Wilco: Album by Album

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Parachute Woman, May 11, 2020.

  1. beatleroadie

    beatleroadie Forum Resident

    Ode to Joy has some good ones. Maybe it'll grow on me to "great." Thanks for started and managing a great thread :)
     
  2. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    You are most welcome. It has been incredibly fun to run this one. :)
     
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  3. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Big Cure fan here... and once upon a time (long before I had even heard of Wilco), a ridiculously huge Cure fan. Interestingly, it was a Cure message board around 1996 where I heard about Low (“you like 17 Seconds? You need to check out this band...) That was really where I started paying attention to American bands... Low, Ida, Red House Painters, then eventually over to Tortoise and the Chicago scene... I was also really into Canadian power pop in the late 90s, then around 2000 started listening to traditional country. Somewhere in the late 90s I started listening to Wilco a bit, but with Yankee they sort of hit on all these influences... country, power pop, but also a darker, experimental edge. What I still find fascinating about Wilco is how they add this dark edge to what are really simple folk songs.
     
  4. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    17 seconds is possibly my favorite. Hard to say. The Cure was my first concert I attended with high school friends. I have heard Low but never dug into them. I’m from Chicago area so I know Tortoise and some of the other Chicago scene bands. When Being There came out I was deep into 60s music and other older bands. I was blown away that it was a new group and they were from Chicago! It’s one of those album I completely remember hearing for the first time.

    The Cure is still one of my favorites. That would be a great song by song thread, if it has not been done yet. Although, it would also start to lose a lot of fans and get negative by the last few albums, but I think all the albums have some great material. New album is coming soon! (or so he says).
     
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  5. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Well I definitely have a cutoff point for The Cure - it’s later than most (hint: Bare is an overlooked classic), but not as late as the diehards! Sometimes I wish Robert Smith would take a page out of Tweedy’s book, hire a full-time engineer and just go into the studio every day!
     
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  6. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    For those of you with some time on your hands, here’s an in-depth interview with the reclusive Jim O’Rourke. Buried deep there’s a fun little Wilco anecdote plus he mentions the third Loose Fur album:
    014: Jim O'Rourke
     
  7. fspringer

    fspringer Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    Didn't read the whole thing, but was struck that immediately following the brief Wilco section O'Rourke notes his time spent with John Fahey (who was having a very rough time by that point in his life). That guy (Fahey) had an incredible life and is surely one of the most under-rated and/or forgotten legends in American music. I have a friend who lives in Takoma Park. We've agreed that one day I'm going to visit, and we're going to walk down by the Sligo Creek and pay tribute.

     
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  8. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    Interesting. I know many Cure fans have cut off points. I'm always shocked when it's something like Disintegration. Some fans don't even go that far! I like bits of all the albums. The last four are always at the bottom, but those records all have songs I love. Since you mention "Bare", I will say it's the best song on my least favorite Cure album. It's the last song on the album and points the way to what is next. How can you not like "Out Of This World"?
     
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  9. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Seeing as the Wilco thread is a little quiet tonight, I’ll take this little diversion... I have Bloodflowers and Trilogy loaded on my phone right now (and pretty much all the time), and yet somehow I can’t recall any songs from that album off the top of my head. Part of it was simple Cure fatigue at time. I bought every UK and US single from WMS plus every import compilation at the time. The b-sides were top notch but the remixes (and a-sides for that matter) were tiresome. Then Five Swing Live by mail order, which sounded terrible. Then there was Galore... I bought it on vinyl, plus CDs and 12” for Wrong Number to get every remix... of a mediocre song! And then there was the acoustic bonus disc to Greatest Hits with the return of Boris... and it was so boring, especially compared to their bonkers MTV Unplugged performance. I just felt milked.

    A week or so before Bloodflowers came out a friend gave me a CD-R he made from leaked mp3s (oh the adventure in those days!), and it just felt stale. A quick scan through Bloodflowers this evening confirms Out of This World as a pretty strong track, though. Could do without the piano maybe?

    Staleness I suppose is how many feel about late era Wilco/Tweedy. However, at least he hasn’t released loads of remixes, instead averaging about a new album each year. On that note, anyone ordering the new album on vinyl with bonus 7”?!?
     
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  10. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    That's where I exited. That happened during college. I should listen to it. I saw a deal on the DE four years ago, so I bought it. But I can't remember listening to it.

    I got into the Cure after seeing "Let's Go To Bed" on MTV around 1982.

