Houston Chronicle review of Ode to Joy

[sonnyfeeling]

This is a stellar piece of writing.

 

A middle-age man finds ‘Joy’ through Wilco

 

A few samples:

 

“Ode to Joy” isn’t exactly what the title implies: Sure it’s an ode to joy, but it’s not a simple celebration of the emotion. Rather, it’s more an appreciation of a dwindling resource. In this sense it’s a perfect Wilco title for a perfect Wilco album for times that might require a reminder that joy sometimes needs to be nurtured like a plant. It’s heartening that an artist (like frontman Jeff Tweedy) or assemblage of artists (Wilco) can command your interest after a quarter century with something other than nostalgia.

[...]

“Ode to Joy” is a spacious creature, which is odd for a record so clearly built around the drummer. It creates a new mold for a modern protest album.

Tweedy’s too smart to write a bunch of songs about how troubled he is by the 2016 election. Instead, like a novelist, he flows his feelings for our days into something more opaque yet enveloping. There are songs full of anxiety and mourning the absence of connection and communication. The songs are not arrows of protest, but rather something more like a fog or a dream.

[Magnetized]

 

This is a stellar piece of writing.

 

A middle-age man finds ‘Joy’ through Wilco

 

A few samples:

 

“Ode to Joy” isn’t exactly what the title implies: Sure it’s an ode to joy, but it’s not a simple celebration of the emotion. Rather, it’s more an appreciation of a dwindling resource. In this sense it’s a perfect Wilco title for a perfect Wilco album for times that might require a reminder that joy sometimes needs to be nurtured like a plant. It’s heartening that an artist (like frontman Jeff Tweedy) or assemblage of artists (Wilco) can command your interest after a quarter century with something other than nostalgia.

[...]

“Ode to Joy” is a spacious creature, which is odd for a record so clearly built around the drummer. It creates a new mold for a modern protest album.

Tweedy’s too smart to write a bunch of songs about how troubled he is by the 2016 election. Instead, like a novelist, he flows his feelings for our days into something more opaque yet enveloping. There are songs full of anxiety and mourning the absence of connection and communication. The songs are not arrows of protest, but rather something more like a fog or a dream.

You are so right. This cuts right to the quick. The writer gets it.

[The Inside of Outside]

Thanks for sharing this. I have had a hard time describing the record to others. Now I'll just use that second paragraph.

[themanwholovesyou]

Sure is really good. I also dug out The Whole Love last week. It had kinda passed me by first time around and I didn't get into it. I think the only Irish show they did to support it was an outdoor festival gig that didn't really set the world alight.

 

Anyway, I really enjoyed it. Apart from a couple of plodders (as the writer alludes to), it was (and is) really strong.