Wilco (The Thread)

Nice essay about the album from Jeff in his Substack, as well as the title track. So far not hearing a connection to Being There at all —that was a long time ago with a very different lineup.
 
Looks like Cruel Country will have an early release on CD for RSD2

RSD '22 Special Release: Wilco - Cruel Country Pre-Release Limited Edition

SPECIAL RSD PRE-RELEASE LIMITED WHITE Label edition of Wilco's Cruel Country DISC 1 1. I Am My Mother 2. Cruel Country 3. Hints 4. Ambulance 5. The Empty Condor 6. Tonights The Day 7. All Across The World 8. Darkness Is Cheap 9. Bird Without A Tail / Base Of My Skull 10. Tired Of Taking It Out...
recordstoreday.com
 
www.newyorker.com

Jeff Tweedy Gets His Hat Back

After some mostly bareheaded years, the Wilco front man hits a vaquero haberdashery in Chicago to buy a new Stetson to wear when he rolls out “Cruel Country,” an album that grew out of a group chat with George Saunders and Nick Offerman.
www.newyorker.com www.newyorker.com
 
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I managed to get ahold of an advanced copy of Cruel Country.
I'm not sure I would hang the "Country" label on the album.
There are a couple of songs that fit the label - but most country albums I know of don't employ symphonic sounding horns as texture.

Rather, this is the most Grateful Dead adjacent album in the catalogue.
If you consider American Beauty or Workingman's Dead as "country albums" then I guess this one is too.
Don't expect freeform jams - but there's room for some of that in a live setting on a few of the songs.

There aren't really any "bangers" on this one so it didnt reach out an grab me as a "this rules" kind of album.
But after 2-3 days with it -it has really grown on me.

My one word description of the album would be "languid".
This will make for a great, laid back, live set at Mass MoCA , especially if they have some players for some of the extras that add texture to the songs.

After about 5 days my favorites are :
Darkness is Cheap
Bird Without A Tail/Base of My Skull
Many Worlds
Mystery Binds (My favorite to date - this is could end up a staple of the live shows as the color Neil adds to this one is a fantastic hook).

New Rankings:
1. YHF
2. Summerteeth
3. Being There
4. Ode To Joy
5. A Ghost Is Born
6. Cruel Country
7. Schmilco
8. Wilco (The Album)
9. A.M.
10. Star Wars
11. The Whole Love
12. Sky Blue Sky
 
Viking Dan said:
View attachment 140410

I managed to get ahold of an advanced copy of Cruel Country.
I'm not sure I would hang the "Country" label on the album.
There are a couple of songs that fit the label - but most country albums I know of don't employ symphonic sounding horns as texture.

Rather, this is the most Grateful Dead adjacent album in the catalogue.
If you consider American Beauty or Workingman's Dead as "country albums" then I guess this one is too.
Don't expect freeform jams - but there's room for some of that in a live setting on a few of the songs.

There aren't really any "bangers" on this one so it didnt reach out an grab me as a "this rules" kind of album.
But after 2-3 days with it -it has really grown on me.

My one word description of the album would be "languid".
This will make for a great, laid back, live set at Mass MoCA , especially if they have some players for some of the extras that add texture to the songs.

After about 5 days my favorites are :
Darkness is Cheap
Bird Without A Tail/Base of My Skull
Many Worlds
Mystery Binds (My favorite to date - this is could end up a staple of the live shows as the color Neil adds to this one is a fantastic hook).

New Rankings:
1. YHF
2. Summerteeth
3. Being There
4. Ode To Joy
5. A Ghost Is Born
6. Cruel Country
7. Schmilco
8. Wilco (The Album)
9. A.M.
10. Star Wars
11. The Whole Love
12. Sky Blue Sky
Click to expand...
Can't wait to hear it! Are you going to Solid Sound or did you acquire it through other means?

Sixth on your list after just a couple days is intriguing!
 
Viking Dan said:
View attachment 140410

I managed to get ahold of an advanced copy of Cruel Country.
I'm not sure I would hang the "Country" label on the album.
There are a couple of songs that fit the label - but most country albums I know of don't employ symphonic sounding horns as texture.

Rather, this is the most Grateful Dead adjacent album in the catalogue.
If you consider American Beauty or Workingman's Dead as "country albums" then I guess this one is too.
Don't expect freeform jams - but there's room for some of that in a live setting on a few of the songs.

There aren't really any "bangers" on this one so it didnt reach out an grab me as a "this rules" kind of album.
But after 2-3 days with it -it has really grown on me.

My one word description of the album would be "languid".
This will make for a great, laid back, live set at Mass MoCA , especially if they have some players for some of the extras that add texture to the songs.

After about 5 days my favorites are :
Darkness is Cheap
Bird Without A Tail/Base of My Skull
Many Worlds
Mystery Binds (My favorite to date - this is could end up a staple of the live shows as the color Neil adds to this one is a fantastic hook).

New Rankings:
1. YHF
2. Summerteeth
3. Being There
4. Ode To Joy
5. A Ghost Is Born
6. Cruel Country
7. Schmilco
8. Wilco (The Album)
9. A.M.
10. Star Wars
11. The Whole Love
12. Sky Blue Sky
Click to expand...
Loved reading your thoughts on the album. I'm stoked to spend some time with it tomorrow.
 
Viking Dan said:
View attachment 140410

I managed to get ahold of an advanced copy of Cruel Country.
I'm not sure I would hang the "Country" label on the album.
There are a couple of songs that fit the label - but most country albums I know of don't employ symphonic sounding horns as texture.

Rather, this is the most Grateful Dead adjacent album in the catalogue.
If you consider American Beauty or Workingman's Dead as "country albums" then I guess this one is too.
Don't expect freeform jams - but there's room for some of that in a live setting on a few of the songs.

