Jump to content

SBS Review in SF Weekly


Recommended Posts

http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-05-02/music/b...orthy-or-banal/

 

Buzz-Worthy or Banal?

Wilco erects a great divide

By Ian Froeb and Jonah Bayer

Published: May 2, 2007

 

Wilco's latest album, Sky Blue Sky (due out May 15), so far appears to be polarizing fans and critics alike. They either love or loathe the group's meandering, rootsy direction. In the spirit of open critical dialogue, here are two takes on Sky from longtime fans

Link to post
Share on other sites

What's all this crap about SBS being lyrically "banal"? Lyrically, YHF was full of clunkers; not in terms of banality, but the flipside of that, which is pretention; a bunch of ambiguos plays on words that are full of style, but empty on substance. But of course, everyone will justify it as being 'moving', 'personal', or last but least, 'impressionistic'. "Walken" is very lyrically simple, but the sheer earnestness of the lyrics have such a genuine, warm vibe to them, something that wasn't there when Tweedy pieced together random words he found out of TV Guide.

 

"Glenn Kotche doesn't get a good groove 'till the second to last song" ???

 

Ok, clearly the reviewer wasn't listening to the wonderful 6/8 interplays in "Side with the Seeds"

Link to post
Share on other sites
"Glenn Kotche doesn't get a good groove 'till the second to last song" ???

 

Ok, clearly the reviewer wasn't listening to the wonderful 6/8 interplays in "Side with the Seeds"

Or the rest of the whole damn thing! Glenn is my favorite drummer ever after this record.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I wonder when the detractors will begin to bring up songs like "Side With the Seeds" and "Shake It Off" when assailing the "banal" lyrics of the new album.

 

Oh, that's right - doing so would obliterate their whole argument. Ha!

Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest tandylacker

Reviewers are fun. I wonder how they choose which words to use the thesaurus for. Such great 'precipice' they are always in.

 

?

 

Eh.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Hate it here a breakup song?I think not, what an idiot!

What would you call it? A broken up, pining after the one who left song?

 

I happen to like Glenn a lot and think he's very good but you couldn't prove it by this record. Listen to the Nina Nastasia & Jim White record to see what a great drummer on a quiet record can sound like, though maybe you have more license to be creative when you're playing on a great record. Oh no you d'int, etc.

 

Both reviews have merits, there are a few good songs and you could make an argument for a few of them on a Wilco greatest hits record but it's just not a great Wilco record (nor is it awful, it's just oh so very ordinary). Maybe it's just that I'd really rather see a Jeff, Nels and Glenn side project than another Wilco record that sets out to make pleasant, inoffensive music.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest tandylacker
Both reviews have merits, there are a few good songs and you could make an argument for a few of them on a Wilco greatest hits record but it's just not a great Wilco record (nor is it awful, it's just oh so very ordinary).

 

When the CD first streamed, I liked most of the songs immediately. Which worried me, because that is not what usually happens for me with Wilco CDs. I thought I would grow tired of it real soon.

 

Well I have listened to this CD several times now and like it more every time I hear it. Once I really got into the CD I discovered it is definitely not ordinary.

 

And a Wilco greatest hits would be impossible to make.

Link to post
Share on other sites
What would you call it? A broken up, pining after the one who left song?

 

I happen to like Glenn a lot and think he's very good but you couldn't prove it by this record. Listen to the Nina Nastasia & Jim White record to see what a great drummer on a quiet record can sound like, though maybe you have more license to be creative when you're playing on a great record. Oh no you d'int, etc.

 

Both reviews have merits, there are a few good songs and you could make an argument for a few of them on a Wilco greatest hits record but it's just not a great Wilco record (nor is it awful, it's just oh so very ordinary). Maybe it's just that I'd really rather see a Jeff, Nels and Glenn side project than another Wilco record that sets out to make pleasant, inoffensive music.

 

But they didn't; so deal with it. Frankly, I wish sometimes Tweedy would do lead guitar a lot more; I wish Glenn would demonstrate the subtleties that made "Laminated Cat" and "Handshake Drugs" amazing; Pat's got a pretty cool guitar style, and I wish that would come out more, rather than the organ fills. But if their heart was set on making a more direct record, it would be a complete disaster if they did an experimental record if it wasn't the right time.

Link to post
Share on other sites

There are certainly exceptions to this, but if you're the kind of Wilco fan that thinks they're the American Radiohead and that every record they make must at least attempt to reinvent popular music as we know it, the subtle and delicate joys of SBS are going to be lost on you. That, and record reviewers are generally full of shit. You would not BELIEVE some of the quarter-baked shit I came up with when I used to write them for CitySearch.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Reviewers are fun. I wonder how they choose which words to use the thesaurus for. Such great 'precipice' they are always in.

 

?

 

Eh.

Why would you have to use a thesaurus to come up with "precipice" - which is not plural, by the way, and not something one would find oneself "in." I think I learned that word in third grade. It refers to the edge of a cliff (or "brink") or, metaphorically, any dangerous situation. In this case, the reviewer extends the metaphor to refer to the artistic risks the band took on previous albums that are lacking on the new one.

 

I'm with jethro - both reviews have merits. There are some very good songs on the album, but there are also some very trite lyrics. I wouldn't go so far as to call the album "ordinary," but I don't think it's their best album. Others may disagree. :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Honestly, the "mixed" reviews don't bother me. Hell, the same thing happened after Being There, Summerteeth, YHF, etc... The alt-country purists didn't care for that and now the indie crowd doesn't like this...It just comes w/ the territory of being progressive. Some will get it and others won't.

 

IMO - writing direct songs about hope, being not afraid, etc. takes more...guts. There's nothing to hind behind.

Link to post
Share on other sites

"Or consider the Big Bird pabulum of "What Light," whose everyone-is-special ethos represents the lack of artistic ambition that bedevils the album: "If you feel like singing a song/ And you want other people to sing along/ Just sing what you feel/ Don't let anyone say it's wrong."

 

 

 

I think that is Mr. Tweedy's point. "Don't let anyone say it's wrong."

Link to post
Share on other sites
I think that is Mr. Tweedy's point. "Don't let anyone say it's wrong."

I think it is fair game for a reviewer to question, or even disagree with, Mr. Tweedy's point. In fact, isn't part of the goal of criticism to evaluate an artist's thinking, as well as how skillfully that thinking has been expressed?

 

I might not agree with everything in those two reviews, but both are reasonable in their arguments.

Link to post
Share on other sites

My problem with both reviews is I get the feeling that they are expecting another YHF or AGIB, which isn't Wilco's thing to do: make the same record.

 

Basically, when it comes to reviews, the only one I'll actually consider is Greg Kot (yes I do enjoy his writing), but he's an honest reviewer and knows the in-depth history of the band.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...