Wilco (The Album Discussion w/ spoilers)

[Wilco Worshipper]

Talking about the hold steady lead singer (tip -- click the little arrow in the quote title to take you to the actual quoted post -- I had to do the same thing )

Oh for Christ's sake!!! I was FREAKIN' out man!!! Thanks Edie

[Edie]

Looks like we need to talk Hollinger. off the ledge

[mpolak21]

OK, I'm cut off. I apologize to anyone who might have got offended. I think I was responding to a response of a response on another thread about another band. I got a little fired up. That should have said:

 

Welcome Potkettleslacker, you are right on and thank you for crystallizing my thoughts completely. And thanks mpolak21 for straightening my sorry ass out.

 

Sweet Jesus how embarrassing.

 

It's cool, dude. I knew you were way too cool for that not have just been a mistake, I did it that once too actually in the first few months I was hear I was making fun of an Essox/Orkie/whatever else the dude has called himself here post, but I accidentally quoted Kidsmoke in my post . Which is akin to going into a Vatican mass and flicking off the Pope (okay well maybe the last Pope, but that's neither here nor there). I went back and edited it right away, but it kind of scared the crap out of me.

 

--Mike

[H.Stone]

I'm on my second listen this evening, and I have no fancy or complex things to say--I just love it. I'm not a music connoisseur, and I don't have comparisons to make from one album to another. I love it because I find it interesting and exciting and beautiful.

 

Some of my favorites are One Wing and You & I. On One Wing, the arrangements, the keys, the vocals... they all slay me. I liked it immediately when I first heard it live in Indy last summer, and I love it even more now. As for You and I, I think this song is alluring. The lyrics make it anything but your typical love song, and if someone wants to use it on Grey's Anatomy or at the end of a sappy movie, so what? Bon Iver's "Wolves" and "Skinny Love" haven't suffered in my eyes as a result of their inclusion in tv shows.

 

Those are standouts for me right now, but I can't wait to listen to all of them again. And again.

[Moss]

It's cool, dude. I knew you were way too cool for that not have just been a mistake, I did it that once too actually in the first few months I was hear I was making fun of an Essox/Orkie/whatever else the dude has called himself here post, but I accidentally quoted Kidsmoke in my post . Which is akin to going into a Vatican mass and flicking off the Pope (okay well maybe the last Pope, but that's neither here nor there). I went back and edited it right away, but it kind of scared the crap out of me.

 

--Mike

[Gobias Industries]

Am I the only one that is super-bothered by how much "You Never Know" takes straight up from Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"? "You Never Know" is a great track, but in a sense this song is messed up for me now because it's...so like "My Sweet Lord." I am too lazy to search through this thread, so if this has been discussed already, oops.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Am I the only one that is super-bothered by how much "You Never Know" takes straight up from Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"? "You Never Know" is a great track, but in a sense this song is messed up for me now because it's...so like "My Sweet Lord." I am too lazy to search through this thread, so if this has been discussed already, oops.

I think it's meant to be a tribute.

 

A lot of this album reminds me of All Things Must Pass, and the Loft has some pictures of the Beatles scattered around, so I think the band wanted to give a little acknowledgement of Harrison's influence on the album.

[Moss]

Am I the only one that is super-bothered by how much "You Never Know" takes straight up from Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"? "You Never Know" is a great track, but in a sense this song is messed up for me now because it's...so like "My Sweet Lord." I am too lazy to search through this thread, so if this has been discussed already, oops.

 

The opening chords are straight out of "your jammin me" by Tom Petty. Maybe they are going for a Wilbury feel on it.

[kidsmoke]

It's cool, dude. I knew you were way too cool for that not have just been a mistake, I did it that once too actually in the first few months I was hear I was making fun of an Essox/Orkie/whatever else the dude has called himself here post, but I accidentally quoted Kidsmoke in my post . Which is akin to going into a Vatican mass and flicking off the Pope (okay well maybe the last Pope, but that's neither here nor there). I went back and edited it right away, but it kind of scared the crap out of me.

 

--Mike

 

Wait, did I somehow miss this? And miss such a rich excuse to send you away to Banned Camp? Hmm, well, since at Via Chicago we don't recognize a "statute of limitations" (such a silly idea! ) I guess I could always give you a retroactive time out....hmmm. These administrative decisions are so brain-taxing! I'll have to give this serious contemplation. Don't want to be overly harsh, yet it sends the wrong message to just let Mike misquote people....!

