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oh, so I totally forgot another reason I hate You Never Know...that George Harrison guitar riff is SUPER cheesy.

 

Anyway....the "two Nels guitar solo songs per album" thing has been going on since he joined the group. I hope they give him a little more too do this time around..he's such a talented guitarist.

 

 

I viewed it as a sort-of homage myself ;) . With regards to the use of Nels, it's something I've thought about before (as I'm sure many here have). With The Whole Love, I'm hoping they have found somewhat of balance. I thought the strongest songs on SBS were carried by some of the climbing guitar freakouts and on WTA that was reduced to little flourishes or, especially in the case of One Wing, build-ups that are never resolved, so to speak. I have listened to the new tracks performed at Solid Sound, in addition to I Might and of course, the teaser. It seems they may have hit a groove in this area. With the number of songs reportedly written for this album (I've heard between 20 and 60[!]), I trust the band was able to pick out 12 pretty tasty morsels that are sequenced nicely. Also, 1:23 - 1:35 in the video: :blink

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See, not everyone gets the same thing out of Wilco, which is one reason why there's so much arguing amongst the fan base. I find the clip interesting, but I'm not particularly psyched to learn that the new album will really "unleash" Nels ... if, indeed, it will. As a long term fan, I feel we already get plenty of Nels on just about every song. God, seeing them live, it's like, "Can't this guy chill through a song a little bit, just one here and there? Does he really have to inject a lightning speed solo into Forget The Flowers? Give it a rest, gramps. We get it. You can play." Heh. But honestly, if I just want to listen to someone shred, I can play one of my many Mahavishnu Orchestra shows. I don't turn to Wilco to hear that.

 

As far as WTA vs. the rest of the catalogue, maybe your perspective depends on when you became a fan of the band, and also on how much you value Jeff's lyrical prowess. For me, AGIB was the beginning of a significant decline in Jeff's lyrical output. I'm not saying he's in decline as a writer, not at all. I'm saying that the songs he has released publicly in the last 7 years have been significantly less powerful or even interesting, lyrically, than much of what came before, and I say that as someone who considers him to be one of America's most important songwriters. I find it amusing that someone would find Impossible Germany a compelling song, lyrically. Maybe if you think less is more, but for me, no way. Same thing with Walken. If you don't agree, just read the lyrics outside of the context of the music.

 

Although it doesn't hang together as a major artistic statement like YHF does, WTA was a relief for me, after the relative drabness of Sky Blue Sky. Not that the lyrics are 100 times better, but there was nothing terribly annoying on it, and I thought that One Wing and Bull Black Nova were something of a return to form on a lyrical level. I know a lot of people are annoyed by anything (like You and I or You Never Know) that's not edgy or whatever, but I thought those songs were pretty pleasant and enjoyable, and I'm a sucker for a decent pop tune. The ones that bummed me out were I'll Fight and Solitaire and Everlasting Everything...really, the whole second half of the album feels like it's composed of songs that won't have any staying power in their catalog. Then again, I could easily be wrong, because the songs I thought were pretty disposable on SBS have ended up being played pretty regularly: Impossible Germany, Side With The Seeds, Hate It Here, and the inexplicably popular Walken.

 

Anyway, I'll buy it and hope for the best.

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Is it only me or when Jeff says "enter the dragon" does it sound like he's in the next cublicle over and not in the clip at all?

Totally - I threw off my headphones thinking Shit this is playing over my speakers! when he said that.

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I also think that the album will be bookended by loud progressive jams, with lots of light hearted stuff in between. If it wasn't for I Might, I would be less enthusiastic, but I love the direction of that track so...

 

I don't think Song for Jane Smiley's boyfriend, or One Sunday Morning, will be a loud/progressive jam like Art of Almost is. Jeff said it had 10 verses, I'm thinking a long, sincere folk song A la "Mountain Bed"

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1) Anodyne is not a Wilco record.

I didn't say it was. I was merely pointing out the fact that Wilco was one of two bands who rose from...never mind...

