When Sukierae first came out I immediately liked quite a few of the songs, particularly on the 2nd album. In general, I am a proponent of the classic 40 minute length for albums. They seem the perfect size to make a musical statement. Anything much over that can try the listener's patience and also risks including songs that should have met the cutting room floor. If you are going to put out a double album there better be a good reason for it. Going into Sukierae, based on that bias, my initial response was that it would have been an even better album with some judicious cutting, culled down to a single album even. My views on this have changed over time, however. First, I don't think there is a bad song on the album, but more importantly, I've come to like the album just as it is. It has an emotional pull and a well structured flow, both musically and lyrically. I'm really surprised by the dismissal of young Spencer's drumming by some. For me, the sound Spencer conjures on his drums is a unifying force on Sukierae. Whether he had the chops of Glenn Kotche at 18 is really beside the point. The drumming throughout plays a leading role rather than a bit part. It is the heartbeat of the album. He has a singular style that is perfectly suited to the songs. Is it the shared DNA, untold days together in the loft, or Sue's illness that the family was faced with? Whatever it was Jeff and Spencer are a perfect musical match on Sukierae. Before getting directly into the songs I want to make a couple additional quick points. First, as someone mentioned above, I think this is a great sounding album. I don't think it is fair to call it spare or under produced. In its own way there are a lot of layers of well placed backing vocals, instrumental touches, and occasional sonic apparitions of unknown origin. I think it is fair to say one strength of Sukierae is that Jeff utilizes empty space perhaps better than on any of his albums up to this though. This album breathes. Mostly it feels like Jeff is unloading the trials the family was going through at this time, but also the joys. This seems to me a very personal album put together with a lot of love. Please Don't Let Me Be So Understood is certainly an attention getter. It feels like both a mood and a tantrum of sorts, like Jeff is saying, there, got that out of the way, now lets move on. As such, I think it is an interesting choice to start the album. I like it. 4/5 High as Hello sets the tone for the rest of the album. Hello to this world--a bit surreal, a bit psychedelic, a little bit beckoning, but safe and definitely chill. I love Jeff's guitar noodling against Spencer's confident drum beats. 4.5/5
Here are today's two songs, both of which are among my favorites on the set: World Away World Away has a classic Tweedy melody, somewhere between alt.country and alt rock. It is incredibly melodic to my mind and, as @GlenCurtis said--Spencer's drums are really a lead instrument on this track, pulling things along with an inventive and thumping drive and multiple shuttering drum fills. Jeff also turns in some razor sharp guitar and quite a cool and jagged solo section. It feels dissonant, but purposefully so and never just 'noisy.' The lyrics to me speak of Jeff's personal frustrations and fears at the time. He intends to steal his moments (with Sue) and he hopes that sorrow can float away, but things are just not going well. It's an honest reflection of where they were at the time and a very good, jittery little rocker.
Diamond Light Pt. 1 At over six minutes, this is the longest track on the album. There is also a part two, but it only appear on 10" vinyl. The lyrics are more impressionistic here, though they are quite bare in places ("Are you scared? Are you frightened?") but the music is the real thing for this song. Jeff plays tender and emotional lead guitar that takes the time to build patient moods and chimes with empathy. I like how the guitar work feels slower than the tempo of the song. It makes things feel a bit off-kilter. Meanwhile, Spencer is turning in one of his most compelling performances on the track. He deftly pulls the song along with a really busy and powerful drum part that just seems to get more visceral during the middle section, as the guitars screech and moan. Then things break down suddenly into a lush and wide open space before the bass and drums come back in. This is a rich and powerful performance from both Jeff and Spencer and a major highlight of the project for me. It takes you on a journey and I feel like I can hear their emotional states in their playing.
Diamond Lights pt.1 is an interesting experimental drone noisy tune, the like of which Jeff insists on having one ready for every record he makes. I don’t mind it, the drums and the psychedelic/almost indian melody are pretty cool, but yeah, I said “interesting” in the last sentence, so you can probably guess I’m not that anxious to hear “Pt.2”. World Away on the other hands is one of the highlights of the LP for me, because it’s so catchy, with an almost irresistible bass & drums groove. I love Jeff’s bass playing in general, it’s really infectious and soulful, and this song is very much a extension of what he and Spencer did on some One True Vine tracks as a rhythm section. The aggressive wailing guitar chords near the end are also fantastic. I hear a lot of Lennon vibes on Sukierae, partly the singing, partly some guitar stylings, without being able to pinpoint any specific tunes. The closest here may be the “when you’re by yourself” chorus of Hold On, from Plastic Ono Band. But the real touchstone of World Away is clearly the Band’s cover of Motown’s Don’t Do it. It has the almost exact same basic riff and feeling. And I mean it in a good way!
