Rambling Reflections On Wilco's Newness

[yermom]

How very like.

What an interesting post. Especially the Alabama part. Very curious. Very confusing.

[ction]

I've had long-term love affairs with both Asia and Europe. Those are whole continents, so I win.

[Sir Stewart]

I've had long-term love affairs with both Asia and Europe. Those are whole continents totally awesome bands, so I win.

[mountain bed]

I've had long-term love affairs with both Asia and Europe. Those are whole continents, so I win.

I haven't confirmed this, but I did hear a rumor of an Asia tour this summer ( no joke).

[ction]

I haven't confirmed this, but I did hear a rumor of an Asia tour this summer ( no joke).

 

Supposedly, the original line-up is playing the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA in late June. I'm totally going.

[chanman1128]

"When I first heard A Ghost Is Born my opinion of Jeff Tweedy as a musician was begining to wane. This was primarily due to my continued love-affair with AGIB"

 

I don't really understand anything about this statement...

 

I am not arguing or complaining but his/her post makes little sense.

[jakobnicholas]

Coincidence that such a riduculous post was written on April Fool's Day?

 

I think not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the post WAS legit, then I'd like to ask Mr. Ships who, besides the esteemed Alabama, are some of his favorite bands or music artists?

[socbret]

Pretty neat post. I think you guys were missing the point. I read this as tongue in cheek and admittedly hypocritical. Sometime we can't control even our guiltiest pleasures.

There are no guilty pleasures (except for maybe doing coke lines off a urinal or sleeping with our girlfriends ex-roomate) - chuck klosterman (not quoted exactly)

[welch79]

i like this post, but i think it's really simple, yet complex.

[snow ships]

Coincidence that such a riduculous post was written on April Fool's Day?

 

I think not.

If the post WAS legit, then I'd like to ask Mr. Ships who, besides the esteemed Alabama, are some of his favorite bands or music artists?

 

April Fools Whuh?

 

a few:

John Fahey, George Strait, Ralph Towner, The Butthole Surfers, Roger Miller, Paul Mccartney, The Silver Jews, Gastr Del Sol, Bill Callahan & Lee Hazlewood.

[Scalzunfield]

George Strait

 

Aaaaaand you lost me.

[lost highway]

# 1: Sure noisey endings can be a way to reflect an existential angst or the ideas of interference in personal life and relationships. They do that well. But they also fucking rock.

#2: John Fahey has no lyrics. Gastr Del Sol (Jimmy) love the use of noisy disruptions.

[danelectro]

It has to be a bit. How can you criticize Jeff's lyrics and cop to ending a love affair with Alabama at the same time. Dixieland Delight anyone?

[jakobnicholas]

April Fools Whuh?

 

a few:

John Fahey, George Strait, Ralph Towner, The Butthole Surfers, Roger Miller, Paul Mccartney, The Silver Jews, Gastr Del Sol, Bill Callahan & Lee Hazlewood.

 

 

C'mon, April Fool's Day is over. Yuo're killing me.

 

Your original post has so many contradictory points.....you liked AGIB or you don't? You think Sky Blue Sky is Wilco at it's musical best but it's not gutsy and has "shitty" lyrics? Jeff is belting it out like Elvis? That's a good thing, right? Or is it a bad thing?...I can't tell.

 

Now you say you like Paul McCartney?....is that the genius Paul that wrote Elanor Rigby and Fixing A Hole or the Paul that wrote My Love and Let Em' In? Lee Hazelwood? Really?

 

I'm baffled.

 

 

By the way, good call on Bill Callahan....an excellent artist.

[oceanman]

a few:

John Fahey, George Strait, Ralph Towner, The Butthole Surfers, Roger Miller, Paul Mccartney, The Silver Jews, Gastr Del Sol, Bill Callahan & Lee Hazlewood.

Imagine if this was a festival lineup.................

[Drazil]

It sure smells like updog in here.

[snow ships]

C'mon, April Fool's Day is over. Yuo're killing me.

 

Your original post has so many contradictory points.....you liked AGIB or you don't? You think Sky Blue Sky is Wilco at it's musical best but it's not gutsy and has "shitty" lyrics? Jeff is belting it out like Elvis? That's a good thing, right? Or is it a bad thing?...I can't tell.

