If It's Too Loud...

Wilco have been hosting a three day festival every other year for a while now, and we just haven't been able to make it to one yet. That might need to change for 2024 as the line up is bonkers. There are obviously multiple sets from Wilco planned for the weekend, but they brought their A-game with the rest of the line up. Highlights include the brilliant country-rock of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, the artsy post punk of England's Dry Cleaning, the influential power pop of Nick Lowe and Los Straightjackets, the Americana of Iris Dement, Wednesday's alt-country meets indie rock, Chicago's new favorite indie rockers Horsegirl, the hardcore punk of Soul Glo, more Chicago indie rock from Ratboys, and a ton more music! Plus, non musical entertainment like John Hodgman's Comedy Cabaret, the Song Exploder podcast, and more. Solid Sound 2024 will once again take place at Mass MoCA in North Adams, MA from June 28-30. Tickets and more information can be found here . The ful...

Photo by Peter Crosby The world's finest alt-country dad rockers are back with new music. Wilco's latest single, "Evicted," isn't breaking new ground for the legendary Chicago sextet. It's a chilled out alt-rock song that is much more Adult Contemporary than any of us would like to admit. But it's a great song that fits right into what Wilco does best. It's music that lives smack right in the center of the mainstream and the underground that even the most snarky music snob will enjoy, even if they refuse to admit it. As with any lead single from an upcoming Wilco album, it has us curious what direction they're going with this time, and that's never a bad thing. You can watch the lyric video for "Evicted" below. Cousin is due out September 29 on dBpm Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Wilco, check out their website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. Thu. Aug. 10 - Cochran, BE @ Lokerse Feesten Sat. Aug. ...

Photo by Jamie Kelter Davis 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 i...

Photo by Jamie Kelter Davis When you first hear that Wilco are set to release their first country album, you're going to scoff and think that Wilco used to be country. They started out as country. And then you'll hear "Falling Apart (Right Now)" and realize that, no, now this is country. It's a modern version of old school classic country. Wilco have crafted this laid back, ramblin' country song that feels like you're listening in on them messing around with new music just for fun. It sounds like it could be Wilco covering a classic track, but this one is all them. Jeff Tweedy says of the new album: “ More than any other genre, Country music, to me, a white kid from middle-class middle America, has always been the ideal place to comment on what most troubles my mind—which for more than a little while now has been the country where I was born, these United States. And because it is the country I love, and because it’s Country music that I love, I feel a res...

Photo by Sammy Tweedy At this point, we all kinda know what we're going to get with a new Jeff Tweedy solo song. "Gwendolyn" is exactly that. It's a little more country than modern Wilco, but nowhere near as country as early Wilco was. It's solidly laid back Americana. It has just the slightest hint of a groove to it, particularly in the guitar. Plus, since it is Tweedy, there is some odd noise to keep the indie rockers happy. Yeah. "Gwendolyn" is a prime example of the type of Americana us middle aged indie rock fans gravitate towards these days. And that's pretty much perfect. You can watch the video for "Gwendolyn" below. Love is the King , the new album from Jeff Tweedy, will be out October 23 on dBPM Records. To order the album, and for more information on Jeff Tweedy, check out Wilco's website .

Photo by Whitten Sabatini Jeff Tweedy is going to have a very busy October. His second book, How To Write One Song , is due out on the 13th, and he has a new solo album due out on the 23rd. Right now he's released two singles from the album, "Guess Again" and "Love is the King."  Jeff Tweedy says of the singles: “ At the beginning of the lockdown I started writing country songs to console myself .  Folk and country type forms being the shapes that come most easily to me in a comforting way. 'Guess Again' is a good example of the success I was having at pushing the world away, counting my blessings — taking stock in my good fortune to have love in my life.  A few weeks later things began to sound like 'Love Is The King' — a little more frayed around the edges with a lot more fear creeping in. Still hopeful but definitely discovering the limits of my own ability to self sooth e." The difference between the two moods is very reflectiv...

