"You Never Know" also has a hook that wont quit. The lyrics put a nice, sunny spin on our current economic woes ("Every generation thinks its the worst/ thinks its the end of the world/ It's a dream down a well/ it's a long heavy hell/ I don't care anymore"). If there were any justice in this world, this song would be huge.
On "Country Disappeared," Tweedy turns a sweet folkish ballad into a prayer for the country. "Wake up, we're here/ It's so much worse than we feared/ there's nothing left here," Tweedy sings. "I won't take no/ I won't let you go/ All by yourself/ I know you need my help."
As if to underscore the point, Tweedy proclaims "I'll fight, I'll fight, I'll fight for you I will," on the obviously titled "I'll Fight." "I'll die alone/ on some forgotten hill/ abandoned by the mill."
Aside from just how great the band sounds here, Jeff Tweedy's growth as a songwriter is one of the greatest joys of listening to Wilco (the album). The songs are not just topical. Tweedy's storytelling skills are also razor sharp on songs like "Bull Black Nova" and "Sonny Feeling," whose main character's problems include the fact that "she knows nothing of Eminem's suburban gangster flow." Great stuff all around here.
I love this record. For best album of the year, this is also the one to beat.
Article comments
1 - PIco
Well done, Glen. This album is terrific pop-rock, and Wilco has seemed to have settled into a really nice groove of late.
2 - Triniman
Nicely done, Glen.
I got into them around the same time you did, and have seen them three glorious times. I have the new album in my car player and look forward to playing it over and over. Also, watch the DVD I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. You'll see the recently deceased Jay Bennett (RIP) as well as the band facing setbacks that could have finished them off.