"World Away" is one of my favorites on the album. It has a great groove — I think I would call it Spencer's best performance overall. I can't imagine it as anything but a Tweedy song, but it wold probably fit the vibe for Star Wars if it were recorded by Wilco. @Fortuleo, wow, I never noticed how close the beat was to the Band's performance there! I wonder if Jeff and Spencer were aware of that when they were recording. I've seen the Tweedy Band perform "World Away" live, and I think it rocked. An interesting thing about the Tweedy band: When they started out in 2014, they were a five piece, with Jeff and Spencer of course, along with the underrated Jim Elkington on guitar, Darin Gray on bass and Liam Cunningham (now Kazar) on keyboards and guitar. Tweedy sticks to acoustic rhythm guitar exclusively, so any leads/hooks/adornments had to be covered by Elkington and Kazar. At some point in the last couple of years, Gray was no longer part of the band, for reasons I've never heard made public. So the band shrunk to a four piece, with Kazar taking over bass duties, leaving them without any keyboards. They're still very good live, but IMO, the band was better and certainly more versatile with Kazar in the utility role, adding a second electric guitar to a song like "World Away," or adding the keyboards to "Low Key." As for "Diamond Light," it's never one I could get into. I'll admit Spencer's playing is pretty good, but I am turned off by Jeff's vocal. When Jeff does the mumble-y, obscured or echo-y vocals, it just falls flat and drives me nuts. It's my version of @jalexander's "flabby" drum sound issue with Spencer. Unfortunately, it is something that is going to come up more and more as things go on. While there are some interesting sonic textures and tempos on this track, the song mostly feels aimless to me.
Just gave sides 1 & 2 of Sukierae a listen, man this is a great album! I really need to spin this one more often. I love the opening track, just fantastic. High as Hello also so, so good. World Away is another Tweedy classic. Diamond Light Part 1...geez this song is a trip, has anyone heard part 2? I would love to hear it but not sure I want to spend $20-25. Can't seem to find a vinyl rip anywhere!! Damn!!
Nice call! I knew it sounded like a song from The Band and couldn't place it. Thanks. World Away is tremendous!
I really like Sukierae a lot. I want to love it, parts of it that is. I'll trot out the tried and true sentiments of just about any double album including the White Album. It would have made a terrific single album. To me, it's a bit on the bloated side. A few of the songs are less than memorable. It's a pleasant listening experience that fits in nicely with the Star Wars/ Schmilco releases. All of those albums are a sidestep, but not a misstep.
My first listen ever to World Away - and man is it a classic! Love the drumming, great guitar work and a cool groove. Has a little edge to it too. Wishing I had not waited so long to hear this one
"World Away"- I agree with most of the comments so far. This is likely my favorite song on the album. Not much more to say, but Jeff and Spencer are killing it on this tune! Nice call on The Band song! They must have been aware of this groove? Maybe they practiced this song for the Mavis album, and decided to write a new tune around it instead? Either way, I love this song! 5/5 "Diamond Light"- Another song where Spencer plays some really unique drum patterns. This is another one of my favorites. A true collaboration between father and son. These Tweedy boys sure have some talent! I hear a bit of Peter Gabriel 3 style starting around the 2:15 mark with the piano, drums, guitar, and the ominous sounds that follow Jeff's lyrics "Are you scared, are you frightened, terrified of being alone". 5/5
I’ve almost pulled the trigger on that 10” many times. About a year ago a few copies showed up in Wilco’s cutout bin while there was a half price sale! Shipping to Canada and exchange still made it too pricey for my frugal tastes. Apparently part 2 is a continuation of the noisy instrumental section.
World Away and Diamomd Light are both great, and we’re pretty much running four for four here in my books. World Away: a cool, skittish tune that typifies the new Tweedy model that emerged on things like Whole Love and I Might. A rattling acoustic bed, with a wall of electric guitars that buzz in and out. More signature double-tracked lead guitar. Love it. Diamond Light: my first few years owning this album, I usually skipped it. For some reason I just found it anxiety inducing. And I live some really angsty, drone music (Godspeed You Black Emperor anyone?). Then one day it flipped and I loved it. My favourite moment is the quiet bass riff in the middle. As for those drums... well, they’re still flabby, especially in the instrumental section of Diamond Light. However, I went back and listened to One True Vine and Sukierae yesterday and Spencer really takes a different approach on each album. (Recall my bias against Spencer started with the Mavis album not with Sukierae). Both have a real absence of cymbals, but in the Mavis album he’s keeping time with relatively straightforward beats. On Sukierae, he seems to be following the melody a lot. This is really evident on World Away, where he’s matching the cadence of Jeff’s off kilter melody, rather than the pulse of the underlying time signature. And on Diamond Light the drums are basically the lead instrument. An interesting approach.