Photo by Steve Visneau Well... here's something I never thought I'd write: 90's hard rockers Toadies have recorded a cover of "You Are Not Alone," Mavis Staples's 2010 song with Jeff Tweedy. I've long felt that Toadies were unfortunately lumped in with a lot of the post-Nirvana alt-garbage that came out in the mid-90's, and 1994's Rubberneck has some seriously great songs on it. That being said, a partially acoustic cover of a song from an eighty year old gospel singer and the lead singer of Wilco? Recorded in quarantine, Toadies give us a shockingly faithful version of the original, except Vaden Todd Lewis isn't quite the singer Mavis Staples is, and I doubt he'd take that as an insult.  Lewis explains the choice of the cover: “I first heard this Jeff Tweedy song about 2 weeks ago. It was a live performance of Tweedy with Mavis Staples, and it felt like it had been written for this very moment, when we can’t hug our friends or even s...

Late show live performances are obviously a challenge these days. Most talk show hosts are hosting solo from home with guests on video conference, so it's pretty impossible to actually do any live performance. Wilco were on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert  this week with their new single, "Tell Your Friends." Instead of a live performance, the band is shown in home recordings lip synching with their families. Not super cool, but check out the Mass MoCA shirts! "Tell Your Friends" is a laid back, chilled out dreamy folky kind of song that includes a killer lazy electric guitar solo. So... a pretty standard Wilco song these days. The lyrics are a little hokey ("Don't forget to tell your friends / When you see them again / O' I love you"), but we can all use some hokey positivity  these days. "Tell Your Friends" may not go down as one of the greatest Wilco songs of all time, but it's the Wilco song we need right now. You can w...

Every so often Vermont's Mountain Man has been gifting us with cover songs, ranging from artists like John Denver, The Everly Brothers, Neil Young, and Fiona Apple. Their latest sees them take on Wilco's "You & I" from 2009's Wilco [The Album]. (I just realized that Wilco [The Album] , one of Wilco's "new albums," is ten years old and I now feel ancient.)  While their take on "You & I" may be less traditional than we typically hear from Mountain Man, it's still a very stripped down take, focusing on the band's three part harmonies with just the slightest bit of guitar holding it all together. The band explains their decision to cover this particular Wilco song:  “We have been band members, collaborators, friends and business partners for over 10 years now, so a song like ‘You and I,’ a celebration of creating a relationship that is totally unique and filled with mystery, seemed very appropriate.” You can listen to Mo...

Photo by Annabel Mehran Wilco have been releasing solidly good music for decades at this point. Unfortunately, their more recent albums have received a lot of criticism. While I've enjoyed Wilco's more recent output, nothing has really grabbed my attention and rocketed to a best of list. "Everyone Hides" might change that. This new song definitely isn't breaking any new ground. But as Wilco strips away the excess and gets back to basics, you get to rediscover what you've loved about them. "Everyone Hides" isn't quite a throwback to their early alt-country beginnings, but it's solid Americana. There are hints of the noodling and odd noise of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot , but other than that it's expertly done straight up Americana rock music. You can watch the  little bit too cutesy but would have probably been a Buzz Bin  video for "Everyone Hides" featuring the band taking part in a game of hide and seek throughout Chicago landm...

I'm not very familiar with the Better Yet podcast, but they recently came to my attention when they put together all of god's money / a tribute to wilco's yankee hotel foxtrot. It's a track by track covers album, obviously for Wilco's beyond classic album. Each track is done by a different artist, and the one that got our attention is Laura Stevenson covering "Jesus, Etc." Stevenson's version is a slightly slower, more symphonic version. It's a gorgeous song, and the perfect type of cover that stays true to the original while still sounding just like Laura Stevenson. You can listen to Laura Stevenson's cover of "Jesus, Etc." below. all of god's money / a tribute to wilco's yankee hotel foxtrot below. The album is available via Better Yet's Bandcamp . For more on Laura Stevenson, check out her website . all of god's money / a tribute to wilco's yankee hotel foxtrot by Better Yet

Photo by Whitten Sabbatini At this point in his career, you already know if you're going to listen to a new song or album that Jeff Tweedy is involved in. His work with Wilco and his solo work has a certain feel to it, and there are plenty of fans that have jumped off the bandwagon calling his newer output "dad rock," and there are plenty still on that love that he puts out dad rock. His newest solo single, "I Know What It's Like," is really worth a listen even if you're in the former category. Sure, the song is 100% dad rock, and it certainly isn't rewriting the Jeff Tweedy formula at all. But the man can write an amazing song, and if you just give "I Know What It's Like" a chance, you might end up falling back in love with his music.  You can watch the video for "I Know What It's Like" below. Jeff Tweedy's solo album, WARM (which is somehow his first solo album (?)), will be out November 30 on dBPM Records. It ...

