Wilco has announced the tracklisting for their new album, Sky Blue Sky, due in stores May 15.
It is going to be an expensive May for me.
Yesterday, it was announced a 2-disc collection of Elliott Smith rarities, New Moon, will be released May 8.
The follow-up to Wilco's brilliantly-titled A Ghost is Born (think about it... when is a ghost 'born?') will feature 12 tracks, some of which have already been premiered in concert both by the full band and also on a string of solo dates by frontman Jeff Tweedy. Since Ghost, the band has released a 2-disc live album, Kicking Television.
Wilco has evolved from the alt-country band of their debut, A.M., to the less conventional band of their past two albums, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Ghost, both have been filled with unusual sounds and song structures. In between those records were the fantastic '90s releases Being There and Summerteeth. The four albums following A.M. rank among the best of the last decade.
I know it would be seen by some as a step backwards, but I would like to see the band return to the more song-oriented approach of Being There and Summerteeth. I love the experimental sounds from the past two records, but every time I listen to their predecessors I find myself missing that band. I doubt this will happen, and maybe it shouldn't. Most bands will tell you they do their best work when they continue to push ahead, and they're probably right.
It would be impossible for me to pick one album as my favorite, but something seems to make me queue up Summerteeth more often than the others. I won't call it their best or my favorite but if you don't have it or just haven't listened to it in awhile, you could probably find worse ways to spend an afternoon.
U.S. tour dates have not yet been announced, but the band has confirmed their appearance at Bonnaroo.
Sky Blue Sky tracklisting:
- Either Way
- You Are My Face
- Impossible Germany
- Sky Blue Sky
- Side with the Seeds
- Shake it Off
- Please Be Patient With Me
- Hate it Here
- Leave Me (Like You Found Me)
- Walken
- What Light
- On and On and On
Article comments
1 - Mat Brewster
I think I just crapped my pants.
I don't care which direction they go. I love the more countrified stuff, but totally dig the more unusual soundscape they have created over the last couple of albums.
2 - DJRadiohead
Even their non-countrified stuff on those two middle records is pretty great.
I've dusted off Kicking Television on my iPod this morning. Great stuff.
3 - Glen Boyd
The song Spiders from A Ghost Is Born gives me freaking shivers as in Neil Young fuzzed out cranked to eleven shredding shivers. The live version on Kicking Television is even better.
Personally I think I'd like to see them get louder, but the quieter song structures work just as well. Great band either way and I'm anxious to see which way they go this time out.
-Glen
4 - Mat Brewster
A great freaking song that is. I love, LOVE "At Least That's What You Said" too. The whole beginning that is so soft you can barely hear it morphing into those little guitar kicks just nails my head to the wall
5 - Nik
I'm looking forward to this, but pray they don't include another track that's 12 minutes of annoying feedback on this one. That misstep kept "A Ghost Is Born" from being a grade-A effort to me.
6 - freaksgeeks
I cannot wait! All these delicious new albums coming out this year is making my head spin!
7 - DJRadiohead
The guitar work in "At Least That's What You Said" is cosmic and wonderful.
8 - Mark Sahm
I was always wondering if you were a Wilco fan, DJR. That is, since I hadn't heard you do your normal fanboy gushing over them and all. :)
But I'm personally hoping this new album is more of the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot vein... I liked both Ghost and Summerteeth, but felt Ghost didn't flow well from track to track, and Summer had about 4 tracks too many.
You did cause me to cue up my Wilco mix in iTunes, so thanks.
9 - Mat Brewster
Couldn't agree more, Sahm. YFH is perfectly constructed together. Ghost has some great songs, but isn't so cohesive. Being There is also one of my faves, but it also has a couple too many songs and could have made a better single disk album.