Being There Review

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Being There ReviewSix years before the much lauded masterpiece "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", Wilco released "Being There", an ambitious double album that utilized many of the foundations of rock & roll, yet made them sound fresh. Also, if you heard "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and scratched your head at the whole "alt. country" label they're saddled with, it may make more sense after listening to this.
First off, I should say that "Being There" could've fit onto one disc. But once you hear it, you'll see why they put it onto two. For instance, "Misunderstood" and "Sunken Treasure" open Disc 1 and 2, respectively. Each one clocks in at nearly 7 minutes, and utilize similar structures; slow building epics that climax in blasts of psychadelic/avant-garde guitar noise. They both function as centerpieces, and simply work a lot better, aesthetically, as opening songs.
"Monday" is a hard rockin' Rolling Stones pastiche if you'll ever hear one. Deliciously catchy and fun, it'll be stuck in your head for days. "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" and "I Got You" are both carefree, infectious power-pop at its best. The former also appears on Disc 2 as "Outta Mind (Outtasite)" with a toned down, Beach Boys-like arrangement (check out the great vocal harmonies in the background).
"Hotel Arizona" is a personal favorite of mine that blends swirling, atmospheric textures with traditional folk, pop, and rock elements.
Whereas most of the songs have a very subtle country sound, "Far Far Away" and "Forget The Flowers" are pure county-western, twangy guitar and all.
Best of all is the melancholy/bittersweet "The Lonely 1", a reflective ballad (about the whole rock & roll lifestyle) that combines gentle accoustic guitars, piano, and strings.
The album ends with "Dreamer In My Dreams", a freewheeling, bluesey rocker that's also highly reminiscent of the Rolling Stones.
Other standouts include the soulful "What's the World Got In Store", the rootsy-ballad "Say You Miss Me", the gentle folk of "Someone Else's Song", the blues-rock of "Kingpin", and "Why Would You Wanna Live", which has a old timey, music hall feel.
I've given the album 4.5 Stars, because although it is excellent, Wilco would get even better with subsequent releases (such as the aforementioned "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", the lush pop of "Summerteeth", and their newest release, the stark & haunting "A Ghost is Born"). So basically, "Being There" is the first of a bunch of essential releases from Wilco. Don't miss out on this great band.
Highly Recommended.
Best Songs: The Lonely 1, Hotel Arizona, Sunken Treasure, Someone Else's Song, Misunderstood, What's The World Got In Store, Outta Mind (Outta Site).
Being There OverviewNo Description Available.Genre: Popular MusicMedia Format: Compact DiskRating: Release Date: 29-OCT-1996

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Sky Blue Sky Review

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Sky Blue Sky ReviewProbably my favorite thing about Wilco is that each of their albums is completely different from one another... however, what makes their latest effort different from previous ones is that it's hard to categorize this record. It's not experimental like YHF, it's not alt-countryish like A.M., it's not raw like Ghost is Born... it's mostly just a bunch of simple, beautiful songs, half of them being ballad-like. I'll say right now that, outside of a couple blazing guitar solos from Nels Cline, I don't think that Jeff uses the instrumental talent of his bandmates (or himself) enough on this record. I thought "Ghost is Born" had some unbelievable percussion and guitar moments, and that is mostly lacking on "Sky Blue Sky". With that said, I've already found myself singing along to all 12 tracks on this record, and the best moment for me is the very opening acoustic guitar strumming on the first track, "Either Way", followed by a classic-sounding opening vocal from Jeff, which has already been hard to match in the live performances of the song.
You gotta respect a guy who plays before thousands of people at most shows and decides to make a quiet, little record to tour off of. Wilco is one of those bands that is not meant for the big arena, and this album, probably more than any of their others, will be unkind to the big venue. It'll be interesting to see how the band delivers these mostly quiet little songs to a large mass of fans.Sky Blue Sky OverviewWilco's first studio album in three years, Sky Blue Sky, has been perhaps the most ardently awaited release of '07. Eager fans had taken to shouting out pleas for information to bandleader Jeff Tweedy during his recent solo acoustic tour, and the web chatter has been virtually deafening. Critic Katie Toms of London's The Observer addressed fan speculation in an advance review, declaring, with unalloyed delight:Boy, was it worth the wait.... Simple and soothing, yet rich and rewarding, this is an album you unknowingly yearn for, like a cool hand on a hot forehead. A great album from a band in their primeSky Blue Sky is as eloquently straightforward as Wilco's last studio recording, the Grammy-winning A Ghost Is Born, was daringly experimental. Tweedy's lyrics deal forthrightly with romantic separation and reconciliation, their bittersweet quality giving way, as the album progresses, to a more uplifting, redemptive mood. Tweedy quite literally banishes the darkness on the penultimate track, the inspiring, gospel-tingedWhat Light the album's first single and concludes with a deeply affecting, 'til-death-do-us-part lullaby,On and On and On. There are hints of early-seventies Southern California folk-rock sweetness in the harmonies throughout the band-produced Sky Blue Sky, a bluesy Allman Brothers feel to the guitar /keyboard interplay, and plenty of brash guitar solos that take songs likeYou Are My FaceandShake It Offin thrilling, unexpected directions. This is especially good news for the crowds that will fill the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, this June, where the band plays the first U.S. date of its 2007 world tour in support of Sky Blue Sky. Principal songwriter Tweedy cut these tracks in the band's Chicago studio with members John Stirratt (bass, vocals), Glenn Kotche (drums), Mike Jorgensen (keyboards), Nels Cline (guitars) and Pat Sansone (guitars, keyboards, vocals) all of whom are also becoming notable performers in their own right. A Ghost Is Born co-producer Jim O'Rourke returns as music contributor.

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