Sorry that one stuck in your craw, but I would! Roughly the same instrumentation every track, same echo/reverb applied to all his lead vocals, a noticeable lack of signature Wilco contributions, be it Nels' guitar playing, John's bass, etc. I don't understand the solo-album logic when these tracks would have worked even better in the context of Wilco, and songwriting wise are not at all stylistically different from what he's been doing with Wilco. He's not the first bandleader to do this. Petty's and Springsteen's solo works really aren't that different from what they were doing with their bands (barring acoustic albums). No one could tell if All Shook Down was the last Replacements album or Westerberg's first solo album. That said, this is a good song, my favorite on the album. It's not so much the songs that give me the ongoing issue with Jeff/Wilco. It's the production choices, although I do find myself not clicking at all with roughly half the songs on each album post The Whole Love. You could say early Dylan albums all sounded the same, but then there was that mid-60s explosion. It feels like Wilco started out with that explosion and then simplified their sound going forward. No crime in that, but seems like an odd choice to make in a six-man band with serious firepower.
Don’t Forget is another great one. Let’s call it “slacker country”. It has a real laid-back vibe to it and a catchy melody. A few highlights: This one is loaded with faux-steel guitar, right up to that final minor to major 3rd bend at the end of the song (a classic country guitar riff too that Keith Richards uses all the time... however combined with a volume swell takes it into pedal steel territory) I love the little instrumental at 2:00. I can imagine that gussied up in a late 60s countrypolitan arrangement. Even had a bit of a Summerteeth feel (think they crazy instrumental break in the song Summer Teeth - I can see that working here) The last line of the chorus (don’t let it kill ya) is a one-bar (the first time) and two-bar (the other times) interjection that adds an interesting off-kilter feel. The rest of the song is organized in more intuitive four-bar groupings. It makes the song stumble forward in a cool way.
"Don't Forget"- Good call by @Parachute Woman about the country Stones vibe. Another good song and I agree with many of the opinions here, but it still doesn't thrill me much for being one of the better songs on the album. I don't know what it is about some of these songs. They are well written, well played, but seemingly lacking some kind of spark. I haven't felt this way about any of the other albums. These first three songs are all good, but I haven't gone back to them often. I'm not as familiar with some of the songs on this album, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with these songs. Maybe something coming up will give me a new outlook on the album and boost my excitement level. 3.5/5
"Don't Forget" is just about flawless. I agree it's a bit of a throwback to AM or even Anodyne, as @Fortuleo says. (Plus, any post that mentions Paul Westerberg/"Love Untold" has to be commended!) Regarding "who would call this samey" — when I mentioned that, I guess the biggest thing I was referring to was the arrangements. It's all a big rhythm acoustic guitar, simple bass and drums, and an overdubbed lead guitar. No keyboards, no different sounds. Certainly not the sonic palette of a Whole Love or Summerteeth. This is true of Love is the King too. The formula is pretty well worn at this point. However, that is not a comment on the quality of the songs themselves. They're excellent, and "Don't Forget" is one of the best.
"Don't Forget" is pleasant, although I keep expecting the bass to take off into another song. Same with the chorus, actually. This is bugging me, now. Hmm. And I would have to say that the album does sound samey, and any of these songs easily could've been outtakes from Sukierae (or Love is the King, for that matter). Well, the lyrics to this one are funny. But I wish that the music were something more than a pleasant country tune that sounds almost like some other song that he's recorded before. If Warm were a baseball lineup (this analogy may seem more apt when "Let's Go Rain" comes up), I'd say that so far it's recorded a pop-up, a standup double, and an infield single. I don't recall any home runs in the order, but we'll see what reveals itself upon further review.
This is a serious question: do people call Hank Williams or Townes Van Zandt samey? I honestly don't know. I do know they are both extremely revered songwriters. Jeff Tweedy is my Hank Williams. I am powerfully moved in my heart by his songs and I think his recent efforts are extraordinarily beautiful and heart-rending albums full of gorgeous melodies and playing. And the words. The way he writes about love/marriage, family, death, depression... No other writer writes about those things like Jeff does. I'm actually working on a video right now for my YouTube channel reviewing Love is the King because I think it is a masterpiece and it moves me to tears...and in the thread I started for it, people just say "sounds like the last one." This honestly hurts me...
I listened to Sky Blue Sky yesterday, which elicited all kinds of complaints when it came out about being too traditional and too mellow and not experimental enough, and I was struck by how much more vibrant it sounded than the way Jeff is recording his songs now. Even though Schmilco felt too much like a collection of augmented Jeff Tweedy solo recordings.... when you hear an actual Jeff solo album you realize that the Wilco members were still adding value. On his own Jeff's stuff is just too... stark for me. Song after song of his hushed voice and that dull sounding guitar and not much else of interest.
