Deeper Down is just ok. The pacing here is a bit like At Least That’s What You Said > Hell is Chrome. But Deeper Down isn’t as good as Chrome. Knowing the recording process, this one’s quite interesting. A co-write with Pat... I’m not overly enamoured of the mellow 70s pop craftsmanship vibe of the Autumn Defense, which is what is brought to the table here. Jeff ensures that it’s made a bit quirky with an interest lyric. And then Nels overdubs all over it! He’s playing both lap steel in his signature weeping style, as well as staccato lead guitar following the instrumental melody. This reminds me a lot of how he handles Hummingbird live, replacing the string part with a bouncy electric guitar. So this one really feels like he’s a session musician adding the required layers... to good effect, but not as collaborative as what we had on SBS. No, the slide is Nels on lap steel. I don’t think Wilco has any pedal steel after Being There (or did Bob Egan sneak some onto Mermaid somewhere?). The one thing a pedal steel can do that no other instrument can replicate is bend one note up and another down at the same time. Lots of other pedal steel sounds can be faked on lap steel or guitar. Here’s the cimbalom:
We already loved WTS from Colbert DVR (we played it a lot) and had been privy to a live rendition of One Wing at 2008 Lolla and really liked it. Had heard You Never Know in advance so Deeper Down was the first ‘new’ track I heard upon spinning the record. Really love this song and based on the knowledge above I thought we were in for a killer album. Turns out maybe only a killer half album, but I include Deeper Down in the half!
Ah ! Yesterday, when I talked about the beautiful rediscoveries to come, I knew this stunning wonder was around the corner ! Note how Jeff’s lower voice (deeper voice ?) is back with a vengeance after being all but abandoned for Sky Blue Sky’s experiments in soul. The voice, the verse, the otherworldly solos, everything here is supremely musical, akin to a 66-67 Beach Boy epic in the way it manages to create multi parts, sections and shifts in moods in no more than 3’00’’. As for the concept of this LP being a “best of” revisiting previous Wilco eras, this is the least obvious example, because it blends ideas from all over the Wilco map, from Company in my Back percussive elements (is it a dulcimer again?) to a sense of collage that goes back to Pieholden Suite, with a few Americana subtle undertones thrown in and a return to some of the pop obsessions of the Jay Bennett’s era. But in truth, this is the most free form experimental track on this record, and a triumph in every way, marrying an extraordinary easy flow to a supreme sophistication. I love every single second of this song, it’s like entering a musical kaleidoscope, full of colors and crazy sonic ideas. As far as I’m concerned, this would be a highlight on any Wilco LP. So I guess, yeah, in that sense, it more than fits the “greatest hits” concept!
Deeper Down- The Album is fooling me into thinking it's going to be another great album. These first two songs are by far my favorites on the entire album. I'm hearing a pretty unique Wilco song that's quite unlike anything they have done before. Great vocal by Jeff and playing by Nels and Glenn that all ends a bit too soon. They could have stretched out more and developed the prog direction they were heading into. Nothing wrong with keeping it short and sweet though. A great song that is fun to watch them play live with Nels on the lap steel and the electric "shorty" 12 string! Which looks like it's this guitar if anyone was curious or wants to buy one! Jerry Jones Neptune Shorty 12 String Electric Guitar Blood Red | Manchester Music Mill | Reverb 4.5/5 Here is the performance on Ferguson.
I agree. I like Ode better than SBS. I haven't listened to The Whole Love in a while, but liked that one immediately.
"Deeper Down" is an odd one for me. I mostly think that it has some lovely sections but that it is too jumbled up. It sounds like a 6 minute song that was (badly) edited down to 3 minutes. I think I'd have much preferred the 6-minute version, as what we have here just seems disjointed and it never establishes a consistent mood or rhythm. I also don't think it works coming after "Wilco (The Song)" as the second track on the album. Still, the instrumentation is fascinating and there are some beautiful parts. The lyrics seem rather inscrutable, as Tweedy sometimes is, but some lines do stand out for me. I think "Deeper Down" suffers from some of the same flaws as the more "composed" material on Summerteeth - too much overthinking, even though the overall sound here is much warmer and more inviting than that album. I tend to think of this one as a bit of a failed experiment, but one that still offers some listening pleasure.
