Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (CD/DVD)
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Free Music Notes for Sky Blue Sky (CD/DVD)
Free Music Review: Wilco f**king triumphs
Hit: 5 Stars
I really think the over-simplification that a lot of critics have been spewing forth about this album is just lazy. They just went along with the storyline of Tweedy's current vibe following his recovery as the humble and direct bandleader who 'really wants us to like this record', and how he just wanted to sing some songs for people. So, they write their little reviews about it being 'simple' and 'straightforward' 70s influenced...blah blah blah.
Anyone who has ever actually made a record within the last 10 years though knows how much less musicianship it takes to do 1,000 overdubs and then cut, paste, and edit like a madman in pro-tools to make it sound the way you want than to do it the way Wilco did on this record.
Most records today are of this cut and paste variety, with the producers and engineers often having as much or more to do with the record's final sound than the musicians themselves.
However, I still feel their is something magical about a band playing together in a room, and being able to pull it off 99% live and really capturing the moment, which to me is what rock 'n' roll is truly about. You can see and hear the amount of time and energy the band spent playing together and working out these arrangements...plus the fact that they all play together and don't try to play over each other...it's just a great band of talented, mature musicians. Something very hard to find these days.
To me this is like how the Beatles' "Let It Be" album would have turned out if they were all still working together as a cohesive unit - great rock songs with tons of feeling, played to perfection. Long Live Wilco!!!!
Free Music Review: Simply lyrical and melodic
Hit: 5 Stars
Wilco's Sky Blue Sky has a 1970s feel to it. Music aficionados may hear a little Steely Dan, John Lennon, and Neil Young, and other various musical influences within each track. However, the sound hearkens back to the band's previous albums, A.M. and Being There as well as a little folk-like renderings that are reminiscent of the the band's collaboration with Billy Bragg on the Mermaid Avenue recordings, and the songs are more melodic and less experimental than what was heard on A Ghost Is Born and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot; in essence, the sound is raw and stripped down, and less of a big production.
Sky Blue Sky has a mix of musical styles. From the folk-like "What Light" and the title track, "Sky Blue Sky" to the impeccable guitar-work on "Impossible Germany," listeners will get a good sample of how Wilco' musical style has matured. And worth noting, "Please Be Patient With Me" is one of the beautiful sounding tracks on the record, musically and lyrically. Indeed, this album shows how the band's sound has developed.
In addition, the special deluxe edition of the CD contains an interesting DVD, which shows a live performance by the band at their Loft Studio, interviews of the band members, and background information about the production of Sky Blue Sky. The live performance is impressive, and a few of the live versions sound better than the studio recordings, "Impossible Germany," "Walken," and "Hate it Here."
All of the songs on Sky Blue Sky has a listen while you drive feel. Therefore, this edition of the CD is recommended for listening. However, the DVD should not be viewed while driving.
Free Music Review: One of the greats
Hit: 5 Stars
I already had 4 or 5 promotional mp3s from this album and wasn't really going to buy it. Those songs grew on me slowly and I thought they were a disappointing departure from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Eventually I found myself listening to those songs several times a day. I'm glad I bought the full cd/dvd. The songs I hadn't heard hit me quickly. Yes, it is more stripped down than their last few but there is still that unmistakable Wilco blend of comfort and experimentation. People like to point out the similarities they hear to other artists and that's cool - but in the end this is all Wilco. Probably my favorite active band right now. With this album, I feel they have proven they can do what they want and rank with the greats. Their albums will be around 100 years from now.
I like Stephen B. Wright's observance in another review: they can realease great albums each time out and still piss off a portion of their fanbase with each one. For now, I'm a fan of all of it.
Regarding the DVD - I don't normally like interviews where the writers go on about everything they were thinking and blah blah blah. It usually sounds a little corny and self-important. Let the music speak for itself. The interviews here are pretty good - not embarrassing. The performances, though, are the reason to get it. Good stuff .
Free Music Review: Sweet & Soulful
Hit: 5 Stars
Sky Blue Sky is an album that is at one sweet and soulful. The melodies are Southern California-ish with a blues twist. An album of love and love lost, this is one of the cleanest and most emotive works I've listened to in a long time.
The acoustics are sweet and the electric counterpoint somewhat disharmonious but engaging and stand in optimum counterpoint to both the acoustics and the vocals.
Particularly engaging are the opening track, Either Way, which is an unusually wistful tune, the bluesy Hate it Here, a song of love lost, the title track which is easy listening at its best and the closer, Walken, the most morose yet engaging true love song I may have ever heard.
I have to admit that Wilco is a band that mostly has passed me by. My son gave this to me as a gift and I have listened to it for a bit every day for 3 months. It's an album that gets under your skin and that begs for another spin. What more can you ask for?
The DVD portion is fine--but the bottom line is that this is an ageless album both musically and lyrically. For those who crave intelligent, tuneful rock, this is an A1 pick!
Free Music Review: SOUNDS FOR SORE EARS - BEST MUSIC IN A WHILE
Hit: 5 Stars
I saw Wilco in a bar in Pittsburgh just after their first album came out.
Took my teenage kids, might've been their first rock show. We
high-fived the guys after the show as they were going downstairs to the dressing room. They've come a long, long, way.
The tunes have really expanded - sometimes I don;t know what Mr. Tweedy is trying to say, but the way he writes tickles me like no one has in the last twenty years or so.
The new lead guitarist is THE INCARNATION OF JOHN CIPOLLINA (RIP - from Quicksilver MEssenger Service of long ago). Nels, you are the MAN! The guitar work and melodies on this album defy description. The bass playing is PERSIAN RUG! The drummer is CONCRETE SOLID. The keys add PECAN PIE & WHIPPED CREAM. I know you fellas won;t make another like this, but WILCO, you're in a great groove here. Folks, buy the recording with the DVD, it's a great look inside the band as they run through some tunes in their practice pad. WOWSA!