After leaking late last night, Wilco followed suit by hosting a full album stream of Wilco (The Album). I’ve been through the album a half dozen times so far. I like it. Feel free to drop a comment with your thoughts and reviews as you’re taking your initial spins. Thanks to Wilco for (as always) being very, very cool! The proper physical release is June 30th via Nonesuch Records. Buy it if you dig it.
Update From The Band: “If you have downloaded the record, we suggest you make a donation to one of the band’s favorite charities, the Inspiration Corporation — an organization we’ve supported in the past & who are doing great work in the city of Chicago.
Pre-Order: You can now pre-order Wilco (The Album) in all your favorite formats, even vinyl or personalized shirts! The Muzzle of Bees order has been placed. Please consider supporting a band that’s always supported its fans.
Related: Wilco (The Album Art) taken right here in Milwaukee
On my first listen through I really like it I feel it is a little more grit to it. I think it is an improvement over Sky Blue Sky. That said it isn’t Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, or A Ghost Is Born, and I still think they are underutilizing Nels Cline
But Bull Black Nova is awesome. I am buying this the day it comes out.
Wilco reaches for something epic, classic, and condensed and mostly succeeds. Sounds like it should be the music for “Wilco (The Musical)”.
The light from Sky Blue Sky seems to have filled Wilco with a newfound sense of warmth, wit, and dare i say, wisdom.
A good first listen, but admittedly not as strong as my first run through Sky Blue Sky.
The album feel very broad and open, though. There is enormous potential for these songs to grow on me.
Really digging it – I get the feeling this is the album Wilco has been trying to make since YHF, and they nailed it this time.
Everything about this album screams The Beatles (to start, the myriad Harrison nods in You Never Know, the Penny Lane-ish horn at the end of Everlasting–which already sounds like a Lennon song–the Ringo-style fills dotting the album, etc).
Does anyone get an Abbey Road vibe on this album bigtime? If you think about it the parallels are kind of eerie: slightly goofy, tongue-in cheek associations like the goofiness of (the album) and (the song) vs. “Polythene Pam/Mr. Mustard”, the clear nod to late Beatles all over this album (in tone, melodies, and playfulness in particular). The whole approach to each album–both musically, aesthetically, and regarding what I can perceive to be the “intentions” of each–are uncannily similar. I can’t quite put my finger on why I feel so strongly about this, though there are many “clues” all over the album (particularly the second side) further illustrating this parallel.
And to make a somewhat bold guess: I would not be surprised if this were to be their final studio album–definitely with this lineup. It may sound counter-intuitive at firts (considering theyre arguably at their most popular in their career), but what better way to end than on top (like The Beatles?). In terms of masterpiece-worthy creativity it seems that the band has mostly run its course and instead looked to turn in a solid, fun album with W(TA)–which is great, it’s just not something to really rattle all the rock philosophers out there.
But I’m convinced it’s their swan song. There just seems to be too many clues–picked up from the Beatles in particular–and the more I listen to this album, the more it feels like a closing statement on one of the best bands in recent memory.
Regarding Mike’s prediction, at first I scoffed at it, then I thought about it, then I agreed with it, and now I’m depressed. I think you’re right. It feels like Wilco has come full circle. Tweedy has rehabilitated himself. He is emotionally content. On top of that, they’re not coming to Chicago this tour – perhaps they’re waiting for a grand send-off, playing the Vic, Riv, Martyr’s, Metro, and Schuba’s in consecutive nights, then topping it off with a finale in Millennium Park? All that, or they’ll just make another album in two years.
http://www.russfeingold.org/get-involved/fein-tunes.html
Russ is just too cool.
I do agree with the Nels Cline thing you mentioned but it seems like their best stuff is the stuff that you know will translate well on stage. Makes me think that they’re writing more for the road rather than the studio.
I was less impressed with WTA than SBS on the first listen. However, after listening more intently, I have to say I believe the album is better than SBS. SBS was certainly never in contention for my favorite Wilco album. It was passable. WTA betters their prior effort. It is definitely a more mature album. It seems as though Tweedy’s songwriting, while great for the studio, has blossomed for the stage on the last few albums (YFH on). Anyway, its a great listen, especially LOUD!
Deeper down is the best song on the album. Musically, I think the band is in great form. The lyrics are pretty sentimental, in a bad way, though. I love Jeff Tweedy, and to be honest, I could care less who he has in his band. It has always been about the song writing for me and this album falls WAY short in the lyrics department. I don’t think much of it even compares to Sky Blue Sky. I’m not looking for another YHF, or a remake of any Wilco album, but lyrics like “I will die for you” and “one wing will never ever fly” are way below Jeff’s potential.