Family Ghost was the single, so I guess it’s supposed to be the Some Birds of WARMER, the liveliest and most Wilco-like tune on the set. It does recall bits of The Late Greats (the syncopated riff) and maybe some elements of Cry All Day. At the same time, it’s certainly one of the most Sukierae-sounding songs here. And it has a subdued T-Rex flavor that could’ve made it a worthy candidate for a Star Wars arrangement. And wow, you're right, there's definitely a deliberate quotation of Radio King, I never noticed ! So all in all, it more than qualifies to be called a “quintessential” Tweedy song. Or maybe “typical”. Let's just say it's « very Jeff Tweedy ». What’s it about? Difficult to determine if he’s singing abstractly or from the point of view of a real life person’s ghost. In which case my guess is the song could be about his older brother, who worked for the railroad (like their father) and got a working injury before dying pretty young. As I was thinking that, I figured I could check in the Let’s Go book, so I did and yes !, some of the lyrics are indeed consistent with Jeff’s depiction of him being buried under gravel while filling up holes (the cause of his injury). This Greg brother had drinking and drugs issues at some point in his life and he died aged 55 in 2013. Jeff also writes that he recognized some of his personality traits in magazine profiles written about a certain side of the American political spectrum in 2016. So I guess it all adds up. All of this, of course, in a sparkly acoustic rock tune, with the faux steel guitar and the customary double tracked sleepy vocals. Very Jeff Tweedy indeed.
Family Ghost: my initial reaction to this (yesterday) was not positive at all. I just listened to it again and still don’t like the opening line “I’m a dope.” (There must be a thread on the forum detailing the most oddball opening lyrics. If there is, this is a contender.) Second time through and ...it’s okay. Just. Mainly because I can hear Jeff in full-on recycle mode, a bit from here and a bit from there. Essentially, I see why it was left off the main bill (Warm).
If that was the case, he was painting his hometown with a pretty broad brush. I keep referring back to that earlier article about Jeff and Jay living on the cheap in Belleville towards the end of Uncle Tupelo. They were pretty comfortable there, and Jay surely didn't stray too far to live, a half-hour car drive to St. Louis. I'm glad Jeff thinks he's at the center of the universe in Chicago - believe me, most people here think the same of where we live! But it seems a shame to me that he tends to focus on the negative in regards to where he's from. There's a lot more going on than politics and awkward teenage memories in places like this. People often think I'm being ironic in my respect for John "Cougar" Mellencamp, but I've always loved how unapologetically he loves being from and living in "a small town" - although I've always associated Bloomington with college town due to the movie Breaking Away! That said, I like the song quite a bit. Am I the only one who hears 90s Beck in folk/acoustic mode? Not quite "Loser" but the song does have that strumming, downbeat feel of some of his material. Excellent use of an electric guitar drone. This and Warm feel front loaded - first few tracks are always good. It's when the album progresses that I find myself checking out on certain tracks. P.S. Man, just looked at a map. Didn't realize it was an hour trip from Seymour to Bloomington! Thought it was right next door.
So his singing on the studio version is a bit mumbling ? This song stood out for me in my first explorations of WARMER. I prefer the studio version. The live one is too bare for me. In the studio one I like his acoustic guitar better, embedded with the other instruments. Also he is articulating the beautiful melody better.
I completely agree. I do believe Nels now fits in with the band and does more of what you expected him to do when he joined. It was awkward in the beginning and like you said was detrimental to the Wilco sound. I don't think anyone knew what his role was supposed to be. Many disagree and love his early contributions to the band. The Nels Cline Singers just put out a new album and it's one of the best things I have heard all year. I say it's better than the new Tweedy record. They are totally different styles, but The Nels album blew me away. I never thought I would say that a Nels album was better than a Tweedy album, but here we are. They both will make my favorites of the year, but Nels will be higher on the list.
I think "Family Ghost" is excellent, one of the top two tracks on Warmer. I've always thought, however, of all the solo songs from Sukierae through Warmer, this is the one I could see benefiting from the Wilco treatment the most, with an "Everyone Hides" type leap. That's not to say the Warmer version itself isn't great; it is. But I think Wilco could really enhance this one. I envision some harmony vocals from John and Pat on the chorus, some atmospheric keyboards from Mike or Pat, some stretching out of the lead guitar from Nels, and a bit more in the production department. With all that in place, you have a killer Wilco single. But alas, it still works in its more barebones arrangement here.
"Family Ghost"- This is the song I am most familiar with and was my favorite when the album was released. It's instantly catchy and has great lyrics. @Fortuleo is spot on with my feelings on this song and also had a nice interpretation of the lyrics. This could have very well been a Wilco tune on Schmilco. Great acoustic guitar and I love that ghostly sounding guitar throughout. An excellent recording all the way! 4.5/5 I want to exist where the misfit fits I want to have some purpose I believe what she believes I believe my children I love these lines and the way he sings them.
I like "Family Ghost" quite a bit - it does have a Being There vibe to it. However, I don't really see the song as being very political. It seems more like a character study, albeit one written in Tweedy's elliptical style rather than in the manner of the sharply-drawn portraits of, say, Bruce Springsteen. For this reason, it doesn't have much of an impact on me. I can't really discern any political point of view in these lyrics - if there is one, it's far too subtle to make any real impact (which is the point of writing about political issues, isn't it?). I like political songs that rip the scabs off and scorch the earth. This one doesn't do any of that. I do still like it though.
In the video PW posted earlier, an official Wilco video, first blurred image appears to be a child in a MAGA hat possibly sitting in front of Donald Trump. I can't make out a lot of images that pulsate through the rest of the video, but they feel unsettling. You're right though ... this isn't "Gimme Some Truth"!