There aren't really any "bangers" on this one so it didnt reach out an grab me as a "this rules" kind of album.
But after 2-3 days with it -it has really grown on me.

My one word description of the album would be "languid".
This will make for a great, laid back, live set at Mass MoCA , especially if they have some players for some of the extras that add texture to the songs.

After about 5 days my favorites are :
Darkness is Cheap
Bird Without A Tail/Base of My Skull
Many Worlds
Mystery Binds (My favorite to date - this is could end up a staple of the live shows as the color Neil adds to this one is a fantastic hook).

New Rankings:
1. YHF
2. Summerteeth
3. Being There
4. Ode To Joy
5. A Ghost Is Born
6. Cruel Country
7. Schmilco
8. Wilco (The Album)
9. A.M.
10. Star Wars
11. The Whole Love
12. Sky Blue Sky
Click to expand...
Cool review. I can’t wait to hear the album. I’m not a Dead fan but that’s more due to lack of exposure than anything else. Not sure our Wilco tastes align all that closely though, since SBS is my #2 and Star Wars may crack my top 5.
 
bettim84 said:
Cool review. I can’t wait to hear the album. I’m not a Dead fan but that’s more due to lack of exposure than anything else. Not sure our Wilco tastes align all that closely though, since SBS is my #2 and Star Wars may crack my top 5.
Click to expand...

If you are on the Rank the Albums thread, you will see that my distain for Impossible Germany has something to do with that ranking.

I like Star Wars - but I do my ranks like I'm drafting the album into my collection.
I ask if I could choose only ONE album, which would it be, then ask, if that wasn't available, which would I want next.

Some of those albums above have songs that I just cant do without (Bull Black Nova; Normal American Kids, Blue Eyed Soul) that push them above Star Wars.
 
Viking Dan said:
View attachment 140410

I managed to get ahold of an advanced copy of Cruel Country.
I'm not sure I would hang the "Country" label on the album.
There are a couple of songs that fit the label - but most country albums I know of don't employ symphonic sounding horns as texture.

Rather, this is the most Grateful Dead adjacent album in the catalogue.
If you consider American Beauty or Workingman's Dead as "country albums" then I guess this one is too.
Don't expect freeform jams - but there's room for some of that in a live setting on a few of the songs.

There aren't really any "bangers" on this one so it didnt reach out an grab me as a "this rules" kind of album.
But after 2-3 days with it -it has really grown on me.

My one word description of the album would be "languid".
This will make for a great, laid back, live set at Mass MoCA , especially if they have some players for some of the extras that add texture to the songs.

After about 5 days my favorites are :
Darkness is Cheap
Bird Without A Tail/Base of My Skull
Many Worlds
Mystery Binds (My favorite to date - this is could end up a staple of the live shows as the color Neil adds to this one is a fantastic hook).

New Rankings:
1. YHF
2. Summerteeth
3. Being There
4. Ode To Joy
5. A Ghost Is Born
6. Cruel Country
7. Schmilco
8. Wilco (The Album)
9. A.M.
10. Star Wars
11. The Whole Love
12. Sky Blue Sky
Click to expand...
hey that Dead comparison has me pretty amped up to hear this now.
 
Viking Dan said:
View attachment 140410

I managed to get ahold of an advanced copy of Cruel Country.
I'm not sure I would hang the "Country" label on the album.
There are a couple of songs that fit the label - but most country albums I know of don't employ symphonic sounding horns as texture.

Rather, this is the most Grateful Dead adjacent album in the catalogue.
If you consider American Beauty or Workingman's Dead as "country albums" then I guess this one is too.
Don't expect freeform jams - but there's room for some of that in a live setting on a few of the songs.

There aren't really any "bangers" on this one so it didnt reach out an grab me as a "this rules" kind of album.
But after 2-3 days with it -it has really grown on me.

My one word description of the album would be "languid".
This will make for a great, laid back, live set at Mass MoCA , especially if they have some players for some of the extras that add texture to the songs.

After about 5 days my favorites are :
Darkness is Cheap
Bird Without A Tail/Base of My Skull
Many Worlds
Mystery Binds (My favorite to date - this is could end up a staple of the live shows as the color Neil adds to this one is a fantastic hook).

New Rankings:
1. YHF
2. Summerteeth
3. Being There
4. Ode To Joy
5. A Ghost Is Born
6. Cruel Country
7. Schmilco
8. Wilco (The Album)
9. A.M.
10. Star Wars
11. The Whole Love
12. Sky Blue Sky
Click to expand...
Hey @TenderLovingKiller® , I seem to recall you're a Dead fan and a fan of Wilco's but not their recent stuff so much, maybe? This might pique your interest as it did mine.
 
Bennnnn said:
hey that Dead comparison has me pretty amped up to hear this now.
Click to expand...
Don’t get me wrong it’s a Wilco album, but there are some songs where I hear them loud and clear.

It might be the intonation Neil uses on the slide guitar with some tunes.

It could be that Two of my favorites on the album are 5+ and 7+ minutes and don’t end where/how they started out.

And like I said it feels very languid throughout - at times I get a real Unbroken Chain vibe.

So - I’m calling it Dead adjacent. But the melody structures and choices are still very Wilco - if that makes any sense.
 
BjorgenFjorgen said:
Hey @TenderLovingKiller® , I seem to recall you're a Dead fan and a fan of Wilco's but not their recent stuff so much, maybe? This might pique your interest as it did mine.
Click to expand...
I appreciate the tag and this does pique my interest a great deal. I need to pay more attention to what @Viking Dan is saying instead of just giving him shit for his hot takes.
 
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