Flipside Movie Emporium

[beltmann]

Yeah. "Spiders" is already vintage Wilco. Whoa.
_________________
"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[Michael Scrutchin]

I'm addicted to A Ghost is Born. At first I didn't think I liked it as much as Being There, Summer Teeth, or Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but it's growing on me, and I can't stop listening to it, over and over. I love it.

I think.
_________________
Michael Scrutchin
Flipside Movie Emporium
www.flipsidearchive.com

[beltmann]

I can't stop listening, either, but that's been true about all of their albums, except for A.M.. (I enjoy that first one, but for me it's not nearly in the same category as the others.) I consider Yankee Hotel Foxtrot a modern masterpiece, so it's probably not fair to hold Ghost to that standard. (Not every film can be Citizen Kane, either.) Yet I don't think it's unreasonable to speak of Ghost in the same breath as Foxtrot--in many ways, it complements and extends the sonic experimentation of the previous album. To me, it sounds like a breeding between YHF and Summer Teeth, with plenty of adventurous progressions. I especially enjoy "Spiders," "Company In My Back," "I'm a Wheel," "The Late Greats," and "Hell Is Chrome."

I hope they appear at Milwaukee's Summerfest this year. (The new, delayed tour begins in May.) I know Fountains of Wayne are returning to Milwaukee; it would be great to see them back-to-back again this summer.

Eric
_________________
"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[beltmann]

Bummer. Looks like Wilco will be spending much of the summer in Europe. I guess I can't blame them for preferring Paris over Milwaukee.

Eric
_________________
"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[Michael Scrutchin]

Wilco's A Ghost is Born was released today. It's currently the top-selling CD at Amazon. I'll be picking it up soon.
_________________
Michael Scrutchin
Flipside Movie Emporium
www.flipsidearchive.com

[beltmann]

My copy arrived Monday. Although I've been listening to the stream at the Wilco website for months, the new album is still simultaneously a thrill and a relief: Thrilling because it contains fresh Wilco, relieving because it doesn't disappoint despite being in the wake of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

I adore a ghost is born, and think Tweedy's lyrics have matured. While he's been experimenting with impressionistic lyrics for some time now, these new songs strike me as borderline genius. He's using words for their abstract sonic functions far more than for their literal definitions, and I am completely absorbed by them. Even better, his guitar, his distortion, and his feedback regularly punctuate and extend the wordplay--as if he's expressing emotions and thoughts that have no verbal equivalent. He rocks in order to speak.

Eric
_________________
"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[stefanieduckwitz]

Yay, I think I'm picking it up tomorrow, since I'm getting paid! Yay for that
_________________
Stefanie Duckwitz

[stefanieduckwitz]

Yeah, pretty sure I just got home from exclusive. Yeah, I got it. I'm so excited!!
_________________
Stefanie Duckwitz

[beltmann]

The question is, Does A Ghost Is Born contain a potential single?

"The Late Greats" seems the obvious choice. After that, I dunno. Maybe "Handshake Drugs" or "I'm a Wheel." Much of what makes the album so strong is exactly what radio runs screaming from.

Eric
_________________
"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[Danny Baldwin]

Stef's mention led me to be curious, and my favorite, even though this is not really any opinion of validity, is "Theologians".
_________________
Danny Baldwin

View My Reviews

[Michael Scrutchin]

[Danny Baldwin]

[beltmann]

[beltmann]

Remember when Wilco opened Being There with "Misunderstood," a scratchy drum- and guitar-heavy stomp that ended in something like sonic violence? "Misunderstood" had lengthy guitar croaks that functioned less as pop than as aural metaphors for Tweedy's mental state. It forever obliterated the twang of A.M., and announced the band's willingness to evolve. With A Ghost Is Born, the most readily apparent evolution is Tweedy's wholesale embrace of that kind of guitar solo; many of the tracks end in aural noodling composed of repetitions, variations, distortion, and feedback. What's impressive, though, is how Tweedy's noodling has artistic purpose but also entertainment value--it might be noise, but it's boppable noise, every time.

The exception might be the ethereal fadeout of "Less Than You Think," which essentially stretches out a single note, and then static, over 12 droning minutes. Obviously it's a challenge to endure--and certainly unfit for background entertainment--yet surely Tweedy includes it for specific reasons. What are your thoughts on this track?

Eric
_________________
"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[beltmann]

Wilco song I can't get out of my head: "Not For the Season," from the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot demos.

A much more atmospheric version, re-titled "Laminated Cat," was also recorded for Tweedy's side project Loose Fur.

Eric
_________________
"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment