Whole Love

[worldrecordplayer]

Unfortunately, it still drags in the middle with 3 subpar songs right in a row (Born Alone, Open Mind, Capitol City). Those are the only real weak spots on the album...it just sucks that they're clumped together.

 

Fortunately for me, I really like Born Alone.

[The Inside of Outside]

I continue to like the whole album. No dragging in the middle for me. I am a fan of Capitol City, and Open Mind, though not a favorite, is a good solid ballad. And I love the lyrics in Born Alone.

[lost highway]

I'd say Born Alone would be the "single" from this album. The dynamics are great, the hook is great. It's a mix of sugary and chaotic.... what's not to like?

 

Open Mind is good. Everything else on the album is great.

 

This thread started about one song.... it's in the subtitle of the thread. But I like talking about the album anyways, cause I'm actually still excited about it; best moment for me as a Wilco fan since A Ghost Is Born was released.

[anthony]

For me, some songs have gotten better with time (Whole Love, Damned on Me, I Might), while others have diminished after repeated listens (Black Moon, Red Lung, Open Mind). All-in-all, I think I still stand by my initial review: I LIKE the record, I don't LOVE it. One Sunday Morning is still an instant classic.

[alexinwonderland]

I have a VW with an IPod dock and I'm in my car for hours every day. When I am sick of listening to music this record is the one I turn to. I was there two days at The Ryman and the live versions blew me away. Jane Smiley is my happy place. Hearing that live in that cathedral moved me so much. If I am too fried to even listen to Wilco that's the song I turn to. I listen to all their records but right now I am in love with this one.

[rwilson580]

For me, some songs have gotten better with time (Whole Love, Damned on Me, I Might), while others have diminished after repeated listens (Black Moon, Red Lung, Open Mind). All-in-all, I think I still stand by my initial review: I LIKE the record, I don't LOVE it. One Sunday Morning is still an instant classic.

 

Interesting. Your first two "diminished" tunes are probably my biggest growers. RRL rose fairly quickly, and I considered it my favorite for a while. Black Moon was very gradual...I was surprised on my last listen to realize THIS might be my favorite now. Along with most of the rest of the album.

 

Damned on Me...ah, yes. How I miss Wilco's satanic period.

[choo-choo-charlie]

I think it's a great record and I certainly enjoy it more than W(TA), probably more so than SBS. But Black Moon has dipped for me. I'm partial to the poppy uptempo numbers.

[phillip yermind]

Since first listen, The Whole Love and Rising Red Lung have been serious growers for me... One exuberant, the other ethereal. The connection to One Sunday Morning was instant and has never faltered. Solid record for me. Will never be Being there or Summerteeth, but I'm still loving the whole love.

[Al.Ducts]

IMO, the closing run of Rising Red Lung, Whole Love, and One Sunday Morning holds its own with any of the previous Wilco records' final songs. They were some of my favorites from the record when I first heard it, but now that I've had a while to really contextualize each song within the whole album they're even better. Other songs I really loved early on were Art of Almost, Sunloathe, and Capitol City (which seems to be a love it or hate it song for many). They're still my favorites, but really, all the songs have grown on me. I think a big thing for me was sitting down with the lyrics and taking a little time to read them over, finding little things I had missed before. They're really, really fantastic and pushed my appreciation that much further along. The only tune that hasn't fully "stuck" yet seems to be Open Mind. It's a nice song, but I rarely play that one outside of a straight-through listen.

[smells like flowers]

I almost always skip Open Mind. I wish I liked it more, but it just doesn't seem to go anywhere and the lyrics fall a bit flat for me. On the other hand, Black Moon has become the new standout beauty on The Whole Love. I love the texture and layers, and I've said it before, but Glenn's percussive genius on this one blows me away.

 

Can't wait to hear the new songs live next month! Heard them way back in September, just before the record was released, but something tells me they'll have morphed into butterflies by now.

[Queen Amaranthine]

I like Capitol City and Open Mind (maybe I'm just too easy to please). I first heard Open Mind before TWL was released in this Youtube clip and loved it right away. Maybe part of the appeal is the warm, low lighting and Jeff singing solo, giving it a personal and aloneness kind of touch. It seems so heartfelt here. I wonder if I'd like it as much or the same had I heard the full band version first? I like both.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxFwVK98WjY

[bleedorange]

I don't think those three songs necessarily rank with the worst Wilco songs (Leave Me Like You Found Me, What Light, We're Just Friends), but they're definitely the weakest on this album. Open Mind is a ho-hum country ballad, Capitol City is a little too cutesy, and Born Alone is too busy for my tastes...it's one of the few songs where I think it would work better if they stripped away some stuff.

