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Summer Noon Video


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That song is so repetitive.  At first it seemed dull, but then started to win me over with it's persistently minimal melody (say that three times fast).  It's like one of those comedy bits where the same thing happens over and over.  It starts to bore/annoy, and then you start laughing harder and harder.  Definitely could have easily been a Whole Love B-side, but not as good as that album.

 

The video is an ok concept executed in a mediocre way.  I hope he didn't pay too much for it.

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You mean you didn't just click play and then minimize the page?

I think one of the major reasons that I'm not that crazy about TWL is that the songs all had that predictable Wilco sound that was present on SBS and overwhelming on W(TA). I so preferred the solo versions of the TWL songs that Jeff was playing prior to the album's release. What's refreshing about Summer Noon, for me, is that it's a bit simpler.

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Love the live version. The studio version doesn't have the extra fizz I was expecting, being slightly slower.

My reaction was similar. I like the song live a whole lot, but the studio version was a little...plodding. The video didn't help -- I kept thinking something artsy or cool would happen, or that maybe it was artsy/cool and I just didn't get it.

 

I like the live version of Diamond Light better than the studio version, too. Live, the drumming is somehow silvery and light. It also has "extra fizz!" Hope listening to the live versions many, many times hasn't ruined me for the record!

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I have to say that I am honestly surprised at the negative and/or tepid reactions to this.

I enjoyed the (don't know if this is the correct term) double-tracking of the vocals, something I don't remember hearing since YHF.

I liked the simplicity of both the song and the video.

imo, just because the technology used to make the video might be "old" doesn't automatically make it bad or cheap. 

Wilco makes a lot of music using vintage equipment, why not do the same in making a video?

Sorry, don't mean to sound so defensive, I just liked it a lot.

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No, not defensive at all.  It's good for people to get joy out of something someone worked hard on.  I think the song is a grower for me.  A couple more listens had my toe tapping and enjoying what was a very intentional minimalism in the harmony/melody department.  As for the video.... it's less important anyways.

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I think it's a refreshing track. I've come to the realization that the last few Wilco records have just felt overly stacked/bloated for me in some ways. Jeff's voice is so badass, and I think it really hits hardest when it's laid over sparser arrangements. I don't mean quieter, or folky-er. Just... less.

 

Structurally speaking, there haven't been many radical shifts in the Jeff/Wilco songbook over the last decade or so, and that's okay, but I think the sonics could use a different approach, and this track hints at something like that.

 

Dig it.

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I have to say that I am honestly surprised at the negative and/or tepid reactions to this.

I enjoyed the (don't know if this is the correct term) double-tracking of the vocals, something I don't remember hearing since YHF.

I liked the simplicity of both the song and the video.

imo, just because the technology used to make the video might be "old" doesn't automatically make it bad or cheap. 

Wilco makes a lot of music using vintage equipment, why not do the same in making a video?

Sorry, don't mean to sound so defensive, I just liked it a lot.

 

 

Solitare.

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Here's a blog post from the creator of the video about making it: http://allison.house/blog/making-tweedy-summer-noon-music-video/

That was fascinating. Admittedly, I know nothing about creating animation, but reading about the process makes me appreciate the video even more. She's also a very good communicator. 

 

She references Spencer several times. I wonder if he was the one who recommended her for the job. Back when Spencer used to blog actively, he would often write about people he admired in the world of photography, typography, design, etc. He has a wide-ranging curiosity about the visual arts, among other things. 

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When I saw the new video, I couldn't help but think of The Red Balloon (1956), which is a classic, well-known short film by Albert Lamorisse about a persistent balloon that follows a young schoolboy as he travels through Paris.  (There was also a variation in 2007 by Taiwan's Hou Hsiao-Hsien, which is very good but not, precisely, a movie for children.)  I don't know if the "Summer Noon" video is intentional homage, but the connection seems very strong.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Y1tRBOXfA

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When I saw the new video, I couldn't help but think of The Red Balloon (1956), which is a classic, well-known short film by Albert Lamorisse about a persistent balloon that follows a young schoolboy as he travels through Paris. (There was also a variation in 2007 by Taiwan's Hou Hsiao-Hsien, which is very good but not, precisely, a movie for children.) I don't know if the "Summer Noon" video is intentional homage, but the connection seems very strong.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Y1tRBOXfA

I had that book as a child. Great story. Haven't thought of that in years.

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When I saw the new video, I couldn't help but think of The Red Balloon (1956), which is a classic, well-known short film by Albert Lamorisse about a persistent balloon that follows a young schoolboy as he travels through Paris.  (There was also a variation in 2007 by Taiwan's Hou Hsiao-Hsien, which is very good but not, precisely, a movie for children.)  I don't know if the "Summer Noon" video is intentional homage, but the connection seems very strong.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Y1tRBOXfA

That was my first thought as well.

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