Enjoy Wilco on YOUR terms

[tfuller]

As you can see, I never really post, but I visit rather frequently. The more I read about opinions of SBS, the more I question people's true fandom. I've been a fan of the band since BT and with every new album comes the onslaught of negative reviews stating that the band is going off into a bad direction or their importance to today's culture is diminishing. The initial knee-jerk reaction from many of you is full of hate for that reviewer as you go into full defense-mode for Jeff and the band.

 

My question to you is, "Why do you care so much about what a reviewer for Pitchfork or Paste magazine thinks about a new Wilco album?" Remember the old adage, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? If you love "Either Way" and some reviewer from Seatlle thinks it is spineless, smooth-jazz crap, who cares? People get so defensive around here if anyone says anything negative towards the band. Like the music because YOU like it, not because you think it is "cool" to be a Wilco fan or because some magazine said that Wilco is the band for hipsters. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I wonder why many of you take it so personally?

 

The only people who are entitled to take it personally is the band and I doubt they care half as much as some of you? I am not ripping on anyone here, I just find it weird that fans on this board get sooo hurt by this? I like Wilco because their music envokes feelings inside of ME that make ME feel happy or sad or intrespective. This is what they do for ME; no critic nor chatroom poster is going to change that. Just relax and enjoy the music.

[caliber66]

I swear this is not an alias of mine.

 

Well said.

[rwrkb]

for me it's more a matter of being stunned when people can't appreciate something that seems so obviously amazing to me. other than that i don't care what critics think, it certainly doesn't effect my feelings about something. it is just a feeling of "woah, i can't believe they don't get it" however, that is a feeling i get a lot about a lot of things regarding a lot of people so c'est la vie.

[tfuller]

Well my point is to not really care if others don't "get it". As Tweedy always talks about regarding the connection between the singer and the listener, the connection is on a personal level that in a sense no one should get besides you.

 

Believe me, I have tried to "sell" Wilco to many people, some successfull and some not. But at the end of the day, I was realized that the only person that matters is me. I like them and that should be good enough.

[jakobnicholas]

My only problem with Pitchfork's review specifically, is that it's kind of the "go-to" site for people seeking out music.

 

It's a shame to me that some people will see the very mediocre review on Pitchfork, and assume the album may not be worth the purchase. It's kind of like Ebert and Roeper giving thumbs down to a movie that you think is the coolest thing you've ever seen. "Two thumbs down?...that movie must really suck!".

 

 

I WANT people to hear Sky Blue Sky. Pitchfork's ridiculously low rating may turn away a lot of music fans.

[rwrkb]

Well my point is to not really care if others don't "get it".

 

oh, don't get me wrong, i don't care if people get it or not. i'm just surprised when they don't.

[Atticus]

Y'all aren't listening to SBS correctly.

[Smokestack Joe]

i agree with you fuller. I like all Wilco records and they are all different, evoke different emotions what not....i think people get emotional when it comes to their favorite, most prized band, whether its through defending them or selling them.

 

i like it for what it is.

 

I have enjoyed wilco since AM years, and my "obsession" as friends call it, has become more relaxed. I get excited to see them live or watch a DVD, but i dont get crazy like i used to. Ive learned to just enjoy the music and not get caught up in all the hype.

[danelectro]

oh, don't get me wrong, i don't care if people get it or not. i'm just surprised when they don't.

 

 

I feel the same way. I don't necessarily care who gets it or not but I was surprised that many fans and critics alike thought it was a departure or step back. Many reviewers have been contradictory in the way describe the album when comparing it to past work. For example I've seen some reviews where the reviewer claims Being There is Wilco's finest hour then slams SBS all the while drawing parallels to BT.

[caliber66]

For example I've seen some reviews where the reviewer claims Being There is Wilco's finest hour then slams SBS all the while drawing parallels to BT.

I don't think that's necessarily contradictory. Depends on what they see as the criteria for BT being the "finest hour" and what comparison points they use between SBS and BT...

[Uncle Sean]

As you can see, I never really post, but I visit rather frequently. The more I read about opinions of SBS, the more I question people's true fandom. I've been a fan of the band since BT and with every new album comes the onslaught of negative reviews stating that the band is going off into a bad direction or their importance to today's culture is diminishing. The initial knee-jerk reaction from many of you is full of hate for that reviewer as you go into full defense-mode for Jeff and the band.

 

My question to you is, "Why do you care so much about what a reviewer for Pitchfork or Paste magazine thinks about a new Wilco album?" Remember the old adage, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? If you love "Either Way" and some reviewer from Seatlle thinks it is spineless, smooth-jazz crap, who cares? People get so defensive around here if anyone says anything negative towards the band. Like the music because YOU like it, not because you think it is "cool" to be a Wilco fan or because some magazine said that Wilco is the band for hipsters. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I wonder why many of you take it so personally?

 

The only people who are entitled to take it personally is the band and I doubt they care half as much as some of you? I am not ripping on anyone here, I just find it weird that fans on this board get sooo hurt by this? I like Wilco because their music envokes feelings inside of ME that make ME feel happy or sad or intrespective. This is what they do for ME; no critic nor chatroom poster is going to change that. Just relax and enjoy the music.

