’d be interesting to know, and I hope the liner notes will include these details.  Baritone as an instrument is probably more associated with Nels than Pat.  But baritone as part of the musical vocabulary of country music is a lot closer to Pat’s musical roots than Nels’.  Could go either way.

Read somewhere that it's definitely Pat on the left channel playing a Telecaster with a Parsons/White B-bender. Certainly suited more to Pat's background. Brilliant guitarist in my opinion, his 12-string solo on Emma Swift's Dylan cover of "Queen Jane Approximately" (Blonde On The Tracks) demonstrates just how good his sense of phrasing and space is. 

Based on that review and the preview of the tracks I've heard so far, I'm getting very excited about the new album. For me, "Tired Of Taking It Out On You" expresses some of the things I liked the most about Sky Blue Sky and WTA. I really hear a lot of 90's/2000's Neil Young in it.  There's such a richness and warmth to these arrangements and Tweedy's singing with a really gritty, throaty, open-voiced tenor, which we haven't heard on record in AGES. The review's mentions of synths and a little skronk also allay any concerns I might have had about this being a one-note genre exercise. Bring it on!

Heh, heh - Glenn still looks like he's 25.

Something that came to mind about the overtly countri-fied pitch with this one is that - to my mind - there will hopefully be a lot more for Pat (and even Mikael) to do. Aside from the muted vocal delivery on the last two records, something that irked me a little about Schmilco and Ode To Joy was the lack of more fleshed out arrangements with some prominent guitar and keys counterpointing and harmonising the songs. Both Pat and Mikael can play and do really interesting things and I just feel like their roles had been diminished somewhat by the whole quietly-quieter aesthetic on the last two albums.

If Pat's had a hand in the production that would be great too. I think back to his contributions to Robyn Hitchcock's self-titled album from 2017 and it worked wonders.

Marvellous artwork! Excited!

I am really hoping that some of the demoes that were behind the paywall at Starship Casual make it as actual cuts on this album, especially "Lou Reed Was My Babysitter" and "Soldier Child". If that's the case, it's going to be wild. 

13 minutes ago, TCP said:

 

Ah SO! I'm willing to bet this will unlock for us North Americans at midnight our time.

I imagine so! I checked in here around 7am (ACST) so - for the sake of precision - that's about 5:30pm (GMT-4)?

I'll just go on record and say that this is the most surprising single they've dropped in a long, long time. 

5 hours ago, calvino said:

 

 

Looks like a YouTube page has been started.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_odog3e_Ks

I could listen to it here in Australia.

That's some good stuff and a genuine stylistic surprise! So much twang going on..I immediately had Merle Haggard's "Workingman's Blues" come to mind. 

Based on the little tidbits via Starship Casual and Glenn's Instagram, I suspect we're in for something fairly eclectic, which is really, really exciting.

The hints I've seen of the new album - mostly via Glenn's beat-a-week contributions - look promising. A lot of my love for Wilco since YHF has centred around Glenn's creative drum work. Overall, I'm hoping for something a bit more dynamically variable than the last couple of albums. Less waltzes and whispery vocals would be welcome as well, though I really liked Ode To Joy and thought it was the best, cohesive work they'd produced since Sky Blue Sky or WTA.

On A Ghost Is Born and the drone on "Less Than You Think", personally I think it's essential to the pacing of the album and is pretty consistent with what the band was tinkering with at the time. If you've ever heard the album that accompanies the Wilco Book from 2004 with material drawn from 2002-2003, the seeds of the drone and open-ended texture stuff are all there. Having said all of that though, Jim O'Rourke cops a lot of flak for the 'weirder' stuff that Wilco indulged in around this time. What's worth remembering is that - according to Jim's anecdotes - the more outlandish stuff came largely from Jeff and it was Jim's preference to cut down the drone on "Less Than You Think", the feedback from "Handshake Drugs" and go with the earlier version of "Spiders (Kidsmoke)". If there's a justifiable criticism of Jim's involvement, then it is his preference for fairly dry production. Having said that, his production/mixing work on tracks like "Company In My Back" is up there with some of the most beautiful, perfectly paced arrangements I've heard. I just think it's stunning.  Anyway, knowing Jim's preference for brevity and space for things to breathe, that logic of keeping it simpler makes sense and it's one of the reasons that YHF sounds so spacious and open, since his mixing role largely comprised of hacking away the many, many layers of extraneous noodling.

