Ryan's Top 10: Number 6

#6 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

I’ve got to say….I’ve enjoyed the hell out of this album, but it took me a while to get to that point. I read a lot about this album when it first came out, and I got the feeling that the general consensus was this was Wilco’s Adult Contemporary album. Now I could never gather enough information to get a feel for what that really meant, or whether it was supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing. Regardless, I’ve really enjoyed Sky Blue Sky. I like to think the album has an overall cheerful feel to it, which is refreshing. There are not too many good albums (that I listen to anyways) nowadays would I classify as “cheerful.” From the initial, light-hearted “Either Way”, past the lazy reminiscence of the title track, to the comforting finale “On and On and On”, the album has a relax, dare I say adult-contemporary, feel. Wow. Adult-contemporary is definitely something I would not have used to describe an album I loved 5 or 6 years ago. To me, adult contemporary was always Rod Stewart or Bryan Adams. Stuff like that. I would never have imagined myself loving something “adult-contemporary”. It has such a grown up, refuse to bend the rules, negative sounds to it. But maybe the way I feel about this album simply describes a transitional state that my life seems to be in. As I slowly progress through my later 20-ies, on the cusp of entering the real world, with all the forced-realization that obtaining a job will offer, maybe I’m slowly transitioning to a more adult contemporary lifestyle. Maybe I’m slowly becoming less Smashing Pumpkins and more Goo Goo Dolls. Or maybe, just maybe, Sky Blue Sky is just a damn good album, that I would’ve enjoyed regardless of current life-state. Either way, I’m glad Wilco put it out. Now if I could just see them perform it live……

Wilco - Either Way

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Kinda makes you wanna run out and buy a Volkswagon...don't it?

RR

[EDIT] Sorry about the bandwidth problem. I just fixed things, so if you weren't able to sample a song....give it another go. Once again, sorry. I guess I'm just posting too much.

Free Wilco Stuff.....

Well, "free" if you've already purchased the Sky Blue Sky album. Apparently, Wilco are releasing a European Tour edition of the Sky Blue Sky album, which contains a five song bonus disc.

Cool part, though, is if you've already purchased the album, you don't need to buy it again to get the five songs. You can download the tracks for free.

All you do (according to the email I received) is insert your Sky Blue Sky CD into your computer, connect to the internet, launch the EXTRAS.MOV section of the special features and follow the directions on screen.

The files come as a 1.30 MB ZIP file.

The tracks are as follows:

1. The Thanks I Get
2. Let's Not Get Carried Away
3. One True Vine
4. Impossible Germany (Live in Denver Sept. '07)
5. Hate it Here (Live in Denver Sept. '07)

Doesn't make much sense to me that the European Tour edition would have two live tracks from a Denver show, but whatever....

I don't have my Wilco CD with me at work today, so I won't be able to download the songs until later this evening, but if you get to them before me, let me know what you think.

I haven't heard any of the first three.

RR

Just a reminder...

Wilco. Austin City Limits. Premiers tonight. Check local listings here. It'll be worth it just to see Nels rip through the You Are My Face solo. Bitchin'!

BK

Wilco, Part Deux

Yes, Tweedy actually did wear that suit (photo thanks to "Wendy" from ViaChicago.org)

For the second time in the last few months, I saw Wilco. For the second time in the last few months, I was blown away. I caught them at the Wexner Theater, located on the campus of The Ohio State University (home of the country's most overrated football team). I am fluffing WIlco to no end these days, so Tweedy could fart in the mic for two hours and I'd think it was a helluva show (not really). My most memorable memories:

+ A fantastic opener of Sunken Treasure and You Are My Face. Sunken Treasure is a melancholy song perhaps, but the emotion and intensity of Tweedy's voice, along with the booming drums of Glenn Kotche and Nels lap steel, make this song very powerful. Tweedy had the entire audience hanging on his words and the chorus just pulls a string -- "I am so out of tune with you." After the closing build up that ends Sunken Treasure, Wilco hit us hard from another direction with an always rocking You Are My Face. This song is just great rock and roll and Nels chops definitely don't disappoint in the live setting. It was a great contrast to Sunken Treasure yet did not drop the intensity.

