Right well that weekly playlist thing didnt go well, did it?
I make a lot of playlists so I’ll use this to post them.
Over the last few months, I’ve found a new favourite band. I may say this a lot but this is one you can trust me on. Wilco have gone through several incarnations around the mind of Jeff Tweedy, a true songwriting genius in the vein of Dylan (see ‘What Light’). Albeit long, I hope this playlist will serve as an introduction of sorts to this truly excellent band.
1.) Outtasite - A big hit from their earlier alt-country days. A pretty much perfect rock song to start it off.
2.) The Late Greats - One of my faves, the last track on ‘A Ghost Is Born’ is both a despairing indictment of the record industry and a love letter to the underground music scene.
3.) I Am Trying To Break Your Heart - The first track to their ‘Kid A’, if you will, ‘I Am Trying’ is possibly my favourite production to any song, with Tweedy’s beautiful lyrics never getting lost in the industrial soundscape.
4.) Hell Is Chrome - I love the fact that for some of the song you can only hear Tweedy’s half-whispered voice. Very atmospheric and creepy while retaining a sense of Pink Floyd-esque beauty.
5.) Wilco [The Song] - A fun, powerful opener to their most recent album does an excellent job of providing a mission statement for the band as well as having one of their catchiest riffs yet.
6.) Hummingbird - A beautiful melody and further insightful lyrics about death, like most on ‘A Ghost Is Born’. Amazing violin, too.
7.) Can’t Stand It - I’m a sucker for any track with a banjo and this uses it subtly to great effect. A great song from Summer Teeth, doing well to showcase the songwriting partnership of Tweedy and Bennett.
8.) Radio Cure - Truly heartbreaking. Possibly the best song on ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’, a song that starts out sparse and sombre but builds and builds to the incredible release in the coda (3:56).
9.) Theologians - Another fantastic piano-driven track off ‘A Ghost Is Born’ with another great coda. The vocal harmony throughout adds another level of beauty.
10.) A Shot In The Arm - Catchiest heroin song ever written?
11.) You And I - A beautiful duet with Feist. Their voices blend delicately in this understated country ballad.
12.) I’m The Man Who Loves You - Stands out like a sore thumb on ‘Yankee…’ for its silly guitar freakouts and funky brass, this is one of the best and easily the most fun songs in the Wilco canon.
13.) Via Chicago - A stunningly powerful murder ballad. I chose this live version because of the perfect way that it all comes together after the noise breakdown at 3:46.
14.) Pot Kettle Black - One of the best pop moments on ‘Yankee…’ and, in turn, in Wilco’s entire discography. A great chorus and lovely tinges of slide guitar make this a perfect example of the fantastic production of the album.
15.) How To Fight Loneliness - Easily the best moment on ‘Summerteeth’, a teary ballad with a beautiful chord sequence and lyrics. Possibly the best insight into Tweedy’s mind at the time.
16.) What Light - Aforementioned Dylan-esque track, both in lyrics and sound. Easily the best cut from 2007’s ‘Sky Blue Sky’, a truly lovely song.
17.) Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway (Again) - Another great rock tune similar to Outtasite. Fantastic bridge as well.
18.) Poor Places - For many, Wilco’s crowning achievement. The first 3 minutes alone is interesting enough to garner a place as one of their best songs but what happens after is truly something special.
19.) Bull Black Nova - Very dark lyrics and a similarly menacing delivery makes this one of the most interesting songs they’ve done recently, all stabbing piano and unsettling jangly guitar paired with Tweedy genuinely sounding like he’s going insane.
20.) California Stars - Stands up as one of the greatest cover versions of all time, taking Woody Guthrie’s dreamy lyrics to make a perfect piece of laid-back Americana.
21.) Spiders (Kidsmoke) - One of their longest, but it holds the listener for all of its 10 minutes with its driving, Neu!-esque beat and spectacular instrumental chorus.
22.) Ashes Of American Flags - A very moving song, placed perfectly in the middle of ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’. Admiring those brave enough to do something different with their lives, Tweedy’s delivery in the chorus gets me every time.
23.) Heavy Metal Drummer - A perfect, wistful rocker and definitely Wilco’s best pop moment to round off the playlist. The way the previous track segues into this through a dark, noisy soundscape is truly masterful.
Enjoy!
