Sky Blue Sky - The Grower Thread

[uncle wilco]

ok, so i broke down late last night and listened to the first six songs twice so far. i've actually heard the whole album once, but by the last 6 songs, i was in a deep sleep (literally). i'm sure when i get to the second half on my way home from work today, i'll have a few deja vu moments since they are now floating around in my subconscious.

 

so, it's far too early for a full review from me, but my first impressions...

 

lots of influences here, some pretty evident, some only hinted at (fripp, steely dan, big star, the band.). right or wrong, at least those are the artists that came to mind when i heard the first half of the album.

 

nels is flat out incredible. he's such a great player and i really like the dynamic he brings to the band.

 

with the band dynamic changing...other things seem to stand out more to me than in albums past, one being jeff's vocals. on the surface, he sounds a bit wobbly and he's definately reaching for notes that aren't meant for him. but he sings with such feeling and you can tell he's totally pouring himself into the song. it more than makes up for it. he's not a top 40 singer by any means, but that's not what he's about anyway. it just works for him and the band.

 

musically, this band is more talented than ever. songwise, the jury is still out for me. i'm still not sold on this direction they've chosen, but again, i've not given it enough time and when you look up the term "grower" in the hipster guide of musical terms, this album should be prominently mentioned.

 

judging by their current progression, wilco is currently one album away from sharing headlining status with nora jones and counterspace alongside her cd at the local starbucks. not to mention being a staple played overhead in that establishment while patrons sip on their lattes and read the newspaper. not that there's anything wrong with that, but times are definately changing. and wilco is no exception.

 

this would be the album that should have gotten them dropped from reprise, that is if they could've withstood agib. there is no commercial appeal here. i predict this will sell less than agib, which sold less than yhf. so, it would appear that wilco is on the downside of commercial appeal. they've already gotten their grammy, they've solidified their status as critical darlings and now have a long future as road warriors. they still have the potential of continuing to grow their audience that way. wilco is not the grateful dead, nor are they the dave matthew band (thank GOD!), and they sure as hell won't be played on the radio, besides npr. and you know what? that's more than fine with me.

 

now watch, jeff will surprise everyone and make the wilco punk album next. or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part. i'm the same age as jeff and i appreciate the softer side more now that when i was younger. but i'm not ready to give up rocking out just yet. i guess we'll see where it goes from here. and yes, i will be purchasing this album on may 15th. i'm a wilco fan...it's what i do.

[a.miller]

Wonderful review! Nice way to hit post 5000! Anyway, I agree that this is a soft album. Someone around here said that if it had just one rocker it would be a lot better and I have to agree.

[quarter23cd]

Them's some nice thoughts there, UW. I downloaded last night and just finished my first go-through, as well, listening to the first 6 or so songs in the car on the drive to work and then the second half of the album on headphones once I was here. Truthfully, from that limited exposure, I vastly prefer the first half of the album...but maybe I was only half tuned-in once it became background music for me at work.

 

I think you're on the money, in some regards, as far as influences...tho I'd shy away from guessing where this band will go next since they've always been pretty intent on changing course every so often. Still, the direction of this album is hardly unexpected (or unwelcome) given some of Tweedy's cover choices in recent years: "I Shall Be Released", "Comment"......not so much "Livin After Midnight". The mellow 70s rock vibe has been percolating for a while now.(which is fine because it just so happens that I've been listening to a lot of 70s rock lately) But Nels' guitar, far from adding the prickly dissonance I was expecting when he first joined the band, has actually added an unexpectedly smooth sheen to the whole thing. Not to say he won't occasionally take it "out there" at live shows, but my favorite "rock" moment on this album so far is Jeff's (I'm assuming its his) skronky-solo when "You Are My Face Kicks In".

 

I can't talk too much about individual songs since I don't know any of them well enough yet. (well, Either Way/You Are My Face/Walken all have about 15 listens apiece since last week, so those I know pretty well) I like the overall mood of this record. I like that they don't feel bound to the noise that has pretty much come to define them in recent years. I like that they shed that as quickly as they did their alt-country trappings when it appeared they'd be stuck with that particular label forever, also. This is a fun record because it doesn't take itself too seriously, nor does it take too seriously the amount of praise they've received in recent years that would have swelled the heads of lesser bands. Here, it seems, they made the album they wanted to make. And I dig it.