World Away has a nice swagger. It almost passes for soul, except for Jeff’s brilliant alt-lead guitar ascent into madness. This song sounds better loud. I know, I say that a lot. 5/5 Held together with an unsettling syncopated rhythm that feels like nothing less than an anxiety burdened heart, Diamond Light Pt. 1 is a world into itself, a long dark hallway with many a side journey. This is the only Tweedy song I can think of off the top of my head that borders on scary. Lots of ghouls on the loose here. A well told tale. 4.5/5
"World Away" is interesting in that the drums dominate the proceedings. This has a little bit of an Arcade Fire sound to it - even Tweedy's vocal here recalls Win Butler in places. I like this one - the stumbling rhythm is rather infectious. I think it could have used a stronger melodic hook, however, in order to really shine. As it is, it's almost a very good song....but not quite. "Diamond Light, Pt. 1" doesn't really work for me until we get to the guitar motif in the instrumental break. From that point onward, it becomes very interesting and intense. I'd like to hear Pt. 2.
I also forgot to raise yesterday that Diamond Light will become a recurring lyrical motif for Jeff. Any clue what it means?
Two more songs today: Wait for Love This gentle country tinged song closes out the first side of the vinyl version of Sukierae. I think it's a pretty darling song. Homespun, sweet and Spencer calms down a bit on the crazy fills and plays for the song on this one. The backing vocals are really warm and provide a beautiful bed for Jeff's voice. I do think the backing vocals from Lucius are pure and great all through this album. 'Wait for Love' also features a whistling solo that I quite enjoy and multiple pauses that feel like false endings, but the song just keeps on loping along. This is just plain pretty.
Low Key 'Low Key' has a pretty funny comedy music video, but I decided to just use the audio track to intro the song because I think a video like that can sometimes overshadow a song and make one pay more attention to the visuals than the music. And 'Low Key' is fantastic. I can see why it was selected to promote the album. This feels like classic '60s pop to me, right down to the girl group style backing vocals. The melody is irresistible and the whole song is just constructed so well. I think this is really a great record rather than a great song. Brilliant arrangement (love those pounding piano chords!), uncluttered, focused and melodic as heck. A great pop song and a triumph. (Here's the music video if you want to watch it after listening. It is cute. There's always money in the banana stand).
I like waltzing Jeff, he’s one of the best songwriters ever in that style for me, along with Tom Waits and Elliott Smith. Wait for Love establishes a style he’ll come back to more and more and more (and even more than that) in all his records to come. A lot of (good) songs from Schmilco, Ode to Joy or the solo records are in that vein, and all the better for it. Yep, this is a superb melody, one of his best, with a whistling quality (and a whistling section), open, breezy, extremely gentle, with Jeff’s most tender tone of voice, like he’s serenading his loved one and wants it to sound at the same time soothing and vulnerable. This a song of comfort and recovery, and the Sukierae demo style gives it an adorable Basement Tapes melodic Dylan feeling, with Spencer's part sounding a bit like Richard Manuel did when he took up the drum stool. I count it as one of the bona fide Tweedy classics on the album, one that would be just as great as a Wilco song from any era, really, as it would work just as perfectly on Being There, or as one of Sky Blue Sky’s slower tunes or as a prequel to Love is Everywhere.
I still want to look in your eyes today...and wait for love. A beautiful, tender song that one can sing along and whistle to. Love it.
Wait for Love and Low Key are two more strong tracks, which makes 6 for 6 on this album for me. So far, I wouldn’t say were in White Album territory. We’ve got a waltz and another mid-tempo rock tune both with catchy melodies. And apart from Diamond Light’s noisy outro, all of the songs so far have a pretty unifying sonic characteristic. The dull, buzzy acoustic guitar provides the bed, and Jeff layers electrics on top, all of which are a bit off-kilter, never playing perfectly in time or tune. I love how he does this. Low Key has a great solo too... there’s this muted fuzzed out rhythm part underneath a bright a shiny lead part. Jeff’s bass playing is great too. That woody McCartney sound, and very melodic. The Low Key video is great too. I noticed cameos by Glenn, Mavis, Steve Albini, Conan O’Brian, and I’m sure there are many others in there I didn’t recognize. Plus there’s a cheesy instrumental version of Low Key during the intro! Which reminds me of another rarity we missed for a The Whole Love... at the beginning of the Dawned on Me video is a Wilco version of the theme from Popeye:
"Wait for Love" is really good, a beautiful track, but "Low Key" is even better. Yeah, this is one of the stand out tracks, love those backing vocals!
"Wait For Love"- Everyone already had some nice comments on this song. I especially like @Fortuleo comments about the Basement Tapes feel of the song. Nice observation and I completely agree. This song shuffles along like a lost Big Pink classic. 4/5 "Low Key"- Another one of the highlights for me. This would be a stand out tune on any Wilco album. Even Jeff is giving the bass some John/McCartney swagger. Spencer also plays so cool and loose on this song, and perfectly captures the moment. Excellent lyrics and vocals make for one of the catchiest songs on the album. It doesn't sound far off from the pop songs on Schmilco. This could have easily been a single on any of the recent or remaining Wilco albums. 5/5 We are off to a tremendous start! I enjoy this performance that features both songs from today.