 

(gears turn within kidsmoke's skull)

 

Oh, I know what!

 

To get back on topic, this whole album is, to quote a delicious turn of phrase, "an aural arms-open-wide". Damn good show, Wilco!

[Mrs. Peel]

long term lurker - new poster

 

 

I'll Fight = caused a marital dispute = I loved it = my wife said it reminded her of Cameron in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (I'll go, I'll go, I'll go)???

 

 

I just wanted to comment that this is EXACTLY the first thing that popped into my head too, and it made me laugh out loud. So tell your wife she isn't the only one.

[mpolak21]

You Never Know really reminds me a lot of like Full Moon Fever era Tom Petty, I think You're Jamming Me was from the album before that one. The Harrison guitar lines are certainly there, but it doesn't sound to me like a straight rip off of My Sweet Lord. It is certainly an homage, but if you're going to steal, Harrison is certainly of the best.

 

Speaking of the Beatles, when I was listening to it earlier today I thought Glenn's drum roll on Everlasting at the 1:47 mark was a lift of Ringo's roll which transitions Golden Slumbers into Carry That Weight, but it just sort of sounds like it.

 

So far I'm hearing Armed Forces era Costello, ELO, Beatles, Beach Boys, late eighties Tom Petty, and some of the Minus 5, You Never Know would fit alongside the Down With Wilco if Wilco ever backs Scott up for a few more concerts-- and they totally should.

 

--Mike.

[bobbob1313]

Craig Finn is a better lyricist than Jeff Tweedy. There, I said it.

 

It's actually not even close for me.

[Guest Hollinger.]

Craig Finn is a better lyricist than Jeff Tweedy. There, I said it.

 

It's actually not even close for me.

 

QFT, and Wilco is by far my favorite band.

[bobbob1313]

QFT, and Wilco is by far my favorite band.

 

I mean. Yeah. It's not close for me. Craig Finn makes me want to scribble his lyrics down in the margins of my homework like a 14 year old girl

 

And he doesn't look like a fairy on the stage. I think I'm going to have to fight whoever said this.

[mpolak21]

Wait, did I somehow miss this? And miss such a rich excuse to send you away to Banned Camp? Hmm, well, since at Via Chicago we don't recognize a "statute of limitations" (such a silly idea! ) I guess I could always give you a retroactive time out....hmmm. These administrative decisions are so brain-taxing! I'll have to give this serious contemplation. Don't want to be overly harsh, yet it sends the wrong message to just let Mike misquote people....!

 

(gears turn within kidsmoke's skull)

 

Oh, I know what!

 

To get back on topic, this whole album is, to quote a delicious turn of phrase, "an aural arms-open-wide". Damn good show, Wilco!

 

. You would have been like "when did I ever say anything about Pink Floyd, dude?" And I just fell out of my chair laughing at my new status.

 

I am starting to get crazy thoughts like "this might be my favorite album of theirs," I have listened to Solitaire so many times today, it's insane. I feel like I'm twelve again and devouring Beatles CD's for the first time.. Wow.

 

--Mike

[Killer Whales]

Craig Finn is a better lyricist than Jeff Tweedy. There, I said it.

 

It's actually not even close for me.

 

Apples and oranges. I love both lyricists.. Tweedy in a personal sit and think about it kind of way, Craig Finn in a wander around drunkenly in a dorm building and write quotes on those dumb white boards on doors kind of way

[Preferred B]

Third listen, Solitaire sounds Loose Furry.

[g_srikishan]

I feel weird jumping in at this point, but I've kept up with this about half way through I think (around page 15?).

Personally, I think Wilco has a way of changing directions with every one or two records; AM and BT were overtly country albums. Summerteeth moved to pop, YHF was deeply experimental (I still have no idea why people always call it the greatest American *rock* album), AGIB was a blend of experimentation and pop/folk, and SBS was country/folk again. I feel that W(TA) is pretty much a straightforward pop album. That said, the context in which I view it (pop context) shows me that it's a fantastic album by any pop standards- it's catchy and easy to like on first listen, and actually shows good musical aesthetic and technique (largely due to Glenn and Nels). And while I think Wilco moved well in the direction they chose, I wish they didn't move in a pop direction. I think a great follow up to SBS would have been something that was somewhat more experimental, or more subtly textured (along the lines of AGIB). Still, I hold that Wilco always has a way of upsetting some significant portion of its fan base, and they have failed to do so to me, until now. I should say, I'm not terribly upset though- this will still be an album I listen to a lot, as soon as I pick up a copy.