I'll join the Deeper Down chorus - it's a fine song, and people have explained why pretty well already. It's a total change of pace from the opener, and I still haven't decided whether I like that or not.
I like how Deeper Down "ends" after almost every verse. There are only two verses, post bridge, after which it appears the song will not end. That's sort of how I hear it, anyway. An experiment, I guess. I'll offer the sort of useless assessment of "total Tweedy." The next song is total Wilco? Edit: Oh wait, the song after the next song is "total Wilco." The next song is pending review. Thanks for your patience.
I’ve been listening all the way through again and have made my preliminary playlist picks. Now I’ll play the four in order to see whether it’s too samey or not...and then will see how things stand at the end of our scrutiny.
Wilco (The Album) When I see myself as a fan of any particular band or artist, that invariably means that I have an interest in practically all of their work. That's not an absolute, since I can think of a handful of instances where I have little or no urge to look further into certain releases of a handful or so of certain artists that I like a lot, but as a general rule I'm usually all in. And it's not something that I consciously evaluate, it just is. I make the point above because this Wilco album seems to have become a dividing line for many fans. For me, I've always just seen it as a continuing exploration from the band that made SBS, and I have no problem with that. This is Wilco, I'm a fan, and I'm listening. Also, just to add a little context to my opinion, I had only heard the previous three Wilco albums when this had been originally released. There's almost a whimsical tone to this album. Jeff's songwriting continues to be fascinating, and the band provides an interesting soundscape. Plus, this album further solidified my appreciation of both Nels Cline and Glenn Kotche. As far as I'm concerned, another stellar effort from the band, and another work that reinforced my fandom.
I didn't like "Deeper Down" at first--it struck me as kind of a weird one. But one night in the summer of 2009, I put the headphones on and discovered the depth this song has in its mix. There's a lot going on here. Today, I consider it a favorite from this record. If I was forced to choose just one song from The Album to keep, this would have to be it. As for the sequencing, I'm reminded of Spoon putting a song like "The Ghost of You Lingers" in the 2-slot on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. There's something bold about putting your weirdest, densest track second on the record, to throw your listener's expectations. I'm guessing Jeff was onto something similar. Hey hey, we're Wilco, we love you, baby, now look at what we can do. It's gonna get eclectic. I've seen the band do "Deeper Down" once, at the show I wrote about before at The National in 2010. They pulled it off pretty flawlessly. The band has only played it twice since 2010, at two December shows at the Riviera in Chicago in 2014. Jeff's performed it solo three times, and I was at one of those shows, 2014/06/10 at the Lincoln Theatre in DC. This was a Tweedy show, with a band set playing material from Sukierae, followed by a Jeff solo set and then a Tweedy encore. My wife, who was eight months pregnant with our first child at the time, patiently sat through the Minus 5's opening set and the Tweedy main set. I know we enjoyed a few songs by Jeff solo before she said it was time to go--sitting that long in a small theater seat can be very uncomfortable for a woman that late in a pregnancy, and she was a total trooper for even going in the first place. So I can't recall now if we heard "Deeper Down" at that show or not, but I think we probably made it that long. She had great things to say about Jeff in solo performance, liking it more than the 2010 Wilco show I took her to, where he was grumpy at the talkative crowd.
"Wilco (The Song)" A sort of off-kilter but grooving little tune. So tongue-in-cheek that it seems to catch some folks off guard. I just like to sink into the soundscape on this one. It's ragged, it's groovy, it has a quirky undertone and a sense of purpose. Ultimately, it's entertaining by its spirit of self-awareness. I think that it's a great way to start things off. "Deeper Down" One of the aspects of this band that I truly like is their unpredictable nature. Here's a song that ventures into fairly new territory, a kind of subdued psychedelia, but which still offers that underlying alt-rock vibe. Jeff's cozy vocal plays well against the sonic explorations. This is a wonderful little tune.
I saw that tour at the Fillmore. Peter Buck played with the Minus 5. I was just like in awe for some reason. I'd never see him in a small venue. I wouldnt say that Jeff's show was the runner-up, because the Sukierae material killed. I can hardly wait till we get to that one here. Is that a one day-er or track by track? It is a solo album.