+ Here's the setlist,, courtesy of Wilcobase:

Wilco
2007-10-16
Wexner Center, Ohio State University
Columbus, OH

1. Sunken Treasure
2. You Are My Face
3. Company In My Back
4. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
5. Handshake Drugs
6. A Shot In The Arm
7. Side With The Seeds
8. Via Chicago
9. Impossible Germany
10. Sky Blue Sky
11. Forget The Flowers
12. Hummingbird
13. Jesus, Etc. (w/ Andrew Bird on violin)
14. Walken
15. I'm The Man Who Loves You
16. The Late Greats

Encore 1:
17. Hate It Here
18. Heavy Metal Drummer
19. In A Future Age
20. Spiders (Kidsmoke)

Encore 2:
21. Airline To Heaven
22. Too Far Apart
23. Red-Eyed And Blue
24. I Got You (At The End Of The Century)
25. Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Look at all of the Being There and AM stuff. As a late straggler to Wilco, I am not one who is always yearning for old Wilco, but for those of us who missed the Being There days, it's pretty damn cool to see some of these songs in rotation. The boys saved a bulk of them for late in the night and, after finally catching a Red-Eyed and Blue > I Got You > Outtasite, I was a happy camper. No better way for them to send us home.

As I always say with these guys, check them out if they come near. You will not be disappointed. As always, I had many more thoughts on the show, but since 5 days have now passed, I forgot most of them. Although the Columbus show is not currently available (I did not see any tapers), last night's Charlottesville show is and it features the very same Sunken Treasure > You Are My Face opener. Check it out below. Note: this has been converted to mp3. If you are interested in higher quality, go to bt.etree.org and download the flacs.

Sunken Treasure from Charlottesville, 10/20/07
You Are My Face from Charlottesville 10/20/07

[Buy Wilco here]

BK

Back from Hiatus

And by hiatus....i actually mean Boston. I was lucky enough to make my first trip to Boston this past week, which was also lucky enough to include my first trip to Fenway Park. It was magnificant....the most beautiful baseball park I have ever seen, plus we got to see a Red Sox win and a Big Papi grand slam. But unfortunately, the trip was work related, so there was actually quite a bit of "working" going on and internet access was at a premium.

Beautiful, huh?

So, I apologize for the brief stint of inactivity around here at Radio KGB. But, sometimes work does find a way to get in the way of life.

But I did manage to listen to some tuneage whilst on my trip. See, my birthday also passed by us last week, and my wife surprised me with Wilco's latest CD, Sky Blue Sky (which i have no excuse for not having previously purchased, other than sheer laziness). But it was a pleasant surprise, and I spent the majority of my trip taking it in. You can purchase Wilco here.

I also used the trip to catch up on a few other albums that you've been reading a lot about around here, but I, myself, had never taken the time to purchase. I downloaded both Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (buy here) and The National's Boxer (buy here) and gave them listens. I'm extremely happy to say that none of the three were let downs. They were what I thought they were.

So, with all that being said, I apologize for my lengthy absence here and promise to back into regular posts (some of which may even be worthwhile and inciteful) and maybe even a damn Webcast which i've put off since about April. I'll leave you with a few songs I enjoyed on my trip, which by now you all probably have......

Wilco - Either Way

Spoon - Don't Make Me a Target

The National - Fake Empire

I actually just realized that all three of these are the first songs on their respective albums. Hmm, I promised I listened to the whole albums....I promise i did!!

RR

Six Pack

It's been real slow 'round here these last few days. Reckon everyone is busy with school and things much less important than music. The dog days of August are almost upon us, meaning that we have passed the midpoint for the year. Since I love making lists, I figured this Six Pack would include my favorite 6 songs of the year thus far. Yes, some of them are songs I've previously posted but that's why they're up again -- they rock.

1. Spoon -- Black Like Me from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga :: I've really been digging the new Spoon album and I probably could pick three songs from it that would be in contention. For the moment, this is the song. Love the intro with the weaving piano!
[Buy Spoon here]

2. Wilco -- You Are My Face from Sky Blue Sky :: Still not sure about this album, but You Are My Face is crunchy guitar goodness. This shows the power that is Nels on guitar -- see around 1:28.
[Buy Wilco here]

3. Centro-matic -- Atlanta from Operation Motorcide :: I've posted about this song already. Will Johnson is the man and this song is catchy as hell. I'm constantly humming this song throughout the day.
[Buy Centro-matic here]

4. John Doe -- Hotel Ghost from A Year In The Wilderness :: Built on a soaring guitar rift, this song is. It starts a little soft, but as we hear about caressing skeletons, guitar takes off and is oh so good. Me fail english thats unpossible.
[Buy John Doe here]

5. Dinosaur Jr -- Back To Your Heart from Beyond :: Another repost -- a love song only as Dino Jr can write. Of course the guitar hook is nice, but I dig the subtle harmonies late in the song just as much. Go figure?
[Buy Dino Jr here]

6. The National -- Ada from The Boxer :: Yet another repost. The Boxer is probably in my top 3 for albums at the moment and this is my favorite on the disc. I like the story in the song and how the instruments contribute to that story, especially the bittersweet piano throughout.
[Buy The National here]

Welp, that's it for now. Just like a preseason college football poll, this shit is useless until we reach the end of the season. Please feel free to pimp songs for me.

BK

Yummy...Wilco

What the fuck are they de-constructing this time?

This week's Six Pack is an all Wilco affair. I've been inundated with these guys this week, as I just finished reading Greg Kot's book Wilco Learning How To Die [buy here] and I saw the VW commercials a ton while watching The British Open. Hey, I can't complain about that. These Wilco cuts come from the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot demos. Enjoy!

Kamera (alternate version)
Poor Places
Magazine Called Sunset
I'm The Man Who Loves You
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Nothing Up My Sleeve


BK

Sunday Six Pack

This week for the Sunday Six Pack, I took a trip back in time to middle school where, instead of listening to The Chronic and Doggystyle, I listened to the following songs, well at least the first four. The last two are later additions that present Bryan, playing past Bryan, would've listened to in the future.

The Replacements -- Unsatisfied from Let It Be
[Buy The Replacements here]

Dinosaur Jr -- Freak Scene from Bug
[Buy Dino Jr here]

Guided By Voices -- Office of Hearts from Under the Bushes Under the Stars
[Buy GBV here]

Uncle Tupelo -- I Wanna Destroy You from Still Feel Gone [Buy UT here]

Wilco -- Red Eyed and Blue > I Got You (At The End of The Century) from Nashville TN 10/29/2002 [Buy Wilco here]

The Hold Steady -- Cattle And The Creeping Things from Separation Sunday
[Buy The Hold Steady here]

BK

Sunday Six Pack

How's this for random? I should've named my dog Blitzen Trapper or Wolf Blitzer.

More random goodness for you, although a few days late again. I realized tonight that I post alot of the same bands in these things. After a moment, I decided I didn't care too much because I listen to music like crackheads do crack, voraciously. Without further adieu, here's what I'm listening to -- no explanations this week though:

1. John Doe -- A Little More Time from A Year In The Wilderness
[Buy John Doe here]

2. Uncle Tupelo -- Factory Belt from No Depression
[Buy UT here]

3. Blitzen Trapper -- Wild Mountain Nation from Wild Mountain Nation
[Buy Blitzen Trapper here]

4. Wilco -- Side With Seeds from Sky Blue Sky
[Buy Wilco here]

5. Paul Westerberg -- We May Be The Ones from Stereo
[Buy Paul Westerberg here]

6. Heart It Races -- Dr. Dog from Heart from Heart It Races EP (Architecture in Helsinki song performed by Dr. Dog)
[Buy Heart It Races here]


BK

"I was there, I blogged the whole thing...."

Hello Syberworld. Last Thursday night, I caught Wilco at the Aronoff Theater in downtown Cincinnati. It was my first summer show and, on the heels of their new album, I was anxious to see these guys again. It,s not unusual for me to anticipate a show from a band I really enjoy, especially in my backyard. However, this was a different feeling. As I,ve mentioned in previous posts, I wasn,t feeling Sky Blue Sky that much. Frankly, other than a handful of songs, I found much of it boring. This was the first time I have felt that way about a Wilco album, including the much criticized A Ghost Is Born.