 

WOW

 

my sentiments (almost, I was a UT fan) exactly

[Edie]

Pitchfork's ridiculously low rating may turn away a lot of music fans.

 

I'll venture a guess that a majority of Pitchfork readers already have knowledge of Wilco. It would be a poor review in RS or SPIN or something a bit more mainstream that would potentially negatively impact the uptake of new listeners.

[NationalDust]

I WANT people to hear Sky Blue Sky. Pitchfork's ridiculously low rating may turn away a lot of music fans.

 

Exactly...

 

I want people to hear it and like it because I enjoy having music as a common bond between a friend and myself.

 

Also I agree that I just don't understand how someone can't enjoy something that I love so much.

[Dude]

for me it's more a matter of being stunned when people can't appreciate something that seems so obviously amazing to me.

 

Maybe people are turned off by the album not because they can't "get it" but more due to the fact that the album is too accessible and too easy - it's not challenging. There are some rewards, but the rewards are immediate and therefore it's very easy to wear the album down after minimal number of spins, whereas other Wilco albums (even going back to AM) had SOME challenging aspects to them.

[tfuller]

Oh, I agree on having that bond with your friends and all, but people who love good music (and I put Wilcoheads in that category) will find good music through friends, other fans, or chatrooms like this. A review from a magazine critic whose job partly is to stir the pot will not deter the serious music fan.

 

Reviews in mainstream rags may prevent mainstream fans, but should that concern you? Are you in it for the music or are you in it because Wilco albums go gold and are now the band to love? From what I have read around here, most of you hate those fans anyway as they ruin concerts with endless chatter, scalp tickets, and push Wilco closer and closer to becoming The Fray.

[rwrkb]

[quote name='Đ

[caliber66]

i agree. i was speaking more in general than just about sbs. but, i definitely agree with what you're saying, but isn't that still a case of not getting it?

Only from your perspective.

 

edit: I mean from the perspective of those who claim to "get" the album - and also believe that everybody should "get" the album in the same way...

[rwrkb]

Only from your perspective.

 

that's the only one i get. and even then it's only part time.

[caliber66]

that's the only one i get. and even then it's only part time.

But don't you agree that not everyone is going to share your perspective, and therefore, there's not going to be something for everyone to get out of SBS?

[rwrkb]

But don't you agree that not everyone is going to share your perspective, and therefore, there's not going to be something for everyone to get out of SBS?

 

no. absolutely not. i think everybody should worship my point of view and strive to agree with me.

 

okay, i'm kidding... kinda. i do understand, i just have momentary lapses where i go "wow, can't believe they don't see what i see (or hear what i hear)"

[mountain bed]

i just have momentary lapses where i go "wow, can't believe they don't see what i see (or hear what i hear)"

yep. But it's really hard to separate your emotional ties to a piece of music. I've had this feeling about a number of bands, and records, over the years & in the end it just doesn't matter.

 

Anyway, it's obvious that Wilco will just get bigger & bigger...look how many people have came to the board just since the leak a couple of months ago. I don't think it'll become some kind of circus, but you never know..

[rwrkb]

"this house is a circus beserkus" oh wait, wrong band.

[Uncle Sean]

But is it a bad thing when a band becomes more popular? Why does it seem that some fans bemoan the fact their favorite band is no longer seen in a 150 person bar because they can now fill a much larger arena? I don't quite understand this "logic".

[quarter23cd]

Given the fact the for the first half-decade or more of my Wilco fandom I didn't know another soul who had more than a passing familiarity with them, I really never thought of Wilco in a larger context of importance beyond whether or not I like a particular song/album/whatever. And, really, I still try to think of it that way as much as possible. It probably is somewhat harder now to be completely objective now that Wilco is more popular, or at least more visible on a cultural level. Its harder to hear the songs without thinking about how they are going to be received by critics or other fans or whatever--that's a fact of life, I guess. Wilco no longer only exists within my little bubble. So be it. Personally, I tend to go out of my way to avoid reading too many reviews when new albums come out. In the end, I don't really care whether or not other people dig Wilco. I've never really thought of them as being a cool or hip band (because when I got into them, they weren't)--that was never part of their allure for me, and so that sort of thing doesn't really motivate my thinking too much. Its nice to see them getting some attention, but beyond that I guess I try not to think about it too much and just listen and enjoy.

[NationalDust]

But is it a bad thing when a band becomes more popular? Why does it seem that some fans bemoan the fact their favorite band is no longer seen in a 150 person bar because they can now fill a much larger arena? I don't quite understand this "logic".

 

I get excited when I hear a band I like on the radio. I used to play Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica at work a lot and people bitched about it until Float On became pretty regularly played. I was pretty happy about that.

 

The only reason I would like bands to play small clubs and bars is because it makes them more approachable after the show. I like to talk to the performers afterwards, but I'm not going to try sneaking around and being all obnoxious to try to get to them.