"Don't Forget" is really good. The sound harkens back to the A.M. period and the lyrics are quite touching. I love the "don't let it kill ya" part leading into the brief instrumental section. This is a truly excellent song.
I think a lot has to do with expectations. Some artists find a fertile field and work it for their entire career. Others jump from field to field and try different crops, some of which yield tremendous results while others struggle. There's no one right way to do it. I do think that, often, music writers/critics tend to dismiss or at least undervalue artists who stay in a single genre/style and overpraise those who try to break new ground or stretch themselves with each album. A certain segment of music listeners seem to do the same thing and I personally consider that way of thinking misguided. I suppose it's the general tendency of people to focus on the new shiny thing, while ignoring the steady producers in their midst. Sure, one could say that most of Hank Williams' recordings sound somewhat alike. The same could indeed be said for Townes Van Zandt (or John Prine, or Tom Waits, or Van Morrison....). That's a bit like the old Ronald Reagan quotation dating from the time when activists were trying to establish Redwood National Park: "you've seen one tree, you've seen them all". Of course, most of us understand how ridiculous that comment was. You can't have a forest ecosystem with one tree. Williams, Van Zandt, Prine, and others created beautiful healthy forests of songs. Tweedy has dabbled in many different musical styles and settings as an artist, both with his band and outside of it. Perhaps this has created expectations among some of his fans that everything he puts out should contain stylistic or sonic diversity. I don't see it that way myself. I also think that some listeners tend to focus more on music than on lyrics, which is somewhat anathema to those of us who come from a more folk-oriented background where the lyrics are considered the most important component.
Great post, Rob. There was a recent thread around here about which artists had as much stylistic diversity as the Beatles and it swiftly became very weirdly competitive in it as everyone tried to prove that their favorite acts had the most diversity, as if the most would win them the gold star. I had made the point that there are so many wonderful artists who didn't/don't have a lot of diversity but that this is okay! To use your great analogy: they plow fertile ground all the same. My example was Tom Petty, who worked his same Tom Petty acre for his whole career but who is beloved all the same.
Yes. My Dad called Hank Williams "hillbilly music" and much preferred the more cosmopolitan strains of country that were just kicking in by the 1950s. If I'm being completely honest, Townes Van Zandt bores the **** out of me. Always has, always will. I know I'm supposed to kneel at the altar ... I tried and tipped over, out cold before I hit the ground. He does have a few songs that I treasure, but most of them go right by me. Now, Hank Sr., I do worship! It's OK to think of your favorite recording artists in critical terms, especially when you think they're making mistakes. I've been direct and hopefully clear as to what I don't like about Jeff as he goes along. By the same token, I realize it's important for him to follow his path, wherever it leads, regardless of how I and other fans do or don't handle it. I know how hard it is to create anything of worth, and I respect the effort it takes to make those things inside your head real. But once it's out there? It's fair game, and chances are you're not going to please everyone all the time. PW, you shouldn't take it so personally. I've had numerous favorite recording artists over the years (Elton John, Beatles, Kinks, Springsteen, T. Rex, Stones, Replacements, Van Morrison, Gourds, Pulp ... that handful represents artists who really got to me at the deepest possible levels), and all those artists, at one point or another, have done things that left me shaking my head. Most recently, Van Morrison's anti-Covid face mask singles! I've heard/read about every possible permutation of criticism regarding all of them from "these guys blow" to legitimate, well-reasoned takedowns. I'm still here! They still mean the same things to me. The disappointment I feel in what's gone on in Westerberg's career over the past 15 years or so (the basement years) is still very real to me. It seems to me that Jeff and the band are getting a pretty fair shake in this thread, as compared to the scattered "this band blows" commentary in the Love Is King thread! Addendum: how could I forget Dylan and Lou Reed in my all-time list. I can't put on Dylan in a group of friends without at least one person being put out. I have two friends who I force-fed the Velvet Underground on hours-long car trips back home in college. To this day, both will physically attack me if they hear a Lou Reed song in our presence.
