Beltmann

“Silence” never slips into sensationalism, which might be why its violence is fairly easy to stomach--it proves to be a searching, rewarding riposte to the kind of suffer-porn found in “Unbroken” or, um, any movie directed by Mel Gibson. I especially admired the way the film re-examines what it means to follow Jesus’ example. Rodrigues, like many modern evangelicals, believes his faith is defined by purism and pedantry, but I think Scorsese wants viewers to consider how that definition has limitations and, by reducing something complex to something like a checklist, perhaps damages real faith.

Good call on Dazed, Winston. That's one of my favorite music-in-film moments, too. I remember watching that in the theater and being instantly mesmerized by Linklater's rhythm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAH-0GKvIrM The Mama & the Papas' "California Dreamin'" in Chungking Express (1994).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EswVqcgc5M Tommy Roe's "Sweet Pea" in Jesus' Son (1999).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNVPJGehzfk The Velvet Undergound's "Pale Blue Eyes" in The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000). Gorgeous.

You people.

Those two tunes are the first things by Jay in years that I really dig. Super promising.

Not cool, A-man. Not cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skXXFgvzaK8 My wife said the boos reminded her of a famous movie. Indeed.

So far the only person I've been able to shock with the gum is, uh, me.

Sorry, Yaz. I was annoyed (okay, more than annoyed) when my CD/T-shirt didn't arrive until Monday. (Tracking had a similar "in transit" freeze for me, too.) You are still waiting? Sheesh.

Thank you for this. Artworks can, of course, become important facts in our lives, and you have, in short order, explained the how and why. Hang in there!

I very much enjoyed the regionalism and unique tone of the first episode of Atlanta. Strong stuff. Now I just need to find the time to stay caught up with the rest.

Still waiting for my pre-ordered CD / T-shirt to arrive. The mail was already delivered today, so now I guess I'm waiting until Monday.

I love how the guitar tones on "Cry All Day" at 2:51 and 2:55 sound a little like the band took the tiny boing in "Far Far Away (2:39) and amplified it by 20. (Not to suggest that was intentional. I'm just choosing to hear the song the way I want to, dammit.)

Thanks, Sandy! Loved it. What a great addition to what's already been a great Wilco week! That's one of my favorite things ever posted here. Both my wife and I were rolling. (She was concerned, too, when we didn't see Paul at our last Wilco show.) Paul, next time time I'm getting your autograph.

I very much hear "IATTBYH" in the drums of "Quarters"--the note sequence, sure, but also because it sounds like they are being played across the room in a closet. Love it.

Yikes. Sorry to hear that. In my small town, the party was better attended than expected--there were four of us. Originally I had a work meeting in direct conflict, but the presenter ended up canceling at the last minute so the meeting was cut short. (At that point I literally ran to my car.) I was still about 15 minutes late to the listening party, but the store manager offered to play the album a second time just for me. Very cool. Afterwards he told me to take all of the remaining stash, so I have quite a few stickers and posters. They must have been selling the vinyl well all day, becaus

Yep. I submitted the original write-up, and then the editor sent an enthusiastic email about the song, so I replied with the tidbit about Solid Sound. I didn't expect that to be added to the post, but I guess it's nice!

The Atlantic has a regular feature called "The Most Transformative Cover Songs," which offers short write-ups of covers that don't stick close to the original. Today's selection is "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," by JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound.

Unfortunately, I expect the same here. I was ecstatic yet astonished to learn that a party had been scheduled for my small Wisconsin city with rich farm history. (It's a nice place to live, but if I want arts and culture, I need to drive 45 minutes to Milwaukee.) When I mentioned the party to a knowledgeable local music fan, he had no idea it was happening--which worried me, since he works at the same music store. Worse, I learned today that my work schedule is going to directly conflict with the listening party (damn you, late meetings), so the party's attendance just got cut in half.

Just chiming in to say that I loved reading that post. Thank you!

I wish I could say the same--I want to listen now!--but I can wait. I'll enjoy the listening party (and my pre-ordered CD) more if I resist, resist, resist...

While reading that yesterday (courtesy of the Shot FB page), I became increasingly convinced that the author was only vaguely aware of Wilco. Terrible.

There are a lot of kids who have no idea what "B&P" might mean, and never will.