Wilco (the Album) Review

Wilco (the album)
Wilco
Nonesuch 2009



Wilco (the band) are done experimenting. They know their sound now. They shaped and honed it through Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born. We thought we saw a different side of them on Sky Blue Sky but it turns out they were settling into a groove. Wilco (the album) is Wilco (the band) in a place where they're happy.

Wilco (the album) is a great collection of songs showcasing the whole spectrum of the Wilco. It contains sing-a-long numbers like those from Summerteeth that will stick in your head all day (Wilco (the song)), experimental guitar numbers like Spiders (kidsmoke) (Bull Black Nova) and beautiful simple guitar songs (You and I). In short there is something for every Wilco fan here. But does it make a great album? Yes.

Every Wilco album I've ever listened to is a grower. I hated Yankee Hotel Foxtrot the first time I played it, yet something kept drawing me back. Wilco (the album) is no different. First time around Wilco (the Song) will have you hitting repeat over and over again. It's a tongue-in-cheek self aware song about how much the band love their fans, providing a "sonic shoulder to cry on" who'll love you baby, even when no one else will. The next listen you'll notice One Wing, a fine Wilco song with one of the finest Wilco riffs yet. In repeated listens you'll get stuck on "You and I", the gorgeous love song duet with Fiest and perhaps my new favourite song before reaching "Country Disappeared" with it's nod to George Harrison, the guitar rock "I Don't Know" and the closer "Everlasting" surprisingly similar to Sky Blue Sky's last song - "On and On and On".

Wilco (the album) is not strikingly different like YHF was. It is a natural progression from the previous records, but it is fresh, it is inventive and it is worth buying.

Rating: 8/10

LISTEN TO WILCO LIVE IN MILWAUKEE

Wilco and Fiest perform You and I

I think this is my favourite song from the Wilco (the Album). Fiest provides such a magnificent counterpart to Tweddy's husky voice. They sound beautiful together and I think that this is now one of my all time favourite Wilco songs.

Tintin's rocket?

I can't wait to go and see U2 in August. They kick of their 360 tour soon in Barcelona.

Every U2 tour brings a wonderful set, from Zoo TV to the heart in the All That You Can't Leave Behind Tour. I thought the Atom Bomb set was so-so, but the guys are really pushing the boat out on this one.

Everyone who sees it says that it looks like something different,” said Willie Williams, who has worked with U2 since 1982 and co-designed the set with the architect Mark Fisher, a veteran of Pink Floyd and Rolling Stones tours. “Tintin’s rocket. The War of the Worlds. Cactus. Octopus. Claw. Whenever it started to look like something, Mark and I would push it in another direction. But it does look as though it has escaped from a giant space aquarium.”

Read the whole interview in the New York Times.

And the Batman 3 villain is...

How can the Joker be topped as the best Batman, villan ever? His cool calculating psychotic nature made him the scariest bad-guy yet.

But, Michael Caine has let slip that the Riddler will be the next villain.

Aparantly it could be Johnny Depp. Watch this space.

Phoenix

The excellent French Electronic / Rock band Phoenix have been named Microsoft's Zune Ignition artists for the month of June.

As part of the Ignition program Phoenix will release a series of exclusive features on the Zune Marketplace, Zune.net, MSN, and Xbox Live. The exclusive features include a free track, "1901", on the Zune Marketplace on June 2, an editorial Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album breakdown on June 9, Phoenix selected Guestlist on June 16, and an exclusive track, "Listomania (Yuksek Remix)" on June 23.

Download the exclusive Phoenix media here:

Pheonix is Thomas Mars, Deck D'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai, and Laurent Brancowitz. The band formed during their childhood in the French suburb of Versailles. They were influenced by late 90's bands including Air and Daft Punk. Phoenix's fourth album Wolfgang Amadeaus Phoenix was released on May 25, 2009. The band is currently on tour throughout the US with Brooklyn's Amazing Baby and will continue on an international tour starting in July.

