Last night, around 2am, I started downloading Wilco's new record, Blue Sky Blue. I'd already heard several tracks in various incarnations, whether live recordings of the entire band or one of Tweedy's many solo concerts, and I have to say that the some of the album versions are very different. Overall, you cannot mistake this album for anything except a rock n' roll record channelling late 70s American arena rock. It's that simple. There's no new sonic innovations or Brian Wilson-esque pop songs. Using the strength of the musicianship in the current lineup, Tweedy crafts a record that takes the listener back to a time when AM radio was mainstay (I say this having actually never lived through that era myself so it's what I imagine it to be from everything I've ever read, seen, or heard). This isn't new territory for Wilco; Being There as several tracks that reference this era, and one of the most straightforward tracks on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, "Heavy Metal Drummer,"specifically highlights the enjoyment of listening to music of that era (even if it's played in the eighties by bad cover bands). What comes through is that Wilco isn't make a record to change indie rock. No, they've done that. Now they're making records that remind them of what made them love music to begin with.
I can already see the backlash on the music blogs, but if you've followed the career of Wilco it isn't surprising that a record like Blue Sky Blue would come out on May 15. Some people might be disappointed but I'm not one of them. This album is a grower and if you're wanting the latest Radiohead record then I suggest you go pick up that one 'cause this record is nothing like those pompous English rockers (whiners)* and hopefully Blue Sky Blue will finally end the mass of critics calling Wilco "the American Radiohead."
* Remember, gentle readers, that I dispassionately hate the following bands: Radiohead, Tool, and Pearl Jam. I actively hate the following: Dave Matthews Band, Phish, and Panic! At the Disco simply because of their 300 years too late use of the exclamation point.
Wilco - Impossible Germany (live)
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I really want to post a Wilco track today instead of Joe Jackson so I will but I am going to talk about another one of my favourite Joe Jackson songs, "Be My Number Two," off the album Body & Soul. Once again, it's about heartbreak and settling but I enjoy it. It's a sad one and it's a piano ballad.
I have to ask if anyone is actually downloading these tracks or even enjoys my commentary an semi-obscure English rocker. If I don't get any replies then I think I might stop this project.
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UPDATE: New Kelly Clarkson!!! Decide for yourself if it's any good.
Kelly Clarkson - Never Again
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