 

I have no idea where they will go next (I'm not holding out for that punk album--I gave up on that one long ago! ) and I'm not even worried about that right now. For the time being, hey, we've got new Wilco. I'll be doing this for a while.

[j4lackey]

Them's some nice thoughts there, UW.

Seconded. I listened to this thing a half dozen times yesterday, and while it doesn't have as obvious a personality as earlier efforts, I just thought "What a shame that some people are writing this off so quickly", because they really are missing out on a lot. I also thought "I'm around Jeff's age and have two sons and struggle to grow up, remain sane and be creative all at the same time, so I can see how this album would be a great bif WTF?! to a lot of younger people". But even parts of YHF were growers for me. They start out black and white, and over time, they slowly fill with color and life, and become old friends. That said, there really are some great songs on here.

 

Nice thread, UW!

[cryptique]

If this thread had just one rocker it would be a lot better.

[danelectro]

I'm not really in the grower group, the album sounded great to me the first time. It's interesting to read all the different reviews, no doubt this album affects everyone in different ways. For me I was immediately excited by what I heard, it reminded me of all the early 70's albums I love. At times it evoked sounds and memories of the first time I heard albums like Mott The Hoople's Wildlife or Brinsly Schwarz' Silver Pistol. Then after 10 spins I realized the album just sounds like another Wilco album. After 20 spins it really stated to make sense, this album really draws equally from every Wilco period as well as pushing ahead. It's almost like a hidden gems collection, you know if you compiled a few of the sleepers off of each Wilco album.

 

Influences abound on this record but there are so many it's hard to pin it down. It may be that the musicianship is so great it's hard not to draw comparisons. When I hear SBS it brings up little snippets of other bands creeping in but usually in combinations. In Hate It Here I hear Bonham styled rolls and fills along with Beatles riffing and Stax style honking, it's Wilco's new ITMWLY. Walken wouldn't have sounded out of place on Zep III yet they play it like Zep would have at the Earls Court shows. Not exactly but I hear those types of things creeping in.

 

I'm not sure I understand the complaints of "mellow". It's like people have missed how "mellow" Wilco has been all along. IMO their most upbeat and rowdy album is AM and it doesn't get much respect around here. It's like people have forgotten this band did\does songs like Dash 7-I Thought I Held You- Far, Far Away-Say You Miss Me-The Lonely 1-Someone Else's Song-The majority of Summerteeth-Reservations and all the other mellow YHF tracks and a big chunk of AGIB etc.

 

This band has always done "mellow" and the new album is no exception. That's why I find it hard to believe people are talking like SBS is a huge shift in style and presentaion. It's more of the same but better in that it traces all of the bands roots and draws from each previous album.

 

Honestly I know what's going to happen. As soon as the tour starts people will start saying they love the live versions and then go back to SBS and fall in love. The same thing happened with AGIB. Those threads were nearly identical to the SBS ones now.

[dixiecupdrinker]

If this thread had just one rocker it would be a lot better.

 

 

[uncle wilco]

...oh, no you didn't

 

 

 

 

and i am digging the vibe of the record. i guess the difference with this vs. the past records is there was a more defined balance between uptempo and the quieter songs. this one doesn't seem to have that. however, nels' guitar is magnified as a result, which really is kinda cool..that's all for now, more later.

 

please keep former american idol also-ran, never where's outta here. that is so not rock and roll.

[quarter23cd]

I'm not sure I understand the complaints of "mellow". It's like people have missed how "mellow" Wilco has been all along.

I, for one, am thoroughly exhausted from the "Jesus, Etc" mosh pit.

[danelectro]

I, for one, am thoroughly exhausted from the "Jesus, Etc" mosh pit.

 

Oh you...

 

Yeah me too .

[Wendy]

 

I'm not sure I understand the complaints of "mellow". It's like people have missed how "mellow" Wilco has been all along.

