The Swamp

These guys had a few good songs back in the 90s, but they have a new album that is really pretty good.



And a rare John Cooper Clarke sighting.

I love that the band kept going with their stupid-sounding licks while he was having his melt-down.

This somehow reminds me of the time I threw shitty music at Guy Fieri

And the yahoos in the crowd started karaokeing along.

I felt like throwing things at them.

Ryan wrote:This somehow reminds me of the time I threw shitty music at Guy Fieri

"Take that!" yelled TurdRyan as he tossed his cassette of Storm Front at the "Triple D" host.

Makin' bacon, frosted tips
Godforsaken spinach dips
Fried spaghetti with Funfetti
Sriracha cos-mos.

Ok, this isn't an album and isn't even current, but I just read it for the first time and I'm dying. Jeb Lund, the writer / twitter guy, reviewing the AV Club's top 50 albums of the 2000s. There are a lot of really great lines, this one made me spit water but I got my hand up in time, so I spit into my hand and all over my shirt rather than on my laptop.


5. Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

Listening to Wilco make sonic landscapes is like watching an architect work an Etch-a-Sketch. Fronted by singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy, this band couldn't have a more twitchily uptight emasculated and off-putting lead persona if he were dubbed "Denton Toucher, the Guy Who Can See You When You're Peeing." The single most memorable thing about this band is the almost systematic obstacles that faced their issuing the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which is the sort of underdog story we can all get behind until we have to listen to the damn thing — then realize it's like watching a documentary about all the accidents at the Harland and Wolff shipyards and hoping the engineers can overcome them to get the Titanic sailing on time. You couldn't root harder for a more undeserving little guy if it turned out one of the midgets who faced Hulk Hogan in a gimmick match in the 1980s raped a kindergarten."

confessions...maybe?

i've literally never heard/listened to Wilco.

Of the major bands in the indie genre, Wilco seems like one of the most reasonable to have heard of but never heard. Can't recall them on any TV shows or movies or having any radio songs.

MaxWebster wrote:confessions...maybe?

i've literally never heard/listened to Wilco.

It's weird because I imagine you might like them. Nils Cline's guitar work on "Impossible Gernany" from Sky Blue Sky is incredible.

I loved their early stuff, but the latter stuff has been mostly meh for me. They do put on a great live show.

mister d wrote:Of the major bands in the indie genre, Wilco seems like one of the most reasonable to have heard of but never heard. Can't recall them on any TV shows or movies or having any radio songs.

They do a cover of Steely Dan's Any Major Dude that was in Me, Myself & Irene.

i youtube'd Yankee Hotel Foxtrot earlier and only got about 10 minutes in before my interest wavered. doesn't really mean much but i can see it'd be something i'd have to really dig into.

i know it's weird - i've certainly heard about them for what, 15 years at least? just never in my purview for whatever reasons.



i've also never seen the m&#$f&#$# Northern Lights and last night was the first night in about 3 weeks i went to bed early and all the stations today were like DID YOU ALL SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS OVER VANCOUVER LAST NIGHT fuckyougoddammit. now i'm up staring out the window and nada. fuck me.

i digress. carry on.

mister d wrote:Ok, this isn't an album and isn't even current, but I just read it for the first time and I'm dying. Jeb Lund, the writer / twitter guy, reviewing the AV Club's top 50 albums of the 2000s. There are a lot of really great lines, this one made me spit water but I got my hand up in time, so I spit into my hand and all over my shirt rather than on my laptop.


5. Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

Listening to Wilco make sonic landscapes is like watching an architect work an Etch-a-Sketch. Fronted by singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy, this band couldn't have a more twitchily uptight emasculated and off-putting lead persona if he were dubbed "Denton Toucher, the Guy Who Can See You When You're Peeing." The single most memorable thing about this band is the almost systematic obstacles that faced their issuing the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which is the sort of underdog story we can all get behind until we have to listen to the damn thing — then realize it's like watching a documentary about all the accidents at the Harland and Wolff shipyards and hoping the engineers can overcome them to get the Titanic sailing on time. You couldn't root harder for a more undeserving little guy if it turned out one of the midgets who faced Hulk Hogan in a gimmick match in the 1980s raped a kindergarten."

The review of Amy Winehouses's Back to Black strong, too!

Brian Johnson gives an amazing performance, admirably filling the shoes tragically left empty by the death of Bon Scott. From the opening chords of "Hell's Bells" you realize that the bad boys from down under haven't lost their touch, simultaneously conjuring up the corpse of their dead bandmate while assuring you that they've still got the badass guitars, vocals and crotch chops to go one-on-one with the Prince of Darkness and win. The title cut is equally rockin', like the band themselves are deliberately crashing the funeral they just attended, and the single "You Shook Me All Night Long" is a timeless rock-and-roll-fueled celebration of sex — drugs not required.

Have you guys heard of Low Cut Connie? The Sound Opinions Podcast did their "Top Albums of 2015 - So Far" and it was on the list. Pretty good stuff...bluesy/soul bar band type music.



The song "Danny's Out Of Money" is especially good....

MaxWebster wrote:i youtube'd Yankee Hotel Foxtrot earlier and only got about 10 minutes in before my interest wavered. doesn't really mean much but i can see it'd be something i'd have to really dig into.

WIlco is definitely a grower.