Photo by Whitten Sabbatini We're at the point with Jeff Tweedy that you already know if you're going to like any new music he puts out. Personally, I truly enjoy the vast majority of his recent output, and I know Jeff enjoys it much less than I do. "Some Birds" isn't going to bring any lapsed fans back onto the Wilco/Tweedy bandwagon. It's pretty standard Jeff Tweedy material, in that it's definitely based in American roots music but, of course, strays ever so slightly off path into semi-experimental territory. You can tell an artist's true importance when a critique of their new output is that it won't change your life. "Some Birds" won't change your life, but there is plenty for you to like if you give it a shot. You can watch the video for "Some Birds" below. Jeff Tweedy's new solo album, WARM , will be out November 30 on dBpm Records. You can pre-order your copy here . For more on what Jeff Tweedy is up to, che...

Photo via Facebook I know a lot of people hate Spotify, but when Spotify releases a single that includes Wilco covering Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?," they're all right by me. With the post headline of 'Wilco Covers Nick Lowe," you pretty much know if this will be for you. And, if you think you'll like this, you probably will. Wilco's version is a step or two slower than Elvis Costello's trademark version, which is exactly what you'd expect from the current version on Wilco. It's the most dad rock take on what is a dad rock classic, chugging along with Wilco's trademark new blend of Americana but with enough noise popping up every now and then to keep things interesting. It was recorded at Spotify Studios, and it feels like a live recording, especially when Jeff Tweedy's voice cracks every so often. You can listen to Wilco's cover of "(What's So Funny Bout) Peace, Love an...

Lately there seems to be an abundance of supergroups, which I'm perfectly ok with. The latest is Big Walnuts Yonder (which may prove that all the good band names are taken) which features Mike Watt, Nels Cline (Wilco), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), and Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos). The band started way back in 2008 while Watt and Reinhart were touring together in Japan. They later added the other two members, but didn't record anything together for another six years, and then waited three more to release it. Right now we can hear one of their songs, "Raise the Drawbridges?" It's just as noisy as you'd expect anything from Mike Watt to sound like. And, like anything Watt related, there's this odd pop sensibility even though it's almost 100% noise. It's not a comfortable listen, but it's totally worth struggling through. It's a great, aggressive, noisy little song with what sounds like hundreds of moving parts from some of the best in the experi...

With a pretty busy week, we're going to make this a two-parter this week. Album of the Week : Artist : clipping. Album : Splendor and Misery Quick Description : The science fiction rap opera you didn't know you were waiting for. Why You Should Listen : This is an "experimental rap" group that includes Daveed Diggs from Hamilton fame. Overall Thoughts : I actually first got exposed to clipping. via their Song Exploder episode, and I really liked "Work Work," so a new album? I'm on board. This is far from what I'd call an easy album, but it's absolutely unlike much/most of what we're hearing in this genre lately. Some sci-fi storytelling, some political content, some great lyrics and delivery. It's the total package. Even if you're not into rap/hip-hop, this is really a required listen this week, as there's something different and special here, and it's likely to get more attention with Diggs's rise to fame....

Filled with surprises and whimsy! Album of the Week Artist : Jason Isbell Album : Something More Than Free Quick Description : Jason Isbell's (formerly of the Drive-By Truckers) latest solo offering Why You Should Listen : Jason Isbell has a modern alt-country/roots sound with a classic country sensibility, and the two match up better on this album than anything he's worked on previously. Overall Thoughts : This is my album of the week for a reason. It's a little less polished, a little more raw, and it just works . Feels like an important, killer album by someone who is really hitting his stride musically. Recommendation : A wholehearted required listen this week. Artist : Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell Album : Sing Into My Mouth Quick Description : An album of covers from Iron & Wine and Band of Horses's Ben Bridwell. Why You Should Listen : You enjoy cover songs and softly-sung folk music; you think the world needs more Talking Heads covers. O...