Wilco (the album)

Posted by Troy | Filed under Music

wilco

I got my first CD player for Christmas 1993 and within a few days bypassed the suckers at the mall record store and went straight for Columbia House…(15 CDs for the price of one… oh yeah.)

Within that first batch of CDs, there was only one keeper (guess which epic 1993 album that might be???) along with 14 other albums that ended up in the “pre-owned” rack at The Turntable.

One album I acquired (and immediately sold) during those days before internet music was A.M. by Wilco.  I ordered it strictly based on the album cover art.

It was Jeff Tweedy’s first offering since Uncle Tupelo and a bit too twangy for a geek-grunge kid like me.

I never forgot Wilco though, and when I caught wind of their 2002 alt-country future-classic Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, I snagged it ASAP and was hooked.

Their latest, Wilco (the album) didn’t catch me at first, but after several listens it is growing on me (pretty typical for a Wilco record)… and a guest spot from Feist certainly ups the value of pretty much anything in my book. She and Jeff delicately harmonizing on “You and I” is one of those sounds that you really don’t mind stuck in your head all day long.

The songwriting is fabulous as always… timeless themes of longing, love, lonelines, passion, country, war, self-reliance….

And seemingly more faith then I’ve seen from previous offerings—songs like “Everlasting Everything” speaks of eternal love; “I’ll Fight” of nation-faith martyrdom; “Solitaire” of the crippling agony of self-reliance:

Once I thought the world was crazy
Everyone was sad and chasing
Happiness and love and
I was the only one above it

Once I thought without a doubt
I had it all figured out
Universe with hands unseen
I was cold as gasoline

Took too long to think
I was wrong to believe in me only

Once my life was a game so unfair
It beat me down and kept me there
Unaware of my naysayer
Solitaire was all I was playing

Took too long to see
I was wrong to believe in me only

Permalink | August 20th, 2009

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3 Responses to “Wilco (the album)”

  1. Diane Says:
    August 20th, 2009 at 8:10 pm

    Your blog is beautiful, verbally and visually. (Did I tell you how much I love your splash images?) ;-)
    dk

  2. Troy Says:
    August 21st, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    Thanks DK

  3. Scott Fisk Says:
    August 31st, 2009 at 8:05 pm

    I love this album and think it is especially nice that the cover shots are taken in front of Mader’s restaurant in Milwaukee.

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