    Not every Wilco album has to be a home run for every Wilco fan in this thread. I'm exaggerating as to how this thread operates, I know. But the fact I was pretty much like "ugh" upon Star Wars is like "big deal" anyway. I still wasn't going to miss them when they came to town, although I don't think I saw the Star Wars tour, but not because I didn't want to.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2020
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  11. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Ekg

    This is a strange little rhythmic device that brings us into the album with a kind of "ok, what have they got for us here.
    To some degree I wonder if it was a bit of a statement for those folks that have said the last couple of albums had been too mellow or not experimental enough or whatever.
    It has a kind of alt rock think going on, and although it doesn't get the votes for most melodic Wilco song, I think it serves its purpose well.
     
  12. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    More

    Again the guys step into slightly stranger territory. Stepping away from the slightly subdued, melancholic melodious tracks, we get teased with the acoustic guitar, and then move into a really cool, quirky track, that really works on some rhythmic delivery ideas.
    I think these are the things that gave me a good initial impression of this album, because the guys were stepping out from the groove of their normal way of doing things..... to some degree, this kind of feels like a similar idea as Nick Cave and the Grinderman project, something different to slap the band out of any chance of complacency, it is just that Wilco released this as Wilco.
    I really like this song, and although it probably isn't going to be sitting alongside the "classic" Wilco tracks, I think it still fits into my essential Wilco tracks.
     
  13. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Random Name Generator

    We open with a cool rock riff.
    We get an interesting double tracked vocal.
    Again I like this track, as the band play with some effects, and musical ideas, that move on from the noise effects from the "classic" albums, into interesting effects that sit alongside those earlier experiments in heart, but deliver something a little different ....
    This seems almost like a mutated glam type track, and I think, once again, the bands uncanny, or thoughtful knack for sequencing really brings the best out of this track.
     
  14. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    The Joke Explained

    This is an interesting track as well.... for want of a clearer idea, this sort of makes me think of Dylan meets Beck with Weezer hanging around in the background or something.
    Again I like the change of feel the band went for.
    This is a direct statement from the band, from my perspective.
    The songs are shorter, and somewhat edgy. There seems to be a deliberate and willful decision to avoid longer, dreamy type tracks, that have made up reasonably big percentages of recent albums.
    I reckon it's great, and it keeps the catalog interesting to me.
     
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  15. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    You Satelite

    Here we get a slightly more mellow and reflective start, but even so there are kind of edgy layers to it, and as the intensity builds, this really draws me in.
    Although somewhat more direct, we still have this need to try something different, and in my opinion succeed.

    When I listen to an album like this, I find it intriguing that so many folks, that I have heard at least, state that Wilco somewhat died after Bennett left.... not the case for me. I think Sky Blue Sky and The whole Love are on par with anything the band ever did, and Star Wars is a wonderful sidestep that when i am in the mood for its style, is better than those earlier albums.
    I really like the raw, rising dynamic of this, and for me, it's another great track.
     
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  16. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Taste the Ceiling


    For fans looking for something more familiar and genial from the band, 'Taste the Ceiling' definitely delivers to my ears. This is a lovely, sweet sounding song co-written by Scott McCaughey (who played keyboards on the Sukierae album and is a member of the Young Fresh Fellows and the Minus 5) that could have fit in on some of Wilco's earlier albums with just a few changes in arrangement. This is an album highlight for me and just a darn good piece of songwriting with a strong melody, nice open vocals from Jeff (no mumbling in sight) and an arrangement that---bar some noisy bits in the background--just lets the song breathe. It is well-sequenced at this point on Star Wars. McCaughey was really happy to one of the songs he had co-written with Jeff ended up on the album.

    Some good words too: "Why do our disasters creep so slowly into view?"
     
  17. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Taste the ceiling

    The intro brings to mind Mermaid Ave with the strum of the guitar and the steel in the background.
    We get a more traditional type track and, yea, again it is a great piece of sequencing.
    I like the change, as it brings some colour just when it needs to.

    Again it's shortish and to the point. Also, we have this series of interesting/weird song titles.

    Another good album track to my ears.
     
  18. Rainy Taxi

    Rainy Taxi The Art of Almost

    Location:
    Chicago
    @Parachute Woman, great description again of the track of the day. "Taste the Ceiling" is definitely the most "classic" Wilco track on the album. I think it is also one of the best. Sweet and breezy song with some beautiful lyrics and melodic instrumental breaks. It seemingly could fit anywhere in the catalog, from AM to Wilco (the Album) to Sukierae. Actually, I can see a little "Summer Noon" in there, but I think "Taste the Ceiling" is a better song. I like the slight variation on the pauses after the chorus-like part. And it is indeed sequenced perfectly on the album. I wish this one got more attention and think it would be great to return to live.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2020
  19. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    It seems that Taste the Ceiling is about a relationship that's ending (or maybe never really got going). I agree with Mark about the Mermaid Avenue feeling, although it's slightly stranger than most of the songs on that album. Anyway, it's good at this point on the album, and it's another song I like.
     