Check out Phoenix's profile on the Zune Social here:

To download the Zune software, visit: http://www.zune.net

David Mitchell (Peep Show) Interview

G2 in the Guardian today carries a wonderful interview with David Mitchell, from Peep show and Mitchell and Webb.

David Mitchell has a wonderful quote about American comedy and how it has some way to go to match Britain in self-loathing:

"I can't ever imagine living abroad. I love all elements of how British society lends itself to comedy - you know, it's own sort of pompousness and self-loathing and class system and cynicism and irony: all these sorts of things are strongest here. Something like Curb Your Enthusiasm, great though it is, it's like their first faltering steps into that world of self-loathing that we, as a post-imperial power, have been in for the best part of a century"

Read the article here

JEFF BUCKLEY - around the world

As you may already know, Jeff Buckley's Grace Around the World came out this past Tuesday. Below are links to download some great and really fascinating podcasts about THAT man with the incredible voice:

Duncan Sheik:

Moby:

Laurie Trombley (co-director of the documentary Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley)

Nyla Adams (co-director of the documentary Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley):




Mary Guilbert (Buckley's mother):




Jeff Buckley:



DVD: GRACE AROUND THE WORLD
Part 1: Main Program (running time 85:47) - Selections:
1. Grace (BBC Late Show, London, 1/17/95)
2. So Real (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
3. Mojo Pin (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
4. What Will You Say (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
5. Hallelujah (MTV Japan, 1/31/95)
6. Dream Brother (Howlin Wolf, New Orleans, 12/2/94)
7. Eternal Life (MTV's Most Wanted, London, 3/3/95)
8. Last Goodbye (MTV's Most Wanted, London, 3/3/95)
9. Lover You Should Have Come Over (JBTV Chicago, 11/8/94)
10. Lilac Wine (MTV Europe, Eurokeenes Festival, Belfort, France, 7/9/95)
(all footage previously unreleased except # 9)

Part 2: Bonus Program (running time 32:28) - Selections:
1. Grace (MTV, 120 Minutes, New York, 1/15/95)
2. So Real (MTV, 120 Minutes, New York, 1/15/95)
3. Last Goodbye (MTV, 120 Minutes, New York, 1/15/95)
4. Vancouver (MTV's Most Wanted, London, 3/3/95)
5. Hallelujah (music video directed by Ernie Fritz)
6. "Star Tours" (VH1, Naked Cafe Behind The Scenes Piece, 1/9/95)
7. Merri Cyr bus interview (spring 1995)

CD: GRACE AROUND THE WORLD - Selections:
1. Grace (BBC Late Show, London, 1/17/95)
2. So Real (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
3. Mojo Pin (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
4. What Will You Say (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
5. Hallelujah (MTV Japan, 1/31/95)
6. Dream Brother (Howlin Wolf, New Orleans, 12/2/94)
7. Eternal Life (MTV's Most Wanted, London, 3/3/95)
8. Last Goodbye (MTV's Most Wanted, London, 3/3/95)
9. Lover You Should Have Come Over (JBTV Chicago, 11/8/94)
10. Lilac Wine (MTV Europe, Eurokeenes Festival, Belfort, France, 7/9/95)
11. Grace (MTV's 120 Minutes, USA, 01/15/95)
12. So Real (MTV's 120 Minutes, USA, 01/15/95)

DVD: AMAZING GRACE: JEFF BUCKLEY (running time: 61:57)

MTV's '$5 Cover'

MTV has a new musical drama about the Memphis music scene. The show follows a bunch of up and coming musicians (ranging from pop to southern rock to urban artists) playing themselves as they fight for love, inspiration and money to pay the rent. The series explores the modern-day incarnation of the city's historic music scene through the lens of Memphis-based filmmaker Craig Brewer, acclaimed director of "Hustle & Flow." Fans will have full access to all the music and artists they discover through "$5 Cover" with the release of the series' soundtrack, available exclusively in digital formats, on Tuesday, April 28.