2) Summerteeth was in between the 2 MA records.

Stick with your release date chronolgy if you want. I'm more interested in music than publishing details, and they were recorded when they were recorded.

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1) Anodyne is not a Wilco record.

 

 

However, since 80% of the initial incarnation of Wilco recorded that record, it really isn't worth splitting hairs over...(Which was why it was parenthitically noted)

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However, since 80% of the initial incarnation of Wilco recorded that record, it really isn't worth splitting hairs over...(Which was why it was parenthitically noted)

 

Is it splitting hairs to notice the band had a different name and that half the songs were written by a different singer and songwriter?

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Staying off-topic, I am not embarrassed to admit that I really like listening to You Never Know. Every time. Just a straight ahead pop rocker. I know that puts me in a distinct minority around here. Maybe the band feels the same way most of you do: at JazzFest this year Tweedy introduced it by saying that Glenn was the only one in the band who wanted to play it. And staying with the W(TA) theme, One Wing is always outstanding live. To my ears anyhow.

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Is it splitting hairs to notice the band had a different name and that half the songs were written by a different singer and songwriter?

 

...Yes

Anything else?

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I wonder will this one not leak until the last minute because there is no record label outsiders to deal with...

 

If it leaks it would be from someone internal, as I am assuming they don't have many employees at the label, and the few that are there would be afraid for their jobs because if there are only 15 people to look at for possible leaks it wouldn't be that hard to figure out...

 

Does anyone know when they will send them out to journalist for music reviews?

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Staying off-topic, I am not embarrassed to admit that I really like listening to You Never Know. Every time. Just a straight ahead pop rocker. I know that puts me in a distinct minority around here. Maybe the band feels the same way most of you do: at JazzFest this year Tweedy introduced it by saying that Glenn was the only one in the band who wanted to play it. And staying with the W(TA) theme, One Wing is always outstanding live. To my ears anyhow.

 

I don't think you should ever have to say things like "I am not embarrassed to admit" when it comes to music. If you enjoy the song when you hear it, then it's a good song to you, and really, what else matters?. Music is highly subjective, and tastes change. People shouldn't care about what other people think of their musical taste. As far as You Never Know goes, the thing I don't particularly like about that track is that I feel it's too long and doesn't really do anything in the 4th minute that's not evident in the 1st minute. I like the sound of the song fine, but just would like, say, 3 minutes of it instead of 4:22. I also enjoy One Wing live, especially when they segue from I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.

 

Sorry to continue the off-topicness...I'll try to make up for it.

 

I find the Almost clip to be intriguing, mainly because I'm a sucker for anything that shows bands working on recording/album making. I also really love I Might.

 

Disclaimer: I really enjoy Sky Blue Sky, but Wilco (The Album) is my least favorite (even though I don't think it's bad, it's definitely the album I play the least), so I hope I enjoy the The Whole Love more...but following the theory of reversion to the mean, I think I will.

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I don't think you should ever have to say things like "I am not embarrassed to admit" when it comes to music. If you enjoy the song when you hear it, then it's a good song to you, and really, what else matters?. Music is highly subjective, and tastes change. People shouldn't care about what other people think of their musical taste. As far as You Never Know goes, the thing I don't particularly like about that track is that I feel it's too long and doesn't really do anything in the 4th minute that's not evident in the 1st minute. I like the sound of the song fine, but just would like, say, 3 minutes of it instead of 4:22. I also enjoy One Wing live, especially when they segue from I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.

 

Sorry to continue the off-topicness...I'll try to make up for it.

 

I find the Almost clip to be intriguing, mainly because I'm a sucker for anything that shows bands working on recording/album making. I also really love I Might.

 

Disclaimer: I really enjoy Sky Blue Sky, but Wilco (The Album) is my least favorite (even though I don't think it's bad, it's definitely the album I play the least), so I hope I enjoy the The Whole Love more...but following the theory of reversion to the mean, I think I will.

Well said

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