By Deiondra Montano, Ad Editor
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22355-schmilco/
Wilco is an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1994. The band still continues to blow everyone’s mind after them being together after 22 years. The band consists of Jeff Tweedy (lead vocals), John Stirratt (bass), Glenn Kotche (drums), Mikael Jorgensen (keyboards and synthesizers), Nels Cline (lead guitar) and Pat Sansone (keyboards and backing vocals). They have released ten studio albums through the labels Reprise, Nonesuch and dBpm Records. The band’s most recent album, Wilco Schmilco, was released on September 9th and placed 11th on the US Billboard 200. The band’s lyrics are wistful and carefree over straightforward, bittersweet melodies.
When lead singer Jeff Tweedy was interviewed by Consequence of Sound, he was asked about the quirky album title and replied with,“I don’t really know when it originated, but when I think about it, I think, Why would you do that? But for me, I just can’t in good conscience do A Moon Shaped Pool (album by Radiohead) right now. I mean, all due respect, that’s a beautiful title and a beautiful album cover and rollout and everything. I just feel way less precious about it than that. I care about it immensely. It’s my life but taking it so seriously is really difficult for me at this point in my life. And it’s really, to me, inhibiting to take it so seriously, to treat it like it’s so precious. I guess that’s just a way to illustrate that, to some degree. Like, ‘Hey, Wilco Schmilco, [heck], I just wanna keep moving.”
One of my favorite songs from the album, “Normal American Kids” conveys a suburban boyhood that was spent awkward, uneasy and intoxicated. Tweedy starts off the song with “I remind myself of myself long ago/’Fore I could drive, ‘fore I could vote/All of the time, holding a grudge/’Fore I knew people could die just because”. This narrative explains that holding grudges won’t get you anywhere and you shouldn’t dwell on past conflicts because anything could happen at any given moment so you should always cherish what or who you have in your life. Tweedy continues with,“Oh, all of my spirit leaked like a cut/I knew what I needed would never be enough/I was too high to change my bid/Always afraid to be a normal American kid” meaning that he would feel down because he thought he’d never be able to fit in with the “normal American kids”.
If you’re interested in the English singer-songwriter, Billy Bragg, the English rock band, Radiohead and the American indie rock band, Warpaint then you should most definitely check out this band.
When lead singer Jeff Tweedy was interviewed by Consequence of Sound, he was asked about the quirky album title and replied with,“I don’t really know when it originated, but when I think about it, I think, Why would you do that? But for me, I just can’t in good conscience do A Moon Shaped Pool (album by Radiohead) right now. I mean, all due respect, that’s a beautiful title and a beautiful album cover and rollout and everything. I just feel way less precious about it than that. I care about it immensely. It’s my life but taking it so seriously is really difficult for me at this point in my life. And it’s really, to me, inhibiting to take it so seriously, to treat it like it’s so precious. I guess that’s just a way to illustrate that, to some degree. Like, ‘Hey, Wilco Schmilco, [heck], I just wanna keep moving.”
One of my favorite songs from the album, “Normal American Kids” conveys a suburban boyhood that was spent awkward, uneasy and intoxicated. Tweedy starts off the song with “I remind myself of myself long ago/’Fore I could drive, ‘fore I could vote/All of the time, holding a grudge/’Fore I knew people could die just because”. This narrative explains that holding grudges won’t get you anywhere and you shouldn’t dwell on past conflicts because anything could happen at any given moment so you should always cherish what or who you have in your life. Tweedy continues with,“Oh, all of my spirit leaked like a cut/I knew what I needed would never be enough/I was too high to change my bid/Always afraid to be a normal American kid” meaning that he would feel down because he thought he’d never be able to fit in with the “normal American kids”.
If you’re interested in the English singer-songwriter, Billy Bragg, the English rock band, Radiohead and the American indie rock band, Warpaint then you should most definitely check out this band.