I didn't get my Wilco CD and T-shirt and tote bag yesterday. Perhaps they will be delivered today. I sure hope so! I want to wear that t-shirt. I'm going to be like Courtney with her red boots. When she was two, she got a pair of red cowboy boots as a gift and wore them day and night--even to bed over her footed pajamas. There was no dissuading her. So I will be with my KimberlyAnn (The Fan) t-shirt. Watch out!
Having looked forward to Wilco's new CD for so long, I couldn't wait one more second than necessary to hear it. I waited up 'till midnight last night and attempted to download it from Kungfustore's site but the link was broken, whatever that means. I tried everything. I finally ate a few strawberries and waited a bit to see if the link would be repaired and thankfully it was. At 1:00 am I downloaded Wilco (The Album) and listened to it for the first time. Amazing.
These are first impressions, having heard each song only two or three times, but sometimes first impressions are the best so I thought I'd jot them down. I can always change my mind if I want.
I worried I'd not enjoy the new album as much as the others, but I was wrong. I LOVE this album. There's not a dud on it, so far as I can tell. Even Wilco (The Song) is growing on me and at first, I didn't like it. Deeper Down reminds me of Hummingbird. Very nice. One Wing is so very sad that I could only listen once. One Wing (One Time). I do like it, but I'm not so sure I want to listen again for a while. I can't quite put my finger on why, but that song makes my heart ache.
Bull Black Nova is almost too much. Don't get me wrong, I like it, but I'm good with it ending when it does. It's like I'm on the verge of a headache from the repetitive chords or something. It was better live than on the album, IMO, but still a great intense tune.
I love Feist. Leslie has such a unique voice. I am a bit disappointed that the uniqueness of her voice didn't come across as well as it might have on the track You and I. That nitpick aside, I adore the song. Yeah, I know, it's kind of a silly love song and a bit on the light side, but as Sir Paul said, "What's wrong with that?" It's catchy, for certain. It's the one I've been humming all morning.
I also love the pop-ish You Never Know and I'll Fight and Sonny Feeling. That's what is so great about this album--the variety.
Country Disappeared is, at the moment, my favorite from the album. That will change by tomorrow, I'm sure. But I intend to pound this one out on the piano by nightfall. With Courtney and Chloe's help, at least. They've better ears than their mom.
Solitaire and Everlasting Everything are heartbreaking. Beautifully heartbreaking. Especially Everlasting Everything. It's like the pinnacle of Tweedy's album. It seems to perfectly represent the overarching sadness of his music. The ending of the song is butterflies.
Anyway, those are my initial thoughts. I've been torturing myself with Schopenhauer lately. Though he comes across as quite the downer, I must agree with him when it comes to music. Nothing else moves me like music does. There are emotions that are inexpressible in any other way. "Music, since it passes over the Ideas is...quite independent of the phenomenal world, positively ignores it, and, to a certain extent, could still exist even if there were no world at all...." I've often thought that I'd be thrilled to die and exist eternally as a sound. A note. In a minor key. I am B flat.
What a deep well Tweedy gave me with his new album. I love it. Thanks, Jeff.
Kimberly Ann
Great review. Right now, my favorite track is I'll Fight but Solitaire is really growing on me. I like all the songs. I can't stop listening to it.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you plan on using your tote for? I put all my vinyl in mine and hung it on the coat closet door knob. Now I just need to iron-on my name on the back of my t-shirt...Douchebag (fan)
I dunno what I'll use my tote for. I could use it to carry my towel to the pool. Or to hold my collection of stick-n-peel googly eyes. Or I could just let Tarzan sleep in it. Or, more than likely, one of my girls will claim it and put Hannah Montana make-up and Hello Kitty notepads in it. That's what happens to pretty much all my totes. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the album, too. Listened to it all day!
I've been listening to this album non-stop since it came out. One Wing is definitely one of my favorites. Then again, so are I'll Fight, You and I, and Sonny Feeling. Who am I kidding? I love the entire album.
ReplyDelete