  20. Rainy Taxi

    Rainy Taxi The Art of Almost

    Location:
    Chicago
    Ha, yeah it is a weird title again. "Taste the ceiling!" sounds like a taunt a high school bully would yell at a kid as he was giving him a wedgie or something. :laugh:
     
  21. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Taste The Ceiling: I had selected two songs on my initial run-through of the album. Now, on this second take, I’ve dropped You Satellite but have added Taste The Ceiling. A good song.
     
  22. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    :pThis is the Schmilco song on Star Wars, and it’s also my favorite (which is indicative of my feelings towards Schmilco !!). A great melody in the classic Tweedy pop vein. By the way, @jalexander, it’s clear Pat Sansone’s input has been reduced in recent years, but it doesn’t necessarily mean less pop sensibility on the records. Taste the Ceiling, Magnetized, If I Ever Was a Child, We Aren’t the World, Love is Everywhere or Wide Wooden Cross are all sensational pop tracks. On Taste the Ceiling, Tweedy's again shying away from the verse/chorus structure. Except for the bridge, it’s just one long melody, four little chords turning, turning, turning, spiraling up to the sky (higher than the ceiling !), shimmering like an old Byrds track or something John & Paul could’ve sung together on Beatles for Sale (@Parachute Woman). It has that fantastic bittersweet quality, at the same time melancholic and triumphant. I don’t really know how Jeff does it, but he does it marvelously. A bit like Summer Noon indeed (a lot like Summer Noon, actually), it’s memorable, catchy, hummable, extremely sweet but also powerful and poignant. Jeff placed it exactly at the heart of the record (track 6, beginning of side 2 on vinyl), its turning point. @Zeki, yes, you can playlist this one, it’s a no brainer. The whole Wilco debate has always been between a sense of adventure and a reliance on some tried and tested traditions. The two sometimes go hand in hand, sometimes not. But the best of both worlds is when inspiration strikes, and Tweedy becomes this effortless master of mood and melody, matched by very few tunesmiths in the rock era. I like him best when he doesn’t seem to worry about “relevance”, “innovation” or “Pitchfork” because an irresistible tune just popped into his head, and he just strums along, which doesn’t prevent the band from adding tremendous bass & drums parts and those little tweet-tweet guitars noises, like on this masterful, perfect song.
     
  23. fspringer

    fspringer Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    Favorite song on the album. Because it sounds like traditional Wilco? No. It's a good song that accomplishes what it sets out to do. It sounds like "In a Future Age" stretched out and re-imagined as a mid-tempo ballad. Sort of reminds of Pavement, too, in having a traditional melody but nutty lyrics. I can't tell you how many times I recommended Pavement to classic-rock fans bemoaning the lack of new sounds, only to hear, "It sounds like they let the roadie do lead vocals, and the lyrics are nuts."
     
  24. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    I have no problem with how EKG sounds, I just don't like that, to me, it's a mere piece of a song. It sounds like it could be from a Pixies album, which is good. (Uh oh, I just did the comparison thing.)

    And then "More" is more of a song, but still not a whole song. It leaves me, um, wanting more?

    It's as if Jeff is trying to antagonize me, the fan. :D

    "Taste The Ceiling" is legit, fully-realized Wilco listening. (There's a part of this song that reminds me of another artist. :hide:)
    I never noticed this lyric. I think it's because we pretend they're not there. It makes me think of global warming. I almost didn't write that last sentence because that's probably not a proper subject for this thread, but that's what comes to mind when I read that line. I'm not aware of any personal disasters currently creeping up on me, and I intend to keep it that way. Har, har.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2020
  25. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Amazing description. Your comments above get at what I really like about this album (and AM too)... when I don’t want a big intense Wilco album, this one is quick and focused.

    Won’t disagree with you there! Thanks @Parachute Woman for noting the co-write by Scott McCaughey which is an interesting shift. Scott definitely shares the pop ear alongside Jay and Pat, but I’m surprised he was brought into a proper Wilco song (although I guess that happened with Jim O’Rourke).

    That said, Taste the Ceiling is a great sing-songy number with interesting musical interludes. Definitely a continuation of Whole Love, but with some of that Wilco 3.0 lo-fi vibe.
     

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