[rwilson580]

I think Open Mind is a terrific, beautiful song. Some really gorgeous hooks in this one...and great hooks are definitely a crucial component of the Wilco arsenal. There is no shame in being the 12th best song on this album.

 

I can't imagine wishing Capitol City off this album. It's just a terrific change of pace. (I know, for the non-fans, that's a change from quality to meh.) Some of the songs on this album have similar siblings...RRL is kind of like Black Moon...we've got the up-tempo numbers like Born Along, Dawned on Me, Standing O, maybe I Might. There are no other Capitol Cities, which is definitely a good thing if you're not a fan. If you think it's excellent, like I do, it's one of the things that nudges this album towards greatness. It's just another kind of song that they do on this album very, very well.

 

I kind of get what you mean about Born Alone, BO (do you live in CNY by the way?). I am always ready to chip away at the legend of Summerteeth, and it's entirely because I think there's way too much jammed into some of these songs. Great songs undermined by a little over-production. I can see where Born Alone might be guilty of that...but it works completely for me, anyway. Forums like this sure would be boring if our ears all worked exactly the same, huh?

[Guest Jules]

I don't think those three songs necessarily rank with the worst Wilco songs (Leave Me Like You Found Me, What Light, We're Just Friends), but they're definitely the weakest on this album. Open Mind is a ho-hum country ballad, Capitol City is a little too cutesy, and Born Alone is too busy for my tastes...it's one of the few songs where I think it would work better if they stripped away some stuff.

Opinions are great.

[bleedorange]

I think Open Mind is a terrific, beautiful song. Some really gorgeous hooks in this one...and great hooks are definitely a crucial component of the Wilco arsenal. There is no shame in being the 12th best song on this album.

 

I can't imagine wishing Capitol City off this album. It's just a terrific change of pace. (I know, for the non-fans, that's a change from quality to meh.) Some of the songs on this album have similar siblings...RRL is kind of like Black Moon...we've got the up-tempo numbers like Born Along, Dawned on Me, Standing O, maybe I Might. There are no other Capitol Cities, which is definitely a good thing if you're not a fan. If you think it's excellent, like I do, it's one of the things that nudges this album towards greatness. It's just another kind of song that they do on this album very, very well.

 

I kind of get what you mean about Born Alone, BO (do you live in CNY by the way?). I am always ready to chip away at the legend of Summerteeth, and it's entirely because I think there's way too much jammed into some of these songs. Great songs undermined by a little over-production. I can see where Born Alone might be guilty of that...but it works completely for me, anyway. Forums like this sure would be boring if our ears all worked exactly the same, huh?

 

No, Fort Worth. The Orange is of the Texas variety .

 

Agree completely with your last sentence. Plus, like I said, I don't think those songs are terrible. I think the unfortunate thing is that my three least favorite on the album are all right together in the middle, which lessens the album as a whole. I'd probably rank this album fifth or sixth, which is where I thought it would rank after my first listen. So it hasn't diminshed in my eyes, it just hasn't grown into anything better, either. Still a solid album to add to Wilco's discography.

[DrNo]

Man, this is crazy. I love "We're Just Friends." Classic melody, amazing production, heartfelt lyrics.

 

I don't think those three songs necessarily rank with the worst Wilco songs (Leave Me Like You Found Me, What Light, We're Just Friends), but they're definitely the weakest on this album. Open Mind is a ho-hum country ballad, Capitol City is a little too cutesy, and Born Alone is too busy for my tastes...it's one of the few songs where I think it would work better if they stripped away some stuff.

[rwilson580]

It's firmly entrenched in the upper tier for me. YHF, AGiB and BT are tough to nudge aside, There's no serious competition for fourth for me. I know most people find ST equally unassailable. I think TWL is a better album.

 

Rating art really is a classless activity.

[lamradio]

Rating art really is a classless activity.

 

I agree.

 

... WTA excluded..

[choo-choo-charlie]

I prefer Rising Red Lung to Black Moon.