 

I, for one, am thoroughly exhausted from the "Jesus, Etc" mosh pit.

 

Post of the day!

[BigWheeledWagon]

I've been surprised how much this album has grown on me upon repeated listens. Upon my first listen, this did not strike me as particularly "difficult" album, and I did not anticipate that further playings would change my original reaction to what I heard. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy the album at first -- I did -- but I thought it was fairly straight-forward and lacked the sonic depth of albums like "YHF' or "Summerteeth."

 

Strangely enough, as I listen to it again and again (something I find myself doing not out of some sort of duty but out of a real enjoyment for the album) it really grows on me. The performances are brilliant, subtle, and perfectly understated. While I at first agreed with the criticisms that the songs had a kind of static "sameness," I have found that they actually seem to have wonderful movement and dynamics. On Sunday, I found the idea that this sounded like a lost late-period Beatles album confounding, but I really see it now (well, if the Beatles had recorded at Stax studios or in Muscle Shoals). This is quickly becoming one of my favorite Wilco albums -- something I truly never expected. While I really like "AGIB," I don't hold it the same regard as "Being There," "Summerteeth," or "YHF," and I was begining to expect that while I would continue to enjoy Wilco, their creative zenith had passed almost as if "YHF" had been their "Exile on Main Street" (though "Being There" would work much better as a sonic comparison) and while we might get the occasional "Some Girls" nothing would ever match that 3-album run. I no longer feel that way. It looks as if Wlco will continue to put out great albums that all sound unique.

 

I've got other new albums I want to listen to, but every time I try to listen to the new Son Volt album, I find myself clicking back to "SBS." That's nothing against "The Search" -- I just can't get enough of this great new album.

[darkstar]

Very fine posts regarding this topic.

 

I have to agree with Danelctro, I think Wilco has always had a mellow side and SBS just kind of expands on it in a different way. UW is dead on about the way Jeff sings on this album as well. He is not the slick, over-produced top 40 singer that seems all too frequent these days, but the way he sings you can feel the emotion in it. Thats very rare in my opinion. Guys like Bob Dylan and Jerry Garcia are/were similar in my opinion. Not the best voices but the soul and feeling just came through (sorry had to get the obligatory Garcia mention in there).

 

I think it's a good thing when a band makes changes and tries out new things. SBS does this (again, just my opinion). You can still hear some of the things that make them Wilco on this. For example at the end of YAMF there's that shimmery, jangly guitar wash I half expected that to turn into a 10 minute sound collage a'la "less than you think". The song Sky Blue Sky kind of reminds me of "Far Far Away" in places.

 

That being said there's also tons of stuff on SBS that is a lot different. There are a lot of influences as has been so aptly stated by Quarter and UW and I think this has resulted in one damn fine record.

 

Anyways.....I liked reading everyones comments. They are thoughtful and well considered. And who knows maybe we will get the Wilco "punk" album someday, or (God forbid) the Wilco "electronica" album. Either way this band continues to amaze me and give me a lot of great music to treasure for years to come.

[Basil II]

Very fine posts regarding this topic.

 

And who knows maybe we will get the Wilco "punk" album someday, or (God forbid) the Wilco "electronica" album. Either way this band continues to amaze me and give me a lot of great music to treasure for years to come.

 

 

 

Heck....I'm still waiting for Wilco's "goth" record............

 

 

 

-Robert.

[MattZ]

It was said above more eloquently, but I agree with the opinion above that this album is the perfect snapshot of the band going in a new direction and yet staying the same. I hear bits from every Wilco period on this album.

 

I love it. Can't get enough.

[darkstar]

Heck....I'm still waiting for Wilco's "goth" record............

-Robert.

 

 

Jesus wept!

[bobbob1313]

This is the review I wrote for my blog-thing:

 

I've always felt like Jeff Tweedy wrote some just heart baring, naked songs but now I realize I was wrong.

