downtime = listening time
Happy Wilco record release day!
After hurting my back last Thursday, I was stuck on the couch until Monday morning. Sadly, I had to cancel plans to see a Rhett Miller concert on Saturday, but this stretch of downtime was salvaged by a nice little surprise in my mailbox that day:
[caption id=”attachment_4115219766" align=”aligncenter” width=”490" caption=”the deluxe version!”]
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Three days early! Thank you, Kung Fu Store. So, I’ve had some time to give this album several spins, enough to at least get an idea of each track musically. (Lyrical figuring out will follow. I’m a Lyrics Girl, but I’m notorious for mishearing lyrics. Need to study those liner notes first.)
First thoughts on each track, and their completely oversimplified labels. Spoiler: They’re all either “like” or “love.” Maybe I’m just excited because it’s been a long time since one of my semi-official Top 5 artists came out with a new album.
“Art of Almost”
The Mindblowing One.
And I say this as someone who gets impatient with jamming and doesn’t love Radiohead, whose sound this keeps being compared to. It would also be a perfect roller coaster soundtrack, especially in the last three minutes: building, careening, curving, looping in tighter and tighter, and then coming to a stop.
“I Might”
The Familiar One.
I’ve been listening to this over and over since hearing it for the first time in June, and every time, it just gets more fun to sing/shout along with. Plus, easy points for the (simulated?) organ. Very Doors-ish! (“But that’s not a compliment,” the Serious Music Fans reply. Whatevs.)
“Sunloathe”
The Sleepy One.
It takes a bit to get going, but it’s worth it, especially on headphones, when all the delicate layers come out. I keep reading Beatles comparisons for this one. Okay, yeah.
“Dawned On Me”
The Earworm One.
I dare you to listen to this and not have it stuck in your head all day. Or is it just me? More straightforward rock-poppy than most of the other tracks. Refreshing way to switch things up.
“Black Moon”
The Sorta Sad Cowboy One.
Do I hear slide guitar? I think I do. Insta-points. And strings? Yes, please. Somehow, though, “Rising Red Lung” (which as a similar, but not totally the same, sound) packs more of a punch.
“Born Alone”
The Fun One.
Super-catchy, like “Dawned On Me,” but my favorite of the two, for its constant punch of great lyrics (even pre-booklet-studying) and the nifty “Chopsticks”-like repeating pounding notes (especially near the frenetic end).
“Open Mind”
The Sky Blue Sky-ish One.
That’s not a bad thing. It’s more simple and earnest than most of the others (in that there isn’t a two-thirds-of-the-way-through guitar freakout or anything), but it has a nice familiar, classic quality to it. Almost thought it was a cover at first.
“Capitol City”
The Unexpected One.
Heyyy, what’s happening here? Worth it for the fade-out church bells alone. So cool. The jaunty old-timey sound reminds me of guys dancing Mr. Peanut-style, with monocoles and canes. Which is also cool.
“Standing O”
The Organ-tastic One
I really, really hope audience members do the handclaps at live shows (a la The Wallflowers’ “Sleepwalker). Even if they don’t, this one has some wonderful energy and juicy layers of organ, synthesizers and all kinds of other fun sounds.
“Rising Red Lung”
The Nick Drake-ish One.
Beautiful. The way all the instrumental textures work together is impressive on so many of these songs, but especially on here. Especially like the quivery strings and the drumrolls near the end that sound like an old-time war march.
“Whole Love”
The Happy One.
Okay, we have the Fun One and the Happy One. Is that a bad thing? This one seems to resolve any stresses and loose ends that developed over the course of the previous songs. A very victorious, satisfying song, sequenced perfectly. And there is falsetto.
“One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)”
The Really Long But Never Seems Long One.
I’m amazed at how that same basic guitar melody loops so gently through the entire song, but somehow there’s constant, compelling forward movement. Also, this is going to require some extensive studying of the lyrics booklet.