"Family Ghost" is another one that I could hear Neil Young doing in the '70s. It almost rocks! Such a tease. Like @robcar, I don't think the song is necessarily political; it's a character portrait, possibly based on his brother but also may express some of his own feelings, of someone living in quiet desperation. He wants to fit in, he wants to have some purpose, but he's powerless, lonely and ignored, left to blow smoke at his TV, digging holes and filling them in. "Underneath each added straw" is a nice touch; the straw has broken his back long ago. When he sings, "I feel so American," I don't think he's being condescending. I think he feels like this is the experience of most of us, him included. We're not just haunted by the ghosts of broken people like his late brother, but until something fundamentally changes in our society, "time will tell this story again." One of the best songs in the Warm/Warmer project, I think.
I think the video makes the point that there is a nebulous frustration and anger amongst the people, which may be distorted and used by malevolent political media and demagogues. But, that point isn't expressed in the song. The lyrics don't refer to political leanings or actors, at all.
I just started to listen to this and am loving it. I have no idea why ‘Singers’ is part of the name (a joke?) but this is really good. Okay. Back to regular programming.
And Then You Cut It in Half I hate to be negative, and rarely have been through the whole course of this discussion, but 'And Then You Cut It in Half' is one of my least favorite Jeff Tweedy compositions of his whole career. I didn't like it at all upon first hearing it and my opinion hasn't changed over more listens. I find the vocal melody irritating, like a rock in my shoe. I don't like the guitar soloing, which I find dissonant and atonal. The song is only 4:35, a perfectly reasonable length for a song, but it feels very, very long to me. And the lyrics don't touch me either. Life is just a raft and then you cut it in half. Meaning...we are always sinking? Our support system gets smaller as we age? I'm not sure. The last minute and a half of this song are brutal for me to get through. The guitar is piercing and he just keeps on singing "and then you cut it in half." This is one of very, very few songs in the entire canon that I actively dislike. Sorry, Jeff.
And Then You Cut it in Half: I kinda like this one! Or at least my toe was tapping and I found myself humming along.
Surprising (but interesting) sentiment ! I have a few of those myself (just a few) but this isn't one of them. I actually like it quite a bit. I think it's a fine country strum, deliberately "unsettled" by all the guitar effects and the dozy vocals, but the melody has some very nice changes and rebounds, and the backward guitar effects make me think of I'm Only Sleeping, certainly one of the biggest influences on Jeff's songwriting and "soundwriting" (he did it solo quite a few times, and beautifully). Even the abstract lyrics and imagery ultimately work, especially when he repeats "And then You Cut It in Half…" over and over again, and you start wondering what will be left of it in the end… I also love the "Oh, Hi" moment, like he thought he was noodling for himself and just noticed that people (us) were actually listening to him. The strident guitar solo at the end is also a nice touch. I'm surprised by your active dislike of it, because I hear it as one of the most straightforward country tunes here, maybe the closest he got to the Love Is the King style on the whole WARM(ER) project, as shown on this excellent Tweedy show rendition.
This one didn't pull me in, but in retrospect it's not as bad as I recall. Can clearly hear the general "Ripple" vibe he was going for. The lyrics strike me as his usual jumble of one-liners, non sequiturs and images that usually work, but sometimes don't. I think if Jeff was Paul McCartney, we would have a touching ballad called "Scrambled Eggs" and not "Yesterday." Please see earlier reference to Ray Davies Syndrome. P.S. Fortuleo, in that video Jeff looks like a homeless vet playing for food. I must admit, I enjoy these videos, mainly because they feature his untreated vocals!
The melody isn't that much irritating to me, but it gets repeated too much. Most irritating is the pseudo steel guitar, I've heard too much of it on Warm/Warmer. We're losing our parents. Family members are passing away. On the other hand, your children become adults. Over here in the Netherlands the loneliness of old people is a substantial problem, especially now with covid.
Beautifully written, you can sell me anything. I'll listen some more times.The video will certainly help. I think Jeff's overusing the guitar sound effects, while the Beatles used it in moderation and went on.
You guys are killing me! I’ve crapped on many songs that others love, so I guess it’s now my turn, because I absolutely love Cut it in Half. It’s the longest song on the album but still feels too short for me. The album is now headed into a very laid-back, bleary-eyed groove and I think that’s what I love about Warmer. Jeff kind of settles into this lazy country groove that gets more psychedelic as it goes. First with the mouth-full-of-marbles vocals, then the backwards guitar, and then finally the crazy dissonant electric guitar outro that eventually collapses under its own weight. I’ll recognize, though, that this is the kind of song that everyone else in my family hates. Something about “annoying racket...”
"...And Then You Cut It In Half" is a weird one. I don't like the lyrics at all. I also don't like the way Tweedy sings this in a sort of marble-mouth manner. On the other hand, the music is nice enough. It calls back to the alt country feel of Tweedy's early work and it has a nice melody and some interesting guitar work. So, I guess it's a wash.
"And Then You Cut It In Half"- You never know what the morning brings and how a song is going to be regarded. I'm cut in half on this song and can see why someone may love it and some may find it irritating. I have no strong opinion on it. It's not a song I have listened to very often. I really like the bass guitar. There is a slight "I Am Only Sleeping" influence and Jeff also sounds like he is half asleep. I am slightly reminded of "Cars Can't Escape" melody at the 1:45-1:55 mark. This isn't nowhere in that same league, but it's a decent little song that fits the vibe of this album. Maybe it would be better placed on side two? 3.5/5
Side-bar: A new Tweedy song was on my Apple New Music playlist that Apple generates for my listening pleasure. Sounds promising (for when we get to it).