 

And on a side note, I really appreciate Nels' presence on the album; I think he does the most to contribute to the textural layering of the album. Also, everything is just really fucking interesting, whether you're a musician or not.

[bobbob1313]

Craig Finn probably likes Wilco.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

I just want to say that I hate the tendency of "indie rock" fans to compeletly write off and put down simple music. Because they made YHF, Wilco's never allowed to make a pop record again? That's dumb. Look at Dylan, for Christ's sake. After making and releasing three of the greatest rock albums in a row, he stepped back and started releasing simple, folk-y stuff. Terrific albums. Albums that stand right up to Blonde on Blonde to anyone that was really listening.

 

Wilco did more experimental albums, and I respect them for that. They did a pop album before, and it's my favorite of theirs. They did two simple, laid-back, almost pop albums now, and the indie crowd is saying the music is now shitty, while the real Wilco fans accept the changes, and see that the band is still releasing damn good music.

 

It's not just Wilco, it's a general criticism I have of the indie crowd. Good, simple music is a wonderful thing, especially when it's done right, and keeps good songwriting and musical ability. Wilco has done that here, and I applaud them.

[DAngerer09]

i don't know man. I don't think so. Bon Iver's first album and The Tallest Man on Earth on both fairly simple/straightfoward/built totally around an acoustic guitar sounds (for the most part) and the "indie crowd" you refer to has embraced them whole heartedly.

 

I just think many people don't want to hear a record full of throwback 70s style songs (not saying the album is that, but much of SBS and some of this album seems to come from that direction to some extent). "They" want to hear something fresh, or at least I do. The first four songs on this album sound really fresh and a few of them are pretty innovative.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

i don't know man. I don't think so. Bon Iver's first album and The Tallest Man on Earth on both fairly simple/straightfoward/built totally around an acoustic guitar sounds (for the most part) and the "indie crowd" you refer to has embraced them whole heartedly.

 

I just think many people don't want to hear a record full of throwback 70s style songs (not saying the album is that, but much of SBS and some of this album seems to come from that direction to some extent). "They" want to hear something fresh, or at least I do. The first four songs on this album sound really fresh and a few of them are pretty innovative.

Fair enough, I should have clarified further.

 

It seems like, once an artist has done something remotely "experimental," they're not allowed to ever do anything that isn't experimental again. In Wilco's case, they are never allowed to make this kind of album, because they've made more experimental music.

 

There are obviously examples of well-loved bands/artists who released simple music, such as Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, etc. But if any of these artists had released a drastically different album, they would have never been allowed by the indie community to go back and release more simple music.

 

It's bullshit.

[chanman1128]

Sonny Feeling reminds me a lot of Walken, which for me isn't a good thing.

 

I'll fight is like On and On and On part 2...which is not a good thing for me.

 

I really like most of it on first listen

 

Country Disappeared and Everlasting are the best TO ME...SO FAR.

Like Solitaire a lot, and I have been singing WIlco the song all day.

 

I like most of the songs here...already miles better than SBS...sorry

[DAngerer09]

Country Disappeared and Everlasting are the best TO ME...SO FAR.

 

that's interesting to me, because those 2 are the worst for me (with You and I close)

 

but yeah, definitely better than SBS.

 

 

To me, the first four tracks are slam dunks and I love Solitaire and I'll Fight.

[cooperissup3r]

Fair enough, I should have clarified further.

 

It seems like, once an artist has done something remotely "experimental," they're not allowed to ever do anything that isn't experimental again. In Wilco's case, they are never allowed to make this kind of album, because they've made more experimental music.

 

There are obviously examples of well-loved bands/artists who released simple music, such as Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, etc. But if any of these artists had released a drastically different album, they would have never been allowed by the indie community to go back and release more simple music.

 

It's bullshit.

 

BFD. i don't think jeff particularly cares if anyone likes it. he's said many times he feels no need to defend anything he makes.

 

everyone should read The Angel Is My Watermark" by Henry Miller from the Wilco Book.