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
Photo by Rachel Cassels The Cairo Gang is mostly Emmett Kelly, who recorded most of their upcoming album, Goes Missing, on his own while travelling. "Be What You Are" is pure pop gold, reminiscent of British invasion bands like The Kinks and The Zombies. It features jangly guitars and some of the most infectious layered vocals you've heard in years. Luckily the beauty of this style of music is that it never quite sounds dated. It might sound like it's from a certain era that happened 50 years ago, but everything you've ever listened to since then borrows so heavily from it that it always sounds current. It's the kind of music you wish you hadn't missed, only now you haven't. Goes Missing is due out June 23rd on God? Records. You can pre-order the album now, and be sure to check out The Cairo Gang's Facebook . Listen to "Be What You Are" below, and below that are tour dates, many opening for Mikal Cronin. Sat. Sept. 5 - Portlan...
Photo by Heather DeFoggi Gerard For his upcoming album, Sean Thomas Gerard recorded in the corner of his garage which is also a playroom for his two daughters. Somehow, you can hear that vibe in his latest single, "Bright Side." The song just feels like home. It's a laid back indie folk/singer-songwriter track that is overflowing with warmth. The sing is on the mainstream side of its genres, but when you nail a sound like Gerard has, there's certainly nothing wrong with that. This is the type of song that is pleasant and enjoyable when you first start it, and then you end up liking it more and more as it goes. By the time it's over, you're going to want to listen again. By the third or fourth listen, "Bright Side" is going to end up one of your favorite songs of this young year. Sean Thomas Gerard says of his music: “I think about some day when I'm gone, my kids will be able to put on my records and feel like they can spend time with me again....
Photo by Mary Dorsi Asbury Park's Yawn Mower had two goals for their upcoming album. First, after playing their hometown's Sea.Hear.Now festival, they wanted to write songs that worked on a larger stage. Second, they wanted the album to be their Pinkerton , "A raw, rough around the edges, noisier follow up to [their] debut album." The first song from that album is "Rascal," a song partly about the kids of their friends and family. It's a fun track that includes lines like "Here he comes now what a little asshole." It's a quirky and noisy indie rock track that reminds me of an edgier Fountains of Wayne. As anti-kid as the song may seem, you can tell it's not done seriously and there is a ton of love behind the track. Vocalist/guitarist Mike Chick says of the band's upcoming album: “While Dana Yurcisin (bass), Rudy Meier (guitar), and Nicole Scorsone (violin) have certainly helped fill out past releases, this was the first time that ...