The "$5 Cover" soundtrack features a number of unreleased tracks from the artists. Of particular interest to ATM readers may be Amy Lavere (a female pop/folk artist) and Lucero (southern/indie rock),. You can check out the "$5 Cover" soundtrack here:


Watch Amy LaVere "Killing Him":


WATCH Lucero "San Francisco"



$5 Cover Teaser:

New Zune HD announced

Now, I have always been an iPod man myself, but i do believe in some healthy competition. So just prior to a new iPhone launch, Microsoft has unveiled it's rival, the Zune HD.

Microsoft is betting on greater integration with XBox Live, and a sexy new OLED (fancy) screen playing (downscaled, not native) 720p high definition.





So what are the specs? The important thing for Microsoft is that people choose this thing over an iPod, it needs to be cheap. Perhaps it'll work as a gaming platform with the XBox integration. Apparently the software is pretty good.

Zune HD is the next iteration of the Zune device family and brings a new level of listening and viewing experiences to the portable media player category.

Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don’t like the song playing on your station’s HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.
The bright OLED touch screen interface allows users to flip through music, movies and other content with ease, and the 16:9 widescreen format display (480x272 resolution) offers a premium viewing experience on the go.
The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.*
Zune HD will include a full-screen Internet browser optimized for multitouch functionality.
Zune HD is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.

Iglu & Hartly's 'And Then Boom' - listen to the full album here

Iglu & Hartly's 'And Then Boom' comes out next week on 5/5, but you can listen to the whole album now on Imeem. Check it out here.

hey're also giving away .mp3s of "DayGlo" and "Jump Out of Your Car":

Great Lake Swimmers Tour

The wonderful Great Lake Swimmers will play dates UK dates in May in support of LOST CHANNELS (Nettwerk) out now.

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS

Mon May 18 BRISTOL St Bonaventures

Tues May 19 MANCHESTER Dulcimer

Wed May 20 NEWCASTLE The Cluny

Thurs May 21 GLASGOW ABC

Fri May 22 BIRMINGHAM Glee Club

Sat May 23 LONDON Borderline

Wilco tickets

If you're planning to catch Wilco this summer, tickets go onsale today for the following gigs: Cincinnati Aronoff Center, Las Vegas The Joint, LA Wiltern (x2), Morrison CO Red Rocks, Vienna VA Wolftrap, Wilmington DE Frawley Stadium, Brooklyn NY Keyspan Park, and Buffalo NY Art Park. Go to http://wilcoworld.net/tours/ for more information.

Dates are as follows, note with excitement the Dublin and London shows:

UN 19 Las Vegas, NV The Joint
JUL 03 Morrison, CO Red Rocks
JUL 08 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
JUL 10 Wilmington, DE Frawley Stadium
JUL 11 Lowell, MA LeLacheur Park
JUL 13 Brooklyn, NY Keyspan Park
JUL 17 Portland, ME Maine State Pier
JUL 18 Wappingers Falls, NY Dutchess Stadium
JUL 19 Lewiston, NY Art Park
AUG 25 London, UK Troxy
AUG 27 Dublin, IRE Vicar Street

New Atheism - intellectual dead end?

With their "intoxicating simplicity" and "display of egotism and arrogance" are new athiests at risk of winning the battle and losing the war? The Guardian thinks so as Madeleine Bunting writes at the start of Holy Week that in the UK, the debate on religion has become a foghorn of the sound of New Athiests and lack of any true discussion or meaningful debate.
She writes
"This is Holy Week. It started yesterday with Palm Sunday and continues through Holy Thursday, Good Friday and culminates this Sunday with Easter Day. One can no longer assume most people will be aware of this, let alone the events these days mark; in a recent UK poll, only 22% could identify what Easter was celebrating. What other system of belief has collapsed at such spectacular speed as British Christianity? One can only presume that the New Atheists are organising a fabulous party to celebrate. Richard Dawkins could stump up for the crates of champagne out of his sumptuous royalties from The God Delusion."

Read the rest of the article here