For longtime Wilco fans, hearing they were making a country album was pretty damn thrilling. What would a Wilco country album sound like in 2022? Wilco has morphed from alt-country darlings to experimental indie rock heroes to dad rockers over the years, so a return to their roots is quite welcome. "Tired of Taking It Out on You" is a gentle song, more along the lines of Jeff Tweedy's solo music than Wilco's earlier albums. But, it is much less stripped down, and has that certain Wilco something that makes it sound like Wilco and not a Jeff Tweedy project. As much as I love all things Wilco, I never thought I'd be this excited again for an upcoming album from them!
Jeff Tweedy says of the new song:
“I’ve realized over the years that a lot of the songs I’ve written have worked as reminders to myself to pay attention to various things. Sometimes I think I’ve figured out how the world works in some small way, and I worry I’ll forget it if I don’t sing it back to myself occasionally. This song, I believe, is going to come in handy for just that purpose. I’m a person who needs to stay alert to how I’m treating others when I’m not feeling my best. And now that I mention it, when I look around, it seems like a lot of us have been taking things out on each other when we would be better served striving for understanding and empathy. I’m just trying to be honest with myself, and I guess I’m hoping if this song can help me focus on that, maybe someone else could find it useful in the same way.”
You can watch the video for "Tired of Taking It Out on You" below. Cruel Country is due out May 27 on dBpm Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Wilco, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Fri. May 27 - Sun. May 29 - North Adams, MA @ Solid Sound Festival Sat. Jun. 11 - Oslo, NE @ Loaded Festival Mon. Jun. 13 - Copenhagen, DK @ Amager Bio Tue. Jun 14 - Koln, DE @ E-Werk Thu. Jun 16 - Frankfurt, DE @ Alte Oper Fri. Jun. 17 - Zeebrugge, BE @ Zeebrugge Beach Festival Sat. Jun. 18 - Kent, UK @ Black Deer Festival Mon. Jun. 20 - San Sebastian, ES @ Auditorio del Centro Kursaal Tue. Jun 21 - Zaragoza, ES @ Parque Grande Jose Antonio Labordeta Wed. Jun. 22 - Barcelona, ES @ Poble Espanyol Fri. Jun. 24 - Valencia, ES @ Auditorio Casa de la Cultura de Burjassot Sat. Jun. 25 - Murcia, ES @ Plaza De Toros Murcia Mon. Jun. 27 - Madrid, ES @ Noches Del Botanico Tue. Jun. 28 - Madrid, ES @ Noches Del Botanico Fri. Jul. 1 - Beuningen, NL @ Down The Rabbit Hole Festival Fri. Aug. 12 - Cedar Rapids, IA - Paramount Theatre Sat. Aug. 13 - Bellevue, NE @ Outlandia Festival Sun. Aug. 14 - Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park Tue. Aug. 16 - Newport, KY @ PromoWest Pavilion Outdoor at OVATION Wed. Aug. 17 - Interlochen, MI @ Interlochen Center for the Arts/Kresge Auditorium Thu. Aug. 18 - Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage Sat. Aug. 20 - Montreal, QC @ MTELUS Sun. Aug. 21 - Cooperstown, NY @ Brewery Ommegang Tue. Aug. 23 - Lafayette, NY @ Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards Wed. Aug. 24 - Burlington, VT @ The Green at Shelburne Museum Thu. Aug. 25 - Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion Sat. Aug. 27 - New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl Mon. Aug. 28 - Martha’s Vineyard, MA @ Beach Road Weekend Fri. Sept. 9 - Madison, WI @ The Sylvee Sun. Sept. 11 - Fargo, ND @ Fargo Brewing Company Outdoors Mon. Sept. 12 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science Wed. Sept. 14 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre Thu. Sept. 15 - Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Opera Sat. Sept. 17 - San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre Tue. Sept. 20 - Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater Wed. Sept. 21 - Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre Fri. Sept. 23 - Calgary, AB @ Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Sat. Sept. 24 - Bozeman, MT @ The ELM Sun. Oct. 2 - Memphis, TN @ Mempho Fest Tue. Oct. 4 - New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre Wed. Oct. 5 - New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre Fri. Oct. 7 - Columbia, MO @ Roots N Blues Festival
Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
Photo by Cecil Sykes Midnight Peg are an Edmonton, AB based band that are referred to as "madhouse punk." Their latest single, "Thirstland," is a just barely under control two minute burst of punk. You have guitar riffs that will make you think of At the Drive In, and somewhat spoken and yelled vocals which create a feeling of chaos throughout. This is a loud and angry track that is completely in your face. But, unlike most tracks this loud and punk based, "Thirstland" still keeps a sense of art in their music. Midnight Peg feel like a higher class of loud, angry punk rock. This one is great, with just enough of an emo undercurrent to make the song kind of melodic and almost palatable to a mainstream audience. You can listen to "Thirstland" below. Skinning is due out in October on Thousand Island Records. For more on Midnight Peg, check out the artist's website .
Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it. “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