Who am I kidding? I forgot Beach Boys/Brian Wilson, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Aztec Camera/Roddy Frame, Bowie, Jackson Browne, CCR/John Fogerty, Waterboys/Mike Scott, Michael Marra, The Band/Robbie Robertson, Spoon, Supertramp, Fleetwood Mac, Leonard Cohen, Loudon Wainwright III, Squeeze, Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry, Todd Rundgren, R.E.M., Oasis, Paul Simon, Prince, Rockpile/Nick Lowe-Dave Edmunds, Pink Floyd, Paul Kelly, Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, The Mekons, Richard & Linda Thompson, Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter, Los Lobos, Led Zep, Peter Gabriel/Genesis, Grateful Dead, David Byrne/Talking Heads, The Faces/Rod Stewart/Ronnie Lane, Queen, Electric Light Orchestra, The Doors, Nick Cave, Big Star/Alex Chilton, Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven/David Lowery, Doug Sahm/Sir Douglas Quintet, The Beautiful South/Paul Heaton, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Huey Lew ... oh wait, no. These are some of the artists I've felt deep, personal connections to over the years, to the point of completing discographies and devouring as many books/articles as I could on each. Some, not all. This is what happens when you love music over the course of decades. Wilco fits in nicely with this company, and there have been times when I've been confounded and royally p*ssed at each of them. Comes with the territory.
For me, it's not so much the style of the music but the arrangements that make it same-y. In Petty's case, he left room for rich and varied arrangements by the Heartbreakers (in whatever configuration of them he had). No, he never tried hip hop or made a record experimental like YHF, but he labored over the layers of instrumentation, making everything sound fresh, vibrant and yet timeless. And he still managed some stylistic variety and distinction, by the way. Just in the last decade of his work — Highway Companion was an acoustic singer-songwriter type album, Mudcrutch was country rock, Mojo was blues rock and Hypnotic Eye was classic rock n roll. Jeff Tweedy has more than proven he can run the gamut of styles. He's settled into a minimalist style now, and that's OK. The songs themselves, lyrics especially, are the strongest of any point on his career. But it almost feels too easy for him, to the point where the recording and construction sound formulaic. A change up in approach or production could be interesting in that regard.
I've said in this thread that I consider Jeff Tweedy to be one of the great singer-songwriters of his time, and the presentation on Together at Last really puts that on display. I also liked most of the songs on Sukierae, and if you combine the best 7-8 songs from each of Star Wars and Schmilco, I think you have another outstanding album. I believe that Jeff could use a partner/producer who can push him and also edit his work, tell him that the album would work better if he changed the sequence or left out certain songs. But for the most part, I love his songs; I often love just listening to his voice. OK. Meanwhile, I feel like the Warm/Warmer project is not just samey, in the sense of a consistent sound or style, because that can be an appealing quality. But it's kind of bland, even listless, lethargic at times. I honestly feel some concern that he's either deeply depressed, more than ever, or heavily sedated. Spencer's drumming does not necessarily help here, either. It's not that I can't find anything to like here; Jeff has some interesting lyrics in all three songs, so far, and I feel like "Some Birds" is a solid song, "Don't Forget" is alright. I'm just not really enjoying the tired presentation, and as I recall that gets to be more of a problem as the album goes on. And I say that as someone who has spent a lot of time with Tonight's the Night, Third/Sister Lovers, and other "downer" albums. I guess that those albums may have some stronger tunes and a bit more variety, though. Like, there is no "Come On Baby, Let's Go Downtown" here. And when Neil Young was too wasted to write his own tune, he had the sense to borrow a good one from the Rolling Stones. Tweedy sounds like he might have been too sapped to get up the bother, IDK. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind as we go along....
With all respect to your ears, I don't hear it. Why would he be so productive these days ? The devil's advocate answer would be that it's an act of denial. He's afraid to realize that he's listless and lethargic. It doesn't make sense to me. To me he sounds like he's in a flow. He's enjoying it this way, just making good music. He doesn't want to spend years and years to painstakingly create the ultimate masterpiece. Just my imagination.