 

Now you say you like Paul McCartney?....is that the genius Paul that wrote Elanor Rigby and Fixing A Hole or the Paul that wrote My Love and Let Em' In? Lee Hazelwood? Really?

 

I'm baffled.

By the way, good call on Bill Callahan....an excellent artist.

 

 

How about the Paul who wrote 'Too Many People'

[jakobnicholas]

How about the Paul who wrote 'Too Many People'

 

 

 

 

This thread has entered the Twilight Zone.

 

I'm outta here.

[OOO]

Let 'Em In is good.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

It sure smells like updog in here.

 

 

...ok...

 

you go to this much effort...I'll play.

 

 

What's updog?

 

(I love playing the straightman)

[dontknownuthin]

I totally hear where Snow Ships is coming from.

 

In my experience every Wilco album is unlike the last and you have to sit with it for a couple dozen listens before it really reveals itself to you. In a lot of ways I think that's the true test of good music...does it get better everytime you listen to it (up to a point of course).

 

Pre-YHF I don't think Wilco made a song I would consider boring. Some were less memorable than others but I rarely skipped songs even on the sixtieth listen through. In 2002 I would have agreed that Jeff Tweedy was tapped directly into The Source and he could do no wrong in my eyes.

 

Then came AGIB, which I love, but it had the first songs from the band that I would not consider memorable. I'm a Wheel, Hell is Chrome, Wishful Thinking...there are really nice pieces of each song, particularly the Jeff's lyrics and understated delivery on WT, but taken together on one album represented a decline in my opinion from previous album work.

 

Now, with SBS, I really like half the album but would only consider handful of the songs (You Are My Face, Hate It Here, Side With the Seeds) to meet my expectations. And I wouldn't say I have unrealistic expectations...I love Wilco's music and expected them to deliver what I've received in the past: an album that would challenge my initial expectations but eventually win me head over heels. Granted I'm only on listen 25 (and it says a lot about my expectations and esteem for Tweedy and Wilco that I'll listen to their album 25 times before delivering my opinion) but i'm not there yet.

 

All in all it's a really sweet, mellow, soul-prog record that I'll happily pop in when I want to hear some Wilco music that I haven't totally played out yet. Unfortunately I won't dig for it greedily to surround myself in its revelations like I've done with previous albums. But there's nothing wrong with creating a sweet, mellow, soul-prog record!!!

 

Where I really hear Snow Ships is on the fact that I think we're hearing a very relaxed and comfortable jeff tweedy on this album and a relaxed and happy jeff tweedy makes songs that sound like Far, Far Away and No More Poetry and that's fine. I don't deserve anything more from Jeff or the band than what they've already given me. I'll even go see them when they come to town on tour. I'm just gonna say thanks and look forward to more creative efforts from Wilco.

[cash]

The Butthole Surfers

 

I enjoy listening to the Pussy Pouncers on occasion

[YouAReMYface]

i think the original argument made some good points. The main one being that Wilco has some trouble ending songs. This i agree with. I have thought this myself many times, there are times when it seems they are just making noise for the sake of making noise and thats supposed to be the end of the song. I know that some songs are fine ending that way, but i also get the feeling when listening to some songs that theres excessive or unnecessary noise and the songs would be a lot better without it. That original post makes you question the band and i like that, it seems almost like a challenge to prove it wrong. BUt many of the points are valid, the thing i dont understand is that did all of this just come one day to him as he was listening?? Does Wilco become mundane after countless listens and ultimately reveal itself to him as boring?? i guess its different for every person, but i dont see myself growing tired of Wilco. I do think the sound sometimes can be...i guess you could say 'annoying' at times. (for example at the end of handshake drugs theres sort of a high pitched noisey sound that i find annoying). I think that its just a way to end the song. It seems to me more of a distraction from the song than contributing to it. I know some might say that this 'gratuitous pounding' (as tweedy calls it) actually has a strong significance and yada yada it symbolizes so and so, but i think that is analyzing it way too much and sometimes noise is just noise.