Wilco - The Whole Love

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The Fly
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I'm surprised this isn't being discussed. Did anyone catch the web stream on their website over the weekend? Amazing stuff. Discuss.
 
YES. I've been waiting for this thread.
My thoughts (spoiler-tagged in case anyone is waiting for release day):
Great album, and a total grower. Personal highlights: Art of Almost, I Might, Dawned On Me, Black Moon, and Standing O. Like I said in the Music Discussion thread, there's a great mix between pure pop songs and somewhat experimental tracks. This could very well be an Album of the Year contender.

Also, I have no idea how the riff from One Sunday Morning doesn't get annoying over the course of twelve minutes, but I love it.
 
I think I made it through two listens, and I was pleased. I thought Wilco (the album) was pretty good, but it didn't capture my attention for more than a few weeks. Bull Black Nova aside, I thought it was mostly pedestrian; so much of it seemed like a retread of Sky Blue Sky.

The Whole Love showed signs of the ambition and evolution that I'd hoped to see. I think those were electronic drums on Art of Almost, right? It struck me as having an industrial edge to it. Whatever it was, I liked it. Rising Red Lung also stood out to me, even if I remember it as a typical downtempo strummer in the vein of Solitaire, etc. I probably like it just for having such a badass, visually stirring title.

I don't think this will measure up to the Summerteeth -> Ghost period, but it's new music from one of the greatest bands out there. I'll be looking forward to it.
 
This album is out and there's only 6 posts here? I've seen Interference members put up more impressive numbers than that for their own albums. I remember when the Sky Blue Sky stream was a huge deal...but I guess Sky Blue Sky tempered fanbase expectations somewhat.

Really happy to say that this grew on me significantly with the second listen. Dawned On Me and Capitol City are such wonderful callbacks to Summerteeth's pop sensibility (the latter essentially Pieholden Suite with a more coherent structure). There are some aggressively experimental moments too, but the songwriting is so deft (re: plays to the band's strengths, isn't especially sentimental) here that I generally don't care too much about the lack of guitar runs. Art of Almost builds to a fucking awesome crescendo, and the sprawling structure of One Sunday Morning is entirely welcome. I think my favorite track is Black Moon for its warmth and intimacy.

The Whole Love is battling it out with A Ghost Is Born for 4th in my Wilco rankings. TWL doesn't have a great deal of highlights like AGIB, but it doesn't have its head a mile up its own ass either.
 
I don't care, just as long as it doesn't result in even more Wilco bitching. The last thing Laz needs is a partner in whin€.
 
Great album, and a total grower. Personal highlights: Art of Almost, I Might, Dawned On Me, Black Moon, and Standing O. Like I said in the Music Discussion thread, there's a great mix between pure pop songs and somewhat experimental tracks. This could very well be an Album of the Year contender.

Also, I have no idea how the riff from One Sunday Morning doesn't get annoying over the course of twelve minutes, but I love it.

Really happy to say that this grew on me significantly with the second listen. Dawned On Me and Capitol City are such wonderful callbacks to Summerteeth's pop sensibility (the latter essentially Pieholden Suite with a more coherent structure). There are some aggressively experimental moments too, but the songwriting is so deft (re: plays to the band's strengths, isn't especially sentimental) here that I generally don't care too much about the lack of guitar runs. Art of Almost builds to a fucking awesome crescendo, and the sprawling structure of One Sunday Morning is entirely welcome. I think my favorite track is Black Moon for its warmth and intimacy.

The Whole Love is battling it out with A Ghost Is Born for 4th in my Wilco rankings. TWL doesn't have a great deal of highlights like AGIB, but it doesn't have its head a mile up its own ass either.

You've almost convinced me - but not quite - to buy it despite how underwhelmed I was after listening to the stream, and how uninterested I've been in everything since A Ghost is Born. I guess I've been feeling like I'm tired of everything from Tweedy's voice to their whole sound. I'd love to give them another chance but I don't want to be hurt again. :sad:

I did listen to Black Moon again and I will say it is one of the best things I've heard from them in a long time.
 
I have listened to this for a week now and it has really grown on me. Apart from the obviously awesome bookends, this feels like an album full of little pleasures in the production and arrangements. The bells in Capitol City (which are reminiscent of Air France’s Windmill Wedding, I thought), the last 40 seconds of Red Rising Lung, the entirety of The Whole Love. I just feel like they went back to something just slightly more adventurous than the past two albums, and produced a sound in the Summerteeth vein. Nels is also doing wonders in giving more depth to their songs – he seems a bit more unleashed in this album than in his two previous efforts (particularly SBS). I have no question that this is their best album since AGIB – and I’m not a detractor of the past two in any way.

I saw these guys live last week and they continue to be awe-inspiring. Probably the best live show out there. I was happy that they played a full 10-minute version of Sunday Morning, which sounded amazing. Also, after 4 Wilco concerts I finally got to hear Ashes of American Flags live and Nels’ beautiful solo. They actually had a pretty great set overall, and there’s a very good recording available at nyctaper if you are interested.
 
I just read the Pitchfork review. Despite the 6.9 rating, it is actually a really great review so I don't get the rating. Not that I care much what they think.
 
Yeah, I thought exactly the same. It reads like a 8.0 or so review. I don't care about the rating though. I thought the guy did a good job explaining some of what is good in the record.
 
I just read the Pitchfork review. Despite the 6.9 rating, it is actually a really great review so I don't get the rating. Not that I care much what they think.

Yeah, I thought exactly the same. It reads like a 8.0 or so review. I don't care about the rating though. I thought the guy did a good job explaining some of what is good in the record.

The review did read better than the rating would imply. The big issue seemed to be with Tweedy's writing and a lack of focus. Not sure if that's worth dropping an album under the 7 mark, but yeah the scoring is often arbitrary and not as important as the critique itself (assuming one of their respectable writers did it).
 
Burned this to a cd and the thing fucking shattered inexplicably in a stack of other cds I keep in my car. Some kind of omen?

Anyway, haven't gotten to listen yet. Will probably head to Best Buy or some shit and pick up a legit version this week.
 
Burned this to a cd and the thing fucking shattered inexplicably in a stack of other cds I keep in my car. Some kind of omen?


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I need to get this; have heard nothing from it.

I feel so out of the loop - are they on tour? Did I miss my chance to see them in the PNW?
 
I need to get this; have heard nothing from it.

I feel so out of the loop - are they on tour? Did I miss my chance to see them in the PNW?


this is a link to most* of the songs from the album on one youtube link

Wilco The Whole Love - YouTube

the last one, Sunday Morning, seems to be getting the most love

lyrics are there, too
I guess it is about his father's passing



* looks like 2 are missing, 10. Rising Red Lung 11. Whole Love
 
Thanks, deep. I'll definitely be buying the album, despite not having heard any of it yet, so I won't need the preview. :)
 
I'm thinking that I should give Wilco another chance. Would anyone be willing to recommend ten or fifteen songs that encapsulate their career?
 
Let's do this.

Misunderstood
Sunken Treasure
A Shot In The Arm
Via Chicago
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Heavy Metal Drummer
Poor Places
At Least That's What You Said
Muzzle of Bees
Handshake Drugs
Impossible Germany
Bull Black Nova
One Sunday Morning

These songs fucking rule, and you should enjoy listening to them.
 
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