I'm sorry I was a bit raw yesterday, but that's simply because I do take art personally and I can't help it! I wear my heart on my sleeve. Music can be the most personal thing in the world and it's very hard for me to see music that matters very much to me get scoffed at. My reaction wasn't really to everyone in this thread (everyone in this thread is great and insightful and lovely) but more to the general reactions to Love is the King and, especially, the thread on that album. And that spilled over into our discussion of Warm here because it's all interconnected. Let's continue: How Hard It Is for a Desert to Die Certainly one of Jeff's more enigmatic song titles, "How Hard It Is For a Desert to Die" reminds me of the Bob Dylan anecdote in which he said (maybe erroneously, maybe not--you never know with Bob) that 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall' was constructed with every single line having the potential to be the first line in its own song. The point, I think, was that every line was a work of art all by itself. That's how I feel about this song. Musically, it is incredibly patient. Jeff doesn't even begin singing until over a minute in and there is another lengthy instrumental break in the middle. He lets the mood settle in fully. This one really feels like the album cover to me. A dark night under the stars, with the sky sweeping away above. It's extremely cloudy and quiet. A sublime waltz. And the words are like that Dylan song. The lines don't all seem to go together in one coherent thought, but each one is a gem and jewel all by itself. In total: I hear your laugh in my laughter An old photograph that I've never seen Where each set of eyes finds a different camera Shining like the sun on the rain I follow the wires to the horizon There's zero chance that I'm going to cry I think that fame is a misunderstanding How hard is it for a desert to die? Trying to parse out meaning... I hear your laugh in my laughter = Your happiness makes me happy An old photograph that I've never seen = disconnect from the past or faded memories Where each set of eyes finds a different camera = each person has their minds and hearts on their own thoughts/feelings/inner worlds/understanding of the world Shining like the sun on the rain = positive forces counteracting dark moods and feelings I follow the wires to the horizon = this suggests communication to me and vast distances There's zero chance that I'm going to cry = either hiding one's feelings deliberately or being dulled/numbed to the point that you can't cry I think that fame is a misunderstanding = one of the best quotes on the album; human beings created this thing called 'fame' and it is completely weird (exalting other human beings) How hard is it for a desert to die? = The title. I observe: deserts are immortal and ancient and unforgiving, but also beautiful and even mystical. They go on and on, just as love and our stories and our humanity goes on and on and will not die. Just my attempts. It's beautiful poetry no matter how one interprets it. This is one of my favorites on the album.
I didn't pull this track in, but it's not bad, in retrospect. That's what I find as we go along here. In my mind, I have this negative image built up of the past few albums, because they didn't present that rush of excitement I had with Wilco releases for a long time. I need to put that image to bed. Did the same thing with solo Westerberg, when the general consensus was "this is nowhere near as good as The Replacements." Well, most of those Replacements album had real downtime (although the high's were higher), and throwing together a compilation disc for a friend that there was plenty of genuinely excellent work in Westerberg's solo career. Similarly, he ended up making some production choices that didn't sit well with me! PW, no need to apologize for how you are. I'm much more of a mind that what matters to me is safe within myself, and whatever the outside world decrees becomes essentially meaningless and harmless. And sometimes actually instructive when it makes valid points. As noted with the other thread, you're seeing a few grown men wearing pajamas with feet put forth in their paper Burger King crowns. Only place it really matters is the living room they're holding domain over with the laptop turned on. Same way my kingdom functions on internet message boards! I think if you could see us all typing away in our rooms, the proper context would become apparent, and in some cases, laughable. Now, back to the Summerteeth Deluxe bonus tracks!
How Hard It Is For A Desert To Die is a great atmospheric tune, and I like the effects on the drum sound. Great lyrical analysis by PW. I will add that to me "I hear your laugh in my laughter" makes me think of maybe Jeff hearing his father's laugh in his own. I haven't looked at the Love Is The King thread since a day or two after it started. Now I'm not sure I want to. I think it's great!
Musically, this time, the Sukierae aspect in unmissable, with the waltz time, the flabby drums @jalexander is so fond of, the acoustic guitar motif, the languid dreamlike vocal delivery, the minimalist words. Yeah, I hear that too. As such, this is one of the big emotional songs on the record, it hits hard on the father/son relationship. There’s a lot of poetic grace on display. It starts very sharp, vivid, very specific, we instantly know what it’s about, then it blurs into more abstract imagery. On this record, Jeff alternates all the time between the two songwriting modes, very direct or more cryptic, from song to song, and within each song. In this song, I particularly love the switch between the affirmative title (how hard it is) and the interrogative line in the lyrics (how hard is it). « I hear your laugh in my laughter » is a sublime line, so well observed, so powerful, so true. It happens to me so often, hearing my father’s laugh in my laughter… Or worst : hearing his outbursts of anger in my own, that I hate myself for… It’s such a universal sentiment, what you take from your father, things of him that you carry along, whether you like it or not.
Wow, a great detailed review. I love this comment: “ messy migraine noise rock of A Ghost Is Born” Far more descriptive than dad rock and actually gets at why I like that album so, so much. The comments about the drugged out live set are probably accurate. This era seems to be the least documented on YouTube, but Jeff does often seem sedated when you see him back then. We’ve got a song coming up on Warm that addresses this. Looking forward to this reissue!
