Sky Blue Sky

[Moe_Syzlak]

I know what you mean, so not f'ed up at all (or you at least have company!) Maybe I just needed something "comfortable" at the time. I think overall between SBS and KT, I am just fully enjoying this line-up.

As am I. I love KT and thought the show I recently saw in Colorado Springs was a band firing on all cylinders. As a live band, I've got no complaints.

[So Long]

this lineup is almost a Greatest Hits lineup. They can imitate every other lineup, but with great accuracy and their own nuances. However, ST, YHF, and AGIB had wonderful song structures, harmonies, and textures...

[Kalle]

I think what Wilco did WAS risky!

[ljschultz1]

I put that album on if I've been having a bad day at work and as soon as Either Way starts up, i instantly start to feel better. Love that album!

[hardwood floor]

I've tried like hell to like it and at a few points even pretended to like it.

 

But I really don't like it.

[mpolak21]

I think what Wilco did WAS risky!

 

Yeah, Kalle I agree with you. Basically since AM every Wilco album has had a couple curveballs that I certainly remember thinking "what the hell are they doing here?" when I first heard them. Misunderstood and Sunken Treasure on Being There. The end of She's a Jar and Via Chicago on Summerteeth. The noise-segments in YHF, the guitar breakdowns on AGIB. Sky Blue Sky doesn't really have anything on that's that different from Wilco has done in the past, and there aren't any curveball sections in the record and for a band that's established itself as constantly being willing to taking to risks, letting the songs speak for themselves without adding a lot of "sonic weight" (for lack of a better word) to them.

 

I've always liked the record, but I've never loved it in the way that I love Being There, Summerteeth, YHF and AGIB. What's interesting is that I liked SBS on the first listen, but was unsure with their previous four albums. With Foxtrot and Ghost in particular something kept drawing me back in to listen to the records, like I felt there was something I was missing each time, because they were so dense and layered. And so I'd spend fifteen minutes trying to hear the dulcimer on Hummingbird or the vibes on Wishful Thinking, and I'd try to figure out what a "cherry ghost" or "pure bug beauty" was. Sky Blue Sky is a lot more direct, and for me I got the spirit of the record pretty quickly, and didn't really feel the need to listen to it hundreds of time like I did with their previous albums. While there aren't any particularly bad tracks (I agree that Shake it Off is the weakest track on the album, but it has some redeeming moments), there's not a real show stopper on the album either (You are My Face and On and On and On come awfully close).

 

What's promising for is that the songs from the album that the band actually plays (has a new Wilco album ever gotten less love in the setlists than SBS?, not that I'm complaining, but they played primarily Ghost and YHF songs for about two years after their respective releases), have gotten a lot better live. I think this lineup is just beginning to gel and I think the next album is going to be an all-timer.

 

--Mike

[anthony]

One year later, I find myself listening less and less to SBS. There are still great songs (YAMF, IG & S w/ S), but I feel the Law of Diminishing Returns kicking in.

 

Which is odd, because this is the opposite of all other Wilco records for me. All of them (except AM ) have gotten better with each successive listen.

 

Oh, well...

[fineartoflife]

I think the only thing it missed was One True Wine and Let's Not Get Carried Away; I like those songs more than a few on the album and adding them to the playlist really completes it

[bjorn_skurj]

I'm still a little burned out on it, but I haven't felt like listening to Wilco much lately, after the orgy of goodness which was the residency shows. Might give YHF a spin soon.

[mollyegan]

I still love it. It just makes me happy.

[mountain bed]

When you see these songs being performed live right in front of you they can make the hair on your arms stand up. That being said, SBS has had the shortest life in the rotation of any record so far at my house. That really doesn't matter in the least, though - I signed on for the whole trip quite some time ago.

[lamradio]

Oh I have given it plenty of chances. I understand that many people like it, it is just, for me, like nails on a chalkboard. Just a tune I can't take at all and need to skip every time at this point.

 

In my opinion, "On and On and On" is the best song on the record and one of the best songs Wilco has ever written (if not the best, but that's impossible to say)

 

From a song writing standpoint, it's brilliantly written.

[Sunken mountain]

I still love it. It just makes me happy.

 

Agree.I

[FourStrongWinds]

I still don't understand how people don't like this album, Leave Me Like You Found Me is my favourite now I think. just a perfect song

and On and On and On is remarkable, Really love this album

[lamradio]

and On and On and On is remarkable

 

Ah see... You know what's up.

[FourStrongWinds]

I also don't think I will ever get over Nels on 'You Are My Face'

[lamradio]

Yeah, or on "Side With The Seeds".. The ending solo is just ridiculous. That's the song that put him on my list of top five favorite guitarists of all time. Hell, he's in my avatar.

[MattZ]

In my opinion, "On and On and On" is the best song on the record and one of the best songs Wilco has ever written (if not the best, but that's impossible to say)

 

From a song writing standpoint, it's brilliantly written.

 

Please don't cry

This world of words and meanings makes you feel

outside

Something that you feel already

deep inside

You've denied

Go ahead and cry

 

makes me cry. Still.

[watch me fall]

Hell, he's in my avatar.

 

I was wondering who that was.

[indy81]

To me, SBS is the definition of a minor work from a major artist. A bunch of good songs but a few clunkers (and some of the b-sides are better than tracks that made the album). You get the sense it's a placeholder between two more substantial albums -- at least I hope so! It's their weakest record to date but an enjoyable listen and a nice addition to the discography.

[bigshoulders]

The only thing that bugs me now... is it feels like something is missing at 03:20 into "Walken".

If you've seen 'em live recently, you know what I'm talking about.

 

It still gets lots of play around my house and vehicle--hard to believe it's been out a year!

 

bigshoulders

[runningfree]

The last two records have done virtually nothing for me, which is a shame really. Maybe I just set myself up for failure, with expectations impossible for any band to meet. Yes, that's it. It is my fault.

[MrRain422]

I like it better than I did when it was released, but still find it to be disappointing overall. Easily Wilco's worst album.

[Sir Stewart]

That Saturday night they first streamed it on their site, I thought - This might be my favorite Wilco album ever. Nothing's really changed my mind since then.

[MattZ]

That Saturday night they first streamed it on their site, I thought - This might be my favorite Wilco album ever. Nothing's really changed my mind since then.

 

I remember that Saturday night and I remember the joy I felt when I was hearing these songs for the first time through my shitty computer speakers... I am somehow still reminded of that night of joy every time I play the album. Those opening notes of Either Way still give me chills. I was just so freaking happy.

 

That was my first experience streaming a new album from Wilco and I felt like I was sharing my joy with other Wilco nerds like me.

 

I can't believe that was a year ago. I was so much older then.