Here is the setlist:

Shake It Off
You Are My Face
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
Shot In the Arm
Side with the Seeds
Handshake Drugs
Impossible Germany
Sky Blue Sky
Pot Kettle Black
Via Chicago
War On War
Jesus, etc.
Walken
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Hummingbird
---------------
Hate It Here
Poor Places/Spiders (Kidsmoke)
----------------------
What Light
Heavy Metal Drummer

As the setlist shows, we got 8 SBS songs. The overall impression: a great show, but no real change on my stance on SBS songs. Of the 8 that were played, my favorites on the album were Impossible Germany, What Light, and Walken. Live, these songs are plain kickass and simply fantastic. After Thursday, you can add Side With Seeds to that list. The other 4 have their moments. I can,t really complain about Nels lap steel work in the self titled track or his soloing in parts of You Are My Face. Simply put, I can find great sections in all the songs, but I haven,t been able to embrace the entirety like so many other Wilco albums and songs. Oh well, so it goes...perhaps I need more time?


Despite this realization concerning the SBS songs, I can,t complain about anything else. This band is tight, ya,ll. They,ve had a couple years now to gel and they play well and with lots of energy. Other great highlights from the show included Pot Kettle Black, a song I always considered the most underrated on YHF and, for the jamband fan in me that won,t die, a long, played out Spiders with some great Nels moments and a very cool stop start ending. Finally, I realized how much I love Jesus, Etc. I know it,s one of the trendy picks, but I can,t help but drool all over it. I love that song...I loved it so much that I didn,t even realize how much I loved it. I love every aspect of this song, from Tweedy,s lyrics to Nels lap steel to the groove set by Stirrat and Kotche to the soundtrack it played and still plays in my life. Sweet sweetness!

Check out these two Wilco tracks from their 2006 live release, Kicking Television, for a morsel of what you,ll hear at a live show:

Wilco -- Handshake Drugs
Wilco -- Shot In The Arm

[Buy Wilco here]

In other ramblings,

+ Dumbass of the week award goes to me for skipping out on The National in Cincinnati on Friday night. This includes my inability to make the 5 minute trip to Shake It Records to see their in-store performance. I am enjoying the hell out of Boxer and from all the indications, they did not disappoint with their "hometown" show. The excuse of being too tired/still hungover and trying to save some money for Italy is really pretty lame.

+ There's an article over at the NY Times concerning Ryan Adams and his new album Easy Tiger. You can check it out here, in addition to downloading some mp3s and seeing some clips of live performances.

+ Motorcycles are my favorite car. They are fast and dangerous.

BK

Saturday Six Pack IV

Music inspired or somewhat loosely tied to my recent trip to California:

Wilco -- Is That The Thanks I Get? :: This song was recorded for Sky Blue Sky but did not make the final cut. That's too bad really because it'd likely be my favorite song on an otherwise ho-hum album. Luckily, Wilco is always flexible with the tunes and were kind enough to release the studio take of the song.
[Buy Wilco here]

Merle Haggard -- The Bottle Let Me Down :: Listened to Merle on my ride from Indy on Monday night. Damn, wish I would've sung his entire catalogue when we went karoaking on Friday night.
[Buy Merle Haggard here]

Centro-matic -- Patience For The Ride :: This is a tribute to LA and the traffic. We experienced this in all its glory on Monday morning.
[Buy Centro-matic here]

Jay Farrar -- California :: Hey, why the fuck not include this song? It's better than that OC song.
[Buy Jay Farrar here]

Sly and The Family Stone -- If You Want Me To Stay :: I've posted about this song before but I'll post it again because it's just plain awesome. Awesome bass line, awesome funk, awesome voice, just awesome. I tried to get people to sing this with me on Friday night but no one knew it. Now you have no excuse.
[Buy Sly here]

Robbie Fulks -- Believe :: Chalk this up under the Weird Covers file. Robbie Fulks, a country crooner, covering Cher's hit song Believe. Believe this bitches, it's better than Cher's.
[Buy Robbie Fulks here]

Taking the dog to dog obedience school. Maybe I'll learn something too.

