Cruel Country is all about subtle instrumental variation, lyrical depth and an invitation to the listener to give themselves 80 minutes to immerse themselves in its 21 songs.
Good take here, and I also agree with the comparisons to Jeff's solo albums. I've only listened through the album once, and I know there's a lot to immerse in and am looking forward to it.
But... I will admit to being a little disappointed that there isn't more country in the album. Take these thoughts with a grain of salt, since I've only had one listen. But calling this a country album kind of forces me to say that Jeff's solo albums are also "country," and that a lot of the more mellow Wilco songs over the past 10+ years are also "country." Maybe that's ok? But it doesn't feel right to me for whatever reason.
I'm not totally sure what I expect from a Wilco "country" song. There are all sorts of directions country can go that I like, and that I think cross over with Wilco's talents really well: more twang, more pedal steel, more story-telling lyrics in the front (like John Prine), more acoustic guitar and story-telling singing (like Townes). There are a few songs that hit those elements, and I love them, but there are a lot of songs, especially I think in the first half, that are more like traditional mellow Wilco songs, requiring focus and immersion to really appreciate and keep from fading into the background.
Maybe we're better off with 6 to 10 "country" songs mixed in with a dozen or so mellow Wilco songs, opening up the next album to focus on whatever else the band is doing these days?
Again, this is a quick take after one listen. I'm enough of a fan to not let my first listen to govern anything. This is getting a lot of listens from me and I'm looking forward to see where they take me! I'm just super happy to have another Wilco album to spend time with and think about.
Wilco - Cruel Country - New Album
in Just A Fan
Posted
Good take here, and I also agree with the comparisons to Jeff's solo albums. I've only listened through the album once, and I know there's a lot to immerse in and am looking forward to it.
But... I will admit to being a little disappointed that there isn't more country in the album. Take these thoughts with a grain of salt, since I've only had one listen. But calling this a country album kind of forces me to say that Jeff's solo albums are also "country," and that a lot of the more mellow Wilco songs over the past 10+ years are also "country." Maybe that's ok? But it doesn't feel right to me for whatever reason.
I'm not totally sure what I expect from a Wilco "country" song. There are all sorts of directions country can go that I like, and that I think cross over with Wilco's talents really well: more twang, more pedal steel, more story-telling lyrics in the front (like John Prine), more acoustic guitar and story-telling singing (like Townes). There are a few songs that hit those elements, and I love them, but there are a lot of songs, especially I think in the first half, that are more like traditional mellow Wilco songs, requiring focus and immersion to really appreciate and keep from fading into the background.
Maybe we're better off with 6 to 10 "country" songs mixed in with a dozen or so mellow Wilco songs, opening up the next album to focus on whatever else the band is doing these days?
Again, this is a quick take after one listen. I'm enough of a fan to not let my first listen to govern anything. This is getting a lot of listens from me and I'm looking forward to see where they take me! I'm just super happy to have another Wilco album to spend time with and think about.