wilco

[tragabigzanda]

[Chris_H_2]

They do. I thought I posted about it before. He talked about it in the last living room show I was at.

[Chris_H_2]

Found it

Did they do a lot of stuff that didn’t make the second record? I’ve not heard anything outside of the disc that came with the Wilco book, would love to hear it

tweedy mentioned that they have a lot of what he called "unfinished" stuff that he eventually hopes to get around to. he made it sound like the songs were all recorded, but never fully produced. he said he still keeps in touch with o'rourke, and gets together with him when they're on tour in or near japan.

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[washing machine]

Sky Blue Sky was the last Wilco album that really resonated with me so that makes me happy.

feel the same
i lost touch with their music after it

It’s weird that Nels adds so much to their lineup, yet the songs and albums from Sky Blue Sky on are just...not as memorable.

I’m listening to The Whole Love right now and don’t feel a twinge of nostalgia or appreciation for that Wilco era. I don’t even remember when it was released or if I bought it. That’s the only Wilco album I feel that way about. I hated the self titled album, but it still reminds me of a certain time in my life. The last two don’t stand up to their pre-Nels catalog, but they are still two that I listen to often.

I’m excited about this new album, but I hate that Wilco has become just a band to me. Seeing them live would probably change that, but their date here in late October is a pretty big timing conflict for me, so I’ll have to lean on this album. I want to love this band again.

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[washing machine]

I could understand being lukewarm to (The Album), because it sounds like a retread if their prior stuff. But then I can’t understand hating it for the same reason.

It's been a while since I listened to that one too. I remember my reaction being tied to my feelings about Sky Blue Sky (an album I've really grown to appreciate, but well after the fact.) This would have been at a time when I was rapidly expanding my catalog to include noisier and more experimental music that influenced all the early aught albums that I loved, so when bands like Wilco stopped making "difficult" albums, I got bored. Those two albums signified that Wilco didn't care any more, but that feeling was misguided and felt by a 26 year old freshly dropped out of college version of me. I think I probably would enjoy Wilco (The Album) a lot more now. Overdue for a listen.

Also, some things I remember really annoying me about the songs: There's a part in Bull Black Nova that sounds just like Safety Dance, there's a part in Deeper Down that sounds like a facsimile of Smile-era Beach Boys song, the melody to Solitaire is Good Vibrations, and the majority of You Never Know sounds like a George Harrison song. I like all of those influences, but the way they work in these songs comes across as direct imitation to my ears without any actual Wilco touch. Connecting all of that with the name of the album/title track surely added to my feeling that the band wasn't taking themselves seriously.

[tragabigzanda]

[washing machine]

In hindsight, absolutely. There's a lesson to be learned here. Something about judging a band on their terms and not your own. That reminds me, I've been meaning to read Jeff Tweedy's new book.

[digster]

I think The Whole Love is way better than the S/T, which remains the only time they've come close to an out-and-out poor album (though there's still a few too many songs on there that are good to ever chuck it entirely). I'll also say Star Wars is a pretty underrated album. On the surface, everything about it seems slapdash, though it's anything but; the album starts and remains strong all the way through.

[digster]

It's also interesting going back and reading reviews of Sky Blue Sky, talking about what a 'safe' record it was for them, and how it didn't meet expectations. It's pretty interesting because they're proving their own assertions wrong with the assertions they're making in their reviews; Sky Blue Sky was anything but a safe record for them.

[washing machine]

I could understand being lukewarm to (The Album), because it sounds like a retread if their prior stuff. But then I can’t understand hating it for the same reason.

Hey trag, when I said that self-titled reminds me of a certain time, I realize that you probably thought I meant that it reminds me of a certain time in the band's career. I meant that it reminds me of a certain time in my life. I was contrasting that with my lack of any memory of The Whole Love era. I never actually said I thought ST sounded like a retread of their own ideas. I guess it kind of does, though.

[Chris_H_2]

Cold Slope into King of You is one of my favorite song transitions.

And I love Bull Black Nova.

But I think the larger point is that with every Wilco album from SBS on, they just haven't figured out a way to consistently write a song that utilizes this current band lineup to it's maximum potential. I often feel like they pigeonholed a certain "sound" around a void that they thought the newer members should fill.

The fact is, this band needs a Jay Bennett or Jim O'Rourke to push them in different directions. And they don't have that. Jeff is good, but he can stand to have an unbiased person stand up to him. So far, no one in this current make-up of the band will do it.

[Strat]

I just dont really care for Nels contribution to this band in particular. Just kind of feels like there's Wilco and then theres nels cline just being weird. They dont blend well for me.

[washing machine]

The fact is, this band needs a Jay Bennett or Jim O'Rourke to push them in different directions. And they don't have that. Jeff is good, but he can stand to have an unbiased person stand up to him. So far, no one in this current make-up of the band will do it.

Yeah, I forget about this a lot. Hard to argue on those middle transition records. I think they've found a groove on these last two though.

[tragabigzanda]

[Strat]

I just dont really care for Nels contribution to this band in particular. Just kind of feels like there's Wilco and then theres nels cline just being weird. They dont blend well for me.

You’re the worst

Perhaps. Perhaps.

[bune]

Great, now I have a Cake song stuck in my head.

[washing machine]

I'm sure there's a fair amount of overlap between hardcore Cake fans and folks who list Wilco: The Album at the top of their rankings.

[washing machine]

Making my way through a catalog revisit, I’m noticing that the albums I’d rank at the top of the list all have one thing in common: they have a consistent sound. Super hot take, I know, but it’s a glaring fact with this band. The two most recent albums are certainly a return to form in this respect, which is probably why I still listen to them often.

Here’s my rankings after a catalog revisit:

A Ghost is Born
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Summerteeth
Sky Blue Sky
Being There
Schmilco/Star Wars (always feels like a double LP to me)
Wilco: The Album
AM
The Whole Love

That middle set is virtually interchangeable, and there’s a long drop from the middle third to the last third. Some fun songs on the low ranked albums though.