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 Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
Photo by Joanna Chattman I've been referring to Northampton, MA based Izzy Heltai's music as mainstream modern folk with just enough of a unique spin to keep it appealing to music snobs, too. His latest single, "Father," might be the perfect example of that. It's a quiet, deeply personal song that starts off painfully sparse but ever so slowly builds and builds as it goes on. It walks that line between accessible/mainstream and indie expertly. You can watch the video for "Father" below. Father , the upcoming debut album from Izzy Heltai, will be out October 9. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Izzy Heltai, check out the artist's website .
Photo via Instagram Any time J Mascis releases new music will always be a big deal at If It's Too Loud... November will see the release of Elastic Days , his new solo album. Judging by the first single, "See You At the Movies," Elastic Days will be exactly what we expect and want in a Mascis solo album. The first single is much prettier than Dinosaur Jr is. Mascis's solo work tends to be calmer and almost folky. "See You At the Movies" is exactly that, and is even almost orchestral in some places. You add in some of Mascis's guitar solos (a more tame version than Dino Jr's thunderous ones), and you've got a classic Mascis solo track. It's a typically great song, but at this point I'd like to see Mascis mix things up a bit. You can listen to "See You At the Movies" below. Elastic Days will be out November 9 on Sub Pop Records. There are some pretty reasonable pre-order bundles available, including a CD and t-shirt for $24....
