Wilco - Summerteeth
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Free Music Notes for Summerteeth
Free Music Review: A symphonic, sound-filled masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
This is Wilco's third album, and a lot of things written about it say too much was done on it in the studio, and that the album's songs were much stronger before they were fiddled with. That may be, but I've never heard those stripped-down versions, and all I know is what made the album, and I know the album sure sounds great to me.
The songs here are made of something that no other Wilco songs are: countless effects used subtly, wave upon wave of strings, airy effects around the vocals, keyboard notes turned backwards and inside out, and emotions so raw I've that heard Jeff Tweedy, the band's frontman, wept through much of this album's recording.
"She's A Jar" features lyrics so cryptically violent that Natalie Merchant refused to tour with the band because of them. (Good. Who needs her.) "Pieholden Suite" has a minute-long, horn-filled jaunt that sounds, as my brother says, as if the band was so happy with the first part of the song that they decided to throw an impromptu parade. "Via Chicago" may be one of Wilco's very best songs...so lonely, so hopeful. "My Darling" is the perfect lullaby to sing to your kid--if you're slightly creepy.
"Because we made you,
My darling,
With the love
In each of our hearts.
We are a family,
My darling,
Right from the start."
"When You Wake Up Feeling Old" and "Summer Teeth" are joyous songs with bittersweet topics including aging and suicide, and "Candyfloss"--which is tacked onto the album as a bonus track--will be stuck in your head for months.
All the songs are great, the album is great, and seems almost nothing like either the album before it or the album to follow. It's a soft island of studio greatness from a band that's never been into disappointing, that's only ever cared about making great music. You must own it--you must. Get it today.
Free Music Review: Still my favorite Wilco album
Hit: 5 Stars
Even with the great 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' under their belt, Wilco are still seem to be one of the most under-appreciated bands around. You've got legions of Wilco fans that are separated into particular album groups, others are enjoying every album in its own right, and some fans aren't sure at all. Personally, I happen to be in the middle category, but I can still say that 'Summer Teeth' is my all-time favorite and has yet to be topped.
There is just something about this record that makes me feel good, despite the dismal lyrics on most of the songs. Maybe it's the fact that those lyrics are placed cleverly with upbeat melodies, but for me this record always evokes a place in time, like a fond childhood memory. But maybe that's just me.
I never get tired of this album; it's in constant rotation in my car, personal CD player, or blasting from my stereo at home. I fell for "I'm Always In Love" hook, line, and sinker from the beginning because it is definitely the stand-out track on the album, as far as unique sound goes. Then I heard "Via Chicago" and fell in love with Jeff Tweedy's lyrical prowess---he can sing like he is indifferent to what he's saying/feeling like no other. The title track is another favorite. With lyrics like "And every evening when he gets home/To make his supper and eat it alone/His black shirt cries while his shoes get cold", again set to cheerful music, it's hard to know what to feel while listening to it. But with the words "It's just a dream he keeps having", it's like he's trying to reassure that something isn't wrong.
Tweedy's lyrics are like no other in music today, and 'Summer Teeth' showcases not only that, but how different yet enjoyable a great alt-country/alt-pop album can be.
Free Music Review: Apex Versus Turning Point versus Evolutionary Progress?
Hit: 5 Stars
This was the first Wilco album I listened to, and (cliche, I know) was quite blown away. I was giddy for three days. Now I've been a shamelessly obsessive Wilco fan for 5 years or so, and can better digest what this album represents. Take the defining alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, launch a spinoff with Tweedy as frontman, Tweedy takes over, steers the band to ever more progressive obtuse pop. This is the first album where that direction was clear: the irrevocable departure from straight ahead roots rock towards an unknown realm of experimentation (though their latest work remains unapologetically listenable, unlike much of the other stuff promulgated by the likes of Captain Beefheart). Here we still see fairly simple country based ditties, but even in these is visible the desire of Tweedy and company to get a little darker, scarier, more surreal at times. There are upbeat rockers aplenty (Shot in the Arm, Can't Stand It) but listen to the lyrics and you'll see they're well beyond boymeetsgirl. There are breezy country-rock styled riffs, but again, scratch the surface and you'll hear Jeff Tweedy singing about growing old, fighting loneliness, etc. Bonus track Candyfloss is a shameless Beach Boys raveup, pure hyperglycemic pleasure. My two favorites are quite dark: She's a Jar (somehow it's about physical abuse and pervasive disappointment, though the lyric is a bit obtuse at times)and Via Chicago (darkest imagery, powerfully presented). Even with the breakthroughs of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born (their two subsequent albums) Summerteeth remains my favorite. The next two continue to depart from the pop mainstream while remaining quite accessible; Summerteeth was closer in, more comforting, more satisfying in a very basic way.
Free Music Review: Quite possibly my favorite Wilco album
Hit: 5 Stars
Maybe it's because I live out in the country and don't listen to the radio, but I got on the Wilco boat after most folks had been around the lake a few times. There was a huge buzz surrounding Wilco after the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2002, but I didn't get my hands on it until much later. After I fell in love with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, I was recommended Summerteeth. While I'm on the boat now, I still consider myself a newcomer to the Wilco. I don't have all the albums yet and I haven't read the books (though I did enjoy the documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart), so this review is for all those other newcomers that I eager to find out what this Wilco band is all about.
One thing that strikes me as odd is that across the board, Wilco is classified as a country band. I'm not sure how that happened, but to all those narrow minded folks out there saying "I like all kinds of music except country," don't be like that; give it a shot. I maintain that truly great music transcends genre. The arrangements of these songs are rich with harmonicas, piano, guitar, and ambient electronic noise. The lyrics are nothing short of brilliant.
Summerteeth is not as intricate as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. That isn't a criticism, just an observation. Summerteeth is a shining example of Wilco's beautiful and humble beginnings.
Truly excellent tracks: Can't Stand It, She's A Jar, I'm Always In Love, Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again), Pieholden Suite, Via Chicago, My Darling,
Songs that will grow on you: A Shot In The Arm, How To Fight Loneliness, ELT, When You Wake Up Feeling Old, Summer Teeth
Free Music Review: An immense achievement
Hit: 5 Stars
Summer Teeth, the long-awaited follow-up to Being There, finds Wilco shifting gears into defiantly pop terrain, abandoning the group's country roots while maintaining the earthy quality of it's music. The album's title accurately characterizes the material: a dark lyrical vision wedded to melodic, inventively arranged music. The album emerges fully formed, opening with an eruption of mellotron and keyboard flourishes driven by the tastefully insistent guitar line of first single, "Can't Stand It." From then on, Wilco builds upon several different pop styles, adding any number of keyboard tracks and harmony vocals to the songs. The musical innovations of Summer Teeth alone should make the album great, but Tweedy also felt inclined to test the bounds of his lyrical muse, singing any number of disturbing lyrics throughout the album. Despite the sunny quality and catchiness of most of the songs, Tweedy's words set the tone of the album, and the listener soon realizes not to trust the lyrical voice, as on "How to Fight Loneliness" and "We're Just Friends." The album's centerpiece, however, is "Via Chicago," featuring a dissonant guitar section that just may be the most transcendent musical moment of the year. Whereas Being There found the group experimenting with various musical styles insofar as they related to roots-rock, Summer Teeth finds Wilco no less willing to push the sonic and lyrical envelope while fully exploring it's pop inclinations. It's an album deserving of much praise that reflects the continuing interest and love Tweedy and his fellows share of music.