Mods: maybe retitle this thread something like "new album speculation"?     

My two-cents. From a sound-nerd perspective - and consistent with what chisoxjtrain alluded to - the mixing process of YHF is a bit of an outlier in Wilco's catalogue. So much of why the album sounds like it does is because of Jim O'Rourke's amazing editing work, where he stripped back multiple layers and paced arrangements and sections; essentially decomposing everything and rebuilding the songs back up with Jeff and (I think) Glenn present at the tiny SOMA studio.

This is one of the critical parts of the making of YHF that regrettably never got a look in during the filming of I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, but this is because Jim didn't want the cameras anywhere near him and the rigorous process of mixing the album. "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart", "Radio Cure", "Jesus Etc", "Poor Places" and "Reservations" has Jim's fingerprints all over them: the layering, pacing and colouring is so him! 

Being a huge O'Rourke follower (if that wasn't already apparent), I believe that his mixing on YHF was one of his last predominantly tape-based mixes, so there would have been actual tape cutting and splicing going on and there's a possibility that given parts were literally binned or bounced down successively then exported into Pro Tools. I remember reading something where Jim talked about how edited/bounced down everything was that the prospect of working backwards to the original mixes would be practically impossible. Accessing individual tracks would be very tricky. Now, they can do this with The Beatles albums - sophisticated algorithms would play a part - but it's a lot of work even then. In the case of YHF, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of alternate mixes and longer edits existing though. The curious thing the case of recent remasters of albums that Jim had a hand in from this era. In particular, Stereolab's Cobra and Phases (1999) contains several tracks that Jim worked on where he applied similar editing technique to YHF and - in the case of Cobra ("Italian Shoes", "Blue Milk") - the band managed to restore and expand these tracks. However, there's a lot of other variables to consider...mixing is such a mysterious domain.

By the time of AGIB, I think all of it was recorded with Pro Tools, so it's a different story with potentially remastering that album. That could be redundant though imo, since I consider AGIB as one of the best-sounding records I've ever heard. As a bit of additional trivia, Jim had done the original mix of SBS but this was ultimately rejected by the band since Jim had applied a much more reductive/less-band room sound and everybody wondered where their parts had gone. Indeed, as much as I like SBS, certain songs do suffer a bit from their busy and cluttered arrangements and I would love to hear what Jim's mix sounded like!

Absolutely brilliant show - on par with some of the most enjoyable gigs I've ever been to. Given it had been 16 years since I last saw Wilco/Tweedy, my anticipation levels were pretty high and this was certainly worth the wait. The setlist was great and the banter with a *mostly* respectful and appreciative crowd was excellent and genuinely hilarious. Whilst there wasn't any heckling per se, I was right next to the woman (close to stage left) who made things a bit too much about her on a couple of occasions - requesting "Reservations" three times, telling Jeff it's just an "existential crisis" and, well...yeah, getting a little bit too involved. Still, Jeff seemed to really enjoy himself and it was - for me - a reminder of how great Adelaide crowds can be when they actually turn up to gigs (a near-full house at The Gov) - especially on cold night - and give a geniunely warm reception to an artist. We sing along way better than Melburnians too.

Oh yeah, Jen Cloher (the opening act) played a cracking short set. Easliy one of this country's best songwriters. 

Really enjoying these reviews - thanks! A nice taste (perhaps) for what's to come in Adelaide tomorrow!