P.D.X. wrote:

MaxWebster wrote:i youtube'd Yankee Hotel Foxtrot earlier and only got about 10 minutes in before my interest wavered. doesn't really mean much but i can see it'd be something i'd have to really dig into.

WIlco is definitely a grower.

And that's probably not a good introduction. I've loved Wilco since I was introduced to them in 1996 and it took me about 5-6 years after YHF was released before I liked it.

Sky Blue Sky isn't their best, but maybe its their easiest? Or maybe it would be a turnoff? I don't know. I'm not a big fan.


(My first real push was from a superfan at work who loved YHF. I agree that's a bad start.)

I think Being There is their best.

The Whole Love might be the easiest Wilco starter album.

I think Being There is their best as well.

I'd start at the beginning. Going back and listening to Being There, which I've always loved, in turn made me revisit YHF.

Giff wrote:I'd start at the beginning. Going back and listening to Being There, which I've always loved, in turn made me revisit YHF.

Well, their first album is A.M. but even most Wilco completists would tell you to just forget about that one. The only song from it that they ever seem to play live is Casino Queen. Though I think it's not a bad album. Summerteeth is a pretty damn solid record too BTW.

ETA: Jesus, A.M was released when I was still in college. Fuck, I'm old.

Giff wrote:I'd start at the beginning. Going back and listening to Being There, which I've always loved, in turn made me revisit YHF.

Their first album, AM is a lot more like what Tweedy (and Jay Farrar of Son Volt) were doing with Uncle Tupelo. Tweedy really took a step in a different direction with Being There

brian wrote:

Giff wrote:I'd start at the beginning. Going back and listening to Being There, which I've always loved, in turn made me revisit YHF.

Well, their first album is A.M. but even most Wilco completists would tell you to just forget about that one. The only song from it that they ever seem to play live is Casino Queen. Though I think it's not a bad album. Summerteeth is a pretty damn solid record too BTW.

ETA: Jesus, A.M was released when I was still in college. Fuck, I'm old.

Really? I love A.M.

I started listening to them because of the Billy Bragg collaboration albums.

Giff wrote:

brian wrote:

Giff wrote:I'd start at the beginning. Going back and listening to Being There, which I've always loved, in turn made me revisit YHF.

Well, their first album is A.M. but even most Wilco completists would tell you to just forget about that one. The only song from it that they ever seem to play live is Casino Queen. Though I think it's not a bad album. Summerteeth is a pretty damn solid record too BTW.

ETA: Jesus, A.M was released when I was still in college. Fuck, I'm old.

Really? I love A.M.

I like it too, but lots of people don't. And they seldom play any of the tracks from it live. But I guess that happens when you've got about 10-ish albums.

Rush2112 wrote:I started listening to them because of the Billy Bragg collaboration albums.

Me too. California Stars is such a great song.

Solid read on Isbell from Grantland, with bonus Isbell commentary.

Isbell grew on me. I think I was too drunk to apprecaite him the night i saw him live.

http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospect ... on-isbell/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A_B wrote:Solid read on Isbell from Grantland, with bonus Isbell commentary.

Isbell grew on me. I think I was too drunk to apprecaite him the night i saw him live.

http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospect ... on-isbell/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've only heard a couple of songs from his new album, but if they're all as good as those two I'm ready to go out on a limb and call him the greatest singer-songwriter of his generation.

Yup, the new Jason Isbell is arguably better than Southeastern, which was my number #1 album of 2013. Probably his "Born To Run" to use a Springsteen reference.

brian wrote:Yup, the new Jason Isbell is arguably better than Southeastern, which was my number #1 album of 2013. Probably his "Born To Run" to use a Springsteen reference.

That's heady praise. Southeastern is easily in my top 5 albums of 2013, and maybe higher. I bet if Spotify had done the year end statistics for 2013 like they did for 2014, Southeastern would have been my #1 listened to album.

As much as I loved Southeastern (and obviously I did), I still felt like there were a couple of tracks that were really meh (New South Wales, Super 8). Of course, some of the best songs on that album rank up there with my all-time favorites (Cover Me Up, Stockholm, Relatively Easy).

Something More Than Free has no stinkers after a couple of listens.

I thought it wasn't released yet. Is NPR doing their early listen thing?

Also, I tend to agree about Southeastern "flops". I'm not crazy about Super 8 at all. I like New South Wales, although it is much lighter musically than the rest of the album. Both of these songs done really "fit" as well as the others on the album.

govmentchedda wrote:I thought it wasn't released yet. Is NPR doing their early listen thing?

Also, I tend to agree about Southeastern "flops". I'm not crazy about Super 8 at all. I like New South Wales, although it is much lighter musically than the rest of the album. Both of these songs done really "fit" as well as the others on the album.

Yeah, doesn't come out until next Friday, but I grabbed it off a BitTorrent site. I had pre-ordered the actual CD, so I don't feel that bad about it. (Also bought a ticket to see him in Reno in August).

So they've officially moved to that bullshit Friday new release thing?

Giff wrote:So they've officially moved to that bullshit Friday new release thing?

Yup. Done deal. Every new release I'm looking forward to this summer (Isbell, Tame Impala, Lucero, Beach House) is on a Friday.

What the fuck are Tuesdays good for now?

govmentchedda wrote:I thought it wasn't released yet. Is NPR doing their early listen thing?

yup