bleedorange

Man, it has been a minute, but good to see everyone. I've been trying to keep my anticipation in check, but after reading that Uncut review, I am officially excited to hear this. Seeing them in Dallas the night before the release should also make it an interesting and exciting night.

Is Evicted the outlier? Some of what I am reading makes it sound like the type of album I've been wanting them to make since AGIB. Either way, just happy to have more new music from them.

Hey Everyone! Been a long time. It doesn't look like my vinyl set will get here until Monday. Cannot wait. Is anyone else missing songs from the Download version from the SendOwl link? I was missing IATTBYH from the remastered album, but haven't looked to see if there were any others that weren't downloaded.

The band walked out to the most muted reception I've ever heard at the start of a concert, so I was really worried it would be a typical Dallas show in a terrible venue. But once the floodgates opened, I was one of the lucky ones to walk right up front (standing right in front of Pat), and it was a fantastic show.

The band seemed loose after that (evidenced by Jeff's banter throughout), and I loved every second of it. New stuff sounded great, and Nels's solo on Impossible Germany was absolutely incredible. It turned that song from something I thought I never needed to hear again into an absolute essential and a highlight.

... The only songs that haven't really grabbed me are One and a Half Stars and White Wooden Cross, theres just nothing very exciting going on with those, to my ears at least. ...

It was the exact same way for me, although repeated listens have opened up White Wooden Cross for me, and to a lesser extent, One and a Half Stars. If I were forced to pick a weak spot on this album, that would be my choice.

Hi bleedorange! Great to see you back in these parts!

Thanks, Beltmann! Great to "see" you again, too!

Hey everyone!

It has been a while since I've posted on these boards, but I definitely wanted to check out the reaction to the new album. For me, Ode to Joy is quickly becoming one of my favorites. The sounds, textures, lyrics, and subtleties surrounding all of those things represent a direction for the band that I've always wished they had pursued. In a way, it reminds me a little of a Califone record. I love how Glenn is out front, and the music seems sparse and understated, but with each listen, I'm hearing more and more intricate details that make this album both cohesive and surprising. 

Every single one of these songs has gotten stuck in my head at some point (yes, I have been listening to it a lot), but they will just pop in my head randomly, which, to me, underlines the songcraft. I was also a little skeptical after the release of the first two singles, but hearing those songs within the context of the album as a whole has transformed them both in my mind into highlights. They come in at perfect times in the album.

Admittedly, I haven't been this excited about a new release in years. Not that anything else in the back half of their catalog is bad, but I just haven't initially embraced a new release of theirs like this in a long time. I can't wait to see them live in DFW here in a week-and-a-half.

I've fallen in love with "Sun Don't Shine." That song has been stuck in my head for a week despite only listening to it twice. The lack of quality of the stream was bothering me, so I decided to just wait until I get the album in the mail.

The one thing that really stuck in my craw here is it seems his closing remarks imply that Jeff chose casual albums to save his family. Like he can't make a "grand statement" and be healthy.

 

Tell me if I read it wrong.

I think you're reading it wrong. I think he's saying that the albums he's making now are still "making a statement," but they no longer come at the expense of others. So they are just as urgent and just as "grand," but in different ways. I think the fact that the period generally considered Wilco's best is also the same time Tweedy was at his unhealthiest. So that leap in logic is often made (and it might not be necessarily completely false, but that's a different argument and could be mere coincidence). 

Hyden isn't saying that here. Especially after his comments on the ST-YHF-AGIB period where he states that some fans still want a "chain-smoking miserablist."

I wish the national anthem would stop being played before every single sporting event. Does baseball really need to play it before every game every single day? Do we really need to hear God Bless America every weekend in the middle of a baseball game? How about the anthem for each sport's opening day and that's it?

I was a little worried about this record after reading some of the early comments and reviews. Some of the descriptions of the songs and the sound of the album were troublesome on paper. But after one really good listen, it sounds like a record that will stick with me and just get better with age. We'll see how that goes, but my early inclination to want to start it up again right after it finishes is a good early sign.

It's actually been a long time since I've listened to a full album, but I plan on revisiting each of them when Schmilco comes out. Listen to the progression of Wilco over 20+ years.

Love it!

Could there be a worse song than Kokomo? 

 

LouieB

What Light?

Anytime a favorite band comes out with a new album, I like to listen to the whole catalog and reassess everything. I haven't done that with A Moon Shaped Pool yet, but here's my initial ranking:

1. OK Computer

2. Kid A

3. Amnesiac

4. The Bends

5. In Rainbows

6. The King of Limbs

7. Hail to the Thief

8. Pablo Honey

Yeah, the Rangers did good - after last night's lost, I was hoping the White Sox would pull this one out. Hopefully, Frazier is not too banged up - 5 stitches, I guess.

Yeah, his quote that he could feel his tongue go through his bottom lip was pretty gruesome. 

Two very nice wins for the Rangers. Last night's game was one of the strangest and, ultimately, exciting games I've seen in a while.

From Politco:

 

(Doesn't seem like a very strong ticket to me - but I am not a Republican)

It seems like he's putting all his eggs in the "go-for-broke-contested-convention" strategy. There's no way he can win enough pledged delegates, so he has to use every news cycle bump he can get to win as many delegates as he can to prevent Trump from getting there, which is especially true after last night's results. You're right, though, is a Cruz-Fiorina ticket all that attractive to the GOP to give him the nomination if it does go to a second or third ballot? Maybe the GOP's only hope is to have a woman try to legitimately attack Clinton.

Clinton vs. Trump is looking all but inevitable, other than the impending RNC meltdown.

It is truly mind-boggling that Trump is more than likely going to be the nominee. This race is so tight, though, that each state next up with its primary becomes huge, which is exciting. As inevitable as Trump looks now, a loss in Indiana next week will change the narrative once again (and it currently looks really close).

I don't remember there being Obama supporters who vowed to vote third party if Hilary won the nomination.  Or vice versa.  But it is extremely common among Sanders supporters.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/08/clinton.voters/

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/05/06/exit-polls-half-of-clintons-supporters-wont-back-obama/

I can't see any way that Trump is NOT going to be the nominee.  The GOP will figure that they need to re-entrench Congress so they can thwart Hillary when she wins.

 

LouieB

And putting Trump at the top of the ticket is the exact opposite way to try to accomplish that.

I would still be surprised if he gets the nomination. It's unlikely that he will have the majority of delegates he needs for the first ballot. After that, all bets are off and the GOP will do everything it can to prevent him from winning. 

Okay I am confused.  I was referring to the GOP in 2020.  What's that have to do with 2008?

 

LouieB

I highlighted the part about the Democrats. The 2008 Clinton-Obama primary was far more contentious than this one is. In fact, here's a brief podcast about just that from FiveThirtyEight:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/elections-podcast-is-the-2016-democratic-primary-as-nasty-as-the-2008-democratic-primary/

We'll all have to stick around and see what the GOP looks like.  There is talk that the Dems are also breaking apart as well.  Four parties?  Might be fun.

 

LouieB

???????

It's like nobody was alive in 2008.

i think of it as a musician signing w/ a major label (or maybe even just a distribution deal)... their old stuff and approach hasn't been affected (at least in some cases, like Ballast Point for example).

Finding fresh Sculpin or Grunion in the store always makes my day.