One Wing I like this song. I'm hard pressed to find very many Wilco songs I don't at least like (as has been made clear by this thread) but it has been a wonderful exercise to wake up each morning and listen to that day's track in isolation--out of the context of the album--and to give it my full attention. They pretty much always stand up to that kind of scrutiny. 'One Wing' is the kind of song it is easy to skim right on past, but it's a good one in my eyes. The opening guitar figure is gorgeous and does make me think of a bird skimming through the air on a cloudy morning. Glenn Kotche is fab on this track. I think he's a really sensational drummer and many days I forget to call out his strong work, but he really brings so much to this band. I love the skittering guitar solo that leads into the full reprise of the chorus with shimmering background vocals. It's the kind of old school songwriting trick that has been done ten million times and still works when you get it right. It's just so satisfying. I like the lyrics just fine (I think someone said they don't like these lyrics? Am I remembering that correctly?) and overall "One Wing" is another winner for me. The first 'side' of this album is pretty hard for me to fault.
Table of Contents says we are. Definitely think that one plus Warm/Warmer deserve the full treatment.
One Wing is one of my favourite Wilco songs. Feels a bit like a mini Impossible Germany. I for one think the lyrics are a thing of beauty and I’ll often pull out the LP just to listen to this song. I’d this was indeed tracked in New Zealand it’s interesting to think about this song written without Nels... “insert crazy solo here?” I really love Nels’ work too. It blends frenzy and melodicism really well.
One Wing: a beautiful, poignant song that makes the playlist roster. You can’t lift off and fly with just one wing. “You were a blessing, I was a curse....goodbye.” It leaves me in a pensive mood after listening to it. Nice. I shuffle listened to my chosen tracks (to date) and am quite happy. All tracks are surviving to play another day.
Yes, I was planning on full track-by-track treatment for Sukirae and Warm/Warmer. Maybe just a day for Together at Last, though...
There’s something off with this song, especially the middle part. The start is fine (can’t place where this guitar riff comes from, it’s bugged me for years now!) but things get kinda weird when Glenn comes in strong to play an over busy drum part that fails to find a compelling groove. At the same time, the chords become a bit too yacht rock (Pat on the rhythm guitar, I think ?), and even Jeff seems to lose the plot at some point (he really struggles on the first "I fear we can only wave goodbye" line). To me, it’s the first taste of a certain Wilco (the album) blandness that mars a few of the following songs. As a tentative follow up to Impossible Germany, it falls way short, in my opinion. Thankfully, the song does regain momentum on the guitar solos and the soaring finale. And live, the good parts become greater and the weaknesses tend to disappear when the song allows itself to become another Wilco epic showstopper.
That's a great guitar riff that introduces the song - Tom Pettyish. I've since realized that post-Jay Wilco, Jeff always has at least one Pablo Cruise track per album - mellow, moody, let me clean off the residue from my coke-spoon necklace while you turn on the electric piano. (Of course, "Jesus Etc." was where this all started.) Please see earlier reference to The War on Drugs - a band that uses this same sound on nearly every song. It works for me!
Okay, I laughed. Pablo Cruise etc. A new entry to the band/artist name dropped on the thread. Just for that, I’ll have to revisit this song as playlist material or not!
You're right. I really don't know any Costello fan who like GCW. He had the songs. Perhaps it was the production. I never thought the Langer/ Winstanley team was a good fit for him, at least not for consecutive albums. PTC is a much more apt comparison. It's not the production on WTA. To me, it's half a really good album and the other half falls into the Wilco songs I don't love category. I listened to WTA the other day and my opinion hasn't changed.
Interesting comparison to The War on Drugs (finally grabbed their first album last week which completes the set on vinyl for me - the latest two are phenomenal and the other material still quite good). What’s always drawn me into One Wing is its brevity. If it were a War on Drugs tune it would be a six minute mood piece that vamps on that opening chord progression for a minute and a half. I think we’re beginning to see Jeff move toward his more minimal approach to songwriting here, but more on that in a couple of albums.
One Wing- I completely agree. I'm not sure what's going on with this song. It has some nice drums and the guitars have their moment, but the melody does nothing for me. It feels like Wilco coasting by and sounds too much like a safe pop song striving for the top 40. This is the fault of a few songs on this album. As far as these type of songs go, it's not horrible, but also really not to my taste. It's held up a little better than I recall, but "One Wing" never takes flight. 2.5/5