Or at least I was wrong until now. However much "Via Chicago" or "At Least That's What You Said" sound like they are soul baring, they still sound like the work of an artist who isn't completely comfortable letting down his guard and letting the world see him as he is, blemishes and all. Even at his most emotionally hard hitting songs, I always got the feeling Jeff has felt the need to guard himself from his detractors, or his own insecurities, and this, I think is what gives Wilco that distinct sound that has kept them fresh to my ears even as I've listened to all of their albums over and over. But it also makes the band a little bit distant. As much as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot resonates for me personally, it really has a feeling of distance.

I suppose this is what makes their newest offering, Sky Blue Sky (available May 15th through Nonesuch records) feel completely different from anything they've ever done. Even the title of A Ghost Is Born hints at how uncomfortable Jeff felt in his own skin, but now you can tell he's truly a different person. This is Wilco's soul record, and it's evident from the very beginning that it's a different band. I think the most important song on the album, "What Light", probably doesn't even make it into the top half of the album in terms of quality, but much like "Less Than You Think" on Ghost, "What Light" serves as a sort of mission statement for Jeff on the album. It feels like it's the song he has wanted to write for his entire career, but he's never felt comfortable enough with his own strengths to just strip down a song, lyrics and all, and just say exactly what he feels about himself without anything else to help it along. It's the type of song that is potentially cheesy, but it's also so open that it's hard to hate it.

And I guess thats how I feel about the album as a whole. It's not their strongest work, but there's a certain charm to it that will keep me coming back for more.

It's that, plus songs like "You Are My Face" and "Leave Me (Like You Found Me)" are as good as anything Wilco has ever done. And "Hate It Here" is as good as anything almost any artist has ever done. That song is seriously killer.

[jakobnicholas]

I gave to temptation and listened to the stream once-through Saturday night.

 

I really can't say what I absolutely think YET....though I will say that nothing gave me goosebumps like the first time I heard I Am Trying To Break Your Heart or At Least That's What You Said. But...I also had the feeling I had when listening to an R.E.M. album when they were consistently putting out top-notch records. I feel like Wilco just cannot and will not disappoint right now.

 

Overall, Sky Blue Sky sounds fresh and unique and special. Either Way is just beautiful. And I like the way they changed the title song...I LOVE the original 'Rafters & Beams' version...but the new version fits nicely on the record. And On and On and On sounded shockingly and unbelievably cool as the album closer.

 

I can't wait to listen more....the handful of songs that I was totally unfamiliar with (You Are My Face, Hate It Here, Leave Me) all sounded promising....though with just one listen, I don't know what I think of them yet.

[uncle wilco]

excuse me while i get something off my chest.

 

i made the mistake of checking out the jay farrar board for the hell of it. i'm a longtime lurker there. one poster in particular made me both cringe and laugh out loud. his name is bill...and he's...special...

Thread by Mr. Bill Carson entitled - Get The F*cking Wilco posts off this forum.

No one cares. Go to viachicago and hang out with the Honda drivers and the Starbucks pussies and the rest of the uptight f*cks that like their music "clean and efficient" like some shitty apartment filled with Ikea crap. Wilco has been sucking since YHF, they are no longer relevant. While Wilco may have surpassed Jay back around ST, Son Volt is now passing Wilco.

 

Post your stupid Wilco shit over there. A much , much better album that actually sounds *alive* is coming out Tuesday. It's called "The Search" and it's by a guy who actually still sounds like music excites him (aka not sleepy Tweedy). - bill carson

first of all, i consider the jay farrar/son volt fans as friends of the jeff tweedy/wilco fans, "cousins" of ours, if you will. once upon a time, not that long ago we all co-existed in relative harmony. many of us are regulars on both boards, either as active posters or lurkers. this kind of attitude displayed by mr. carson really rubs me the wrong way. i just wanted to take his comments and put them over here out of the protection of his cocoon to expose him as an example of how not to express yourself. i would hope that those of us on vc wouldn't go over there and make asses of ourselves. there's a natural competition there, but let's appreciate the differences and quit with the "my dad can beat up your dad" b.s. seriously people. in the words of rodney king, "can't we all just get along?" respect for others earns respect. i certainly don't mind threads about what son volt is up to because, i'd like to know. i'm here now because i was first an uncle tupelo fan and as such, i'm still a fan of jay as well. it doesn't have to be one or the other. [gets off soapbox]

 

btw: back to the thread, i listened to the last part of sky blue sky over lunch and found out why i slept so well last night listening to it. i must say, i do like this album more than i thought i would and am curious to see how i feel about it after about a week or so. i'm now wanting to buy a honda so i can go through the starbucks drive thru while on my way to ikea to purchase some crap. i'll probably play son volt's "the search" on the way. i hope mr. carson doesn't mind.