BK

The Not-So Midweek Shuffle

Shuffle's back, bitches. Time to open up the iTunes, spin the roulette wheel and see what we're listening to today. Here's hoping it finds my new Kelly Clarkson CD....

1. Radiohead - How to Disappear Completely: For some reason I've come to the realization that I've never posted about Radiohead. That would almost give you the indication that I don't care for them too much. Well, that couldn't be any further from the truth. If I was stranded on a non-Lost-esque island and could only have one bands CDs with me, it would be Radiohead's. This song ranks up there with Paranoid Android as one of my favorite songs of all-time. The string-arrangements are mesmerizing. Its easy to get lost in this song, so in that since, the song has the perfect title. And if you don't know what I mean, put your headphones on, turn the volume up, and just listen to this song. (buy the Kid A CD here).

2. Nick Drake - Which Will: Just did a thing on Nick in my last webcast. This is another song off the Pink Moon album (get it here). Its his plea for a girl to make up her mind. His voice is very soothing, and not nearly as melancholy as Kendall's impressions had led him to believe.

Editor's Note: So as not to tempt the iTunes shuffle god's, full disclosure is expected on my part. I am currently listening to Say Yes by Elliott Smith, but I believe I've already done a little ditty somewhere here on this glorious site, so I'll skip the write-up and we'll continue on. Thank you for your attention.

3. Jack Johnson - The News: This is off his first CD Brushfire Fairytales. (Want it? Yeah, I thought so. Try here.) Honestly not too much to say about this one. I ususally brush past this one. The only line I regularly hear is the one about "Why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die? At least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eye."

4. Wilco - Kicking Television (live): This is the live version off the 2CD live album (get it here) of the same name. It was recorded from a couple shows in Chicago. I love this freakin album. I had always loved Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but was sort of impartial to A Ghost is Born. This CD opened my eyes up to that album. I began to appreciate that album more. This song is off neither of those albums.....so, whatever.

5. Ben Harper - Please Bleed: Speaking of live albums, this song is off the 2CD Live from Mars. (You should give it a try.) I've always liked Ben Harper. He's got like a bajillion cds though. I'm not sure how many I have. This is my favorite though. Its composed of a heavy first CD, followed by a more acoustic based second cd. If you couldn't guess, this is off the second one. I really like the "Good lovers make great enemies" line. Sounds like something out of a Modest Mouse song. It also sounds like he could use a glass of water in this one, though.

I'm happier with where fate has taken us this fine Saturday morning. Time to do some work and think about drinking some beer. Gotta love some extended weekends. Have great Memorial Weekend everybody.

RR

Quickie from Cali

Yo all. I'm currently in the Golden State visiting Gerdon and Rose. I haven't updated much recently, but I am sure you know that Wilco released its new album Sky Blue Sky last Tuesday. Although I am a little meh toward the album, I will say that I really enjoy the album's first single, "What Light". Check out this video of the band doing a little practicing of their first single.



BK

New Wilco preview...

Wilco is due to release their new album Sky Blue Sky on May 15th. If you surf over to their website, you can get a listen of What Light. Check it out here!

Gotta say, it sounds good to these ears. Wilco is about to kick off a worldwide tour in Australia. For perspectives from Tweedy, John Stirratt, and Glenn Kotche on the making of the record, check out the three interviews below.

The Melbourne Beat
Xpress Magazine
The Courier Mail

New Wilco album streaming tonight!

Two days after three tracks from Wilco's new album Sky Blue Sky were leaked, the folks over at Wilcoworld.net have decided to open the vault, sort of. Starting at 1100 PM EDT tonight, Sky Blue Sky will be streamed in its entirety at: http://smartley3.wilcoworld.net/sbs/

It doesn't look like I'll be catching it due to prior plans, so I expect a full report!

In other Wilco news, apparently the band will release one of the tracks from the new album for free download on Monday, March 5th. Read about it here. If I were a betting man, I'd say it'll be one of the three that leaked.

BK