With Sky Blue Sky having become the fastest selling Wilco album ever, things are looking up for the slow-burning Chicago mainstays, 12 years on from their indifferently-received debut A.M..
Not that you’d know it from ‘Either Way’, which mostly trudges rather than soars its way through three minutes of fairly standard alt-country. Despite the majority of the arrangements present being geared towards the beautiful – swirling keyboards hidden at the very back of the mix, strings that kick in just as the song hits its all-too-brief peak just under two minutes in and some light clean guitar over a jazz-dry snare – it’s the voice of main songwriter Jeff Tweedy which, oddly enough, just doesn’t seem to fit in.
Against the gentle backdrop of the instruments and reflective nature of the lyrics (“maybe you still love me / maybe you don’t... I will try to understand / everything has its plan either way”), Tweedy’s vocals amble along, just a touch too indifferent to make this truly special. As a result, ‘Either Way’ underperforms slightly, especially as it spends 90 hushed seconds building to a peak which lasts only half that, and then spends the remaining portion of the song winding down.
A slight disappointment then, but at least it's not that song by The Twang.
Please
let this be a cover of The Twang...
Wilco are my favourite band in the world...
...and Jeff Tweedy is something of a hero of mine, but I'd have to agree with this review, including the bit about the vocal. Imagine someone like Richard Hawley singing this song.
The album generally is pleasant but underwhelming, and I can't help but wonder if Tweedy's best days are behind him.
Being There
Was their most consistent album for me. They can be a bit patchy here and there but will always deliver some great songs on every album. "On and On" is the pick of the bunch on Blue Sky Blue, sends the old neck hairs west.
have you seen them touring this album though?
the songs really sparkle live.
also, 'please be patient with me' is super lovely.
From Foxtrot to this...
I was really hoping they were going to use Kidsmoke as the jumping off point for the new record because that seemed like the way forward from Foxtrot (despite the surrounding throw-aways on Ghost). Unfortunately, they seemed to have revolved back to their roots, which is to say, boring vaguely countryish songs that expose Tweedy's achilles heel: his suburban lyrics.
But apparently this is what sells for Wilco, so goodbye experimentalism.
Tweedy's written some great lyrics...
...the line about 'a God-shaped hole' in 'Misunderstood' is amazing, he's just got old and comfortable- it's amazing he's been so good for so long really.
guntrip is totally spot on correct
they were SO SO SO SO good at shep.bush empire. Nels Cline was a genius addition to the band. Glenn Kotche keeps getting better. OH GOD SEMEN
metamorphosis
i think that skybluesky is tweedy pulling his troops toghether for a pre-game hug before they embark on a series of astonishing sonic adventures a la 75% of YHF and 50% of AGIB, rather like a familied up / domesticated bob dylan putting out the slightly anaemic nashville skyline before trotting back into the darker parts of his soul for some better work. dont worry folks, he cant stay content for long - i am sure of this.
Yeah that's true...
...saw them at Shepherds Bush and they were note-perfect and fantastic. The album started to make a bit more sense after that too.