[Masked Hater II]

No one cares. Go to viachicago and hang out with the Honda drivers and the Starbucks pussies and the rest of the uptight f*cks that like their music "clean and efficient" like some shitty apartment filled with Ikea crap. Wilco has been sucking since YHF, they are no longer relevant. While Wilco may have surpassed Jay back around ST, Son Volt is now passing Wilco.

 

Post your stupid Wilco shit over there. A much , much better album that actually sounds *alive* is coming out Tuesday. It's called "The Search" and it's by a guy who actually still sounds like music excites him (aka not sleepy Tweedy).

[bobbob1313]

FINALLY1!11

[Calexico]

I wouldn't pay him any mind....he has barely posted before, 50 or so in two years and he didn't really get much support anyway.

 

 

Besides, everyone knows I own that board.

[darkstar]

excuse me while i get something off my chest.

 

i made the mistake of checking out the jay farrar board for the hell of it. i'm a longtime lurker there. one poster in particular made me both cringe and laugh out loud. his name is bill...and he's...special...

 

first of all, i consider the jay farrar/son volt fans as friends of the jeff tweedy/wilco fans, "cousins" of ours, if you will. once upon a time, not that long ago we all co-existed in relative harmony. many of us are regulars on both boards, either as active posters or lurkers. this kind of attitude displayed by mr. carson really rubs me the wrong way. i just wanted to take his comments and put them over here out of the protection of his cocoon to expose him as an example of how not to express yourself. i would hope that those of us on vc wouldn't go over there and make asses of ourselves. there's a natural competition there, but let's appreciate the differences and quit with the "my dad can beat up your dad" b.s. seriously people. in the words of rodney king, "can't we all just get along?" respect for others earns respect. i certainly don't mind threads about what son volt is up to because, i'd like to know. i'm here now because i was first an uncle tupelo fan and as such, i'm still a fan of jay as well. it doesn't have to be one or the other. [gets off soapbox]

 

btw: back to the thread, i listened to the last part of sky blue sky over lunch and found out why i slept so well last night listening to it. i must say, i do like this album more than i thought i would and am curious to see how i feel about it after about a week or so. i'm now wanting to buy a honda so i can go through the starbucks drive thru while on my way to ikea to purchase some crap. i'll probably play son volt's "the search" on the way. i hope mr. carson doesn't mind.

 

 

 

Nice!!!!

 

What the hell does that guy know anyways....I have a shitty apartment yes, but it's not filled with IKEA crap

[uncle wilco]

No one cares. Go to viachicago and hang out with the Honda drivers and the Starbucks pussies and the rest of the uptight f*cks that like their music "clean and efficient" like some shitty apartment filled with Ikea crap. Wilco has been sucking since YHF, they are no longer relevant. While Wilco may have surpassed Jay back around ST, Son Volt is now passing Wilco.

 

Post your stupid Wilco shit over there. A much , much better album that actually sounds *alive* is coming out Tuesday. It's called "The Search" and it's by a guy who actually still sounds like music excites him (aka not sleepy Tweedy).

Masked Hater II, if your alias on the farrar board is bill carson, then that explains a lot. i admire your work sir.

 

carry on.

 

if it's not you, then...nevermind.

[woopigsooie]

Im not impressed by this album at all. Its a bunch of good songs except for "shake it off" which is horrible in my opinion. Nothing really stands out. Im disappointed in it. I expected more with this reincarnation of Wilco in the studio. Yes they have made slow songs before but they have never made an entire album of slow songs and songs for that matter with lyrics that for the most part seem like nothing to me. "the Search" is an album that is alive and it is more of what i expected from Wilco. My one word review is: disappointing