Occasionally, we here at Midnight at the Lab disagree about the merits of a particular work. In that spirit, here’s JJ’s follow-up/rebuttal to my earlier succinct review of the first Wilco single from Sky Blue Sky. Await my comeback.
One of my cohorts at the Lab recently sent me Walken’ from Wilco’s new album, Sky Blue Sky. The early reviews from the Lab (as seen from the caption above) slammed the album as being another fine example of how Wilco had blown its creative load post Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and was now meandering into the dangerous territory of recording songs that could be easily converted into jam band doodling fodder for live shows. (for reference, see the less than amazing doodletry that new guitarist, Nels Cline, has brought to the band- http://youtube.com/watch?v=_vKEFJ5eiO8). So being that I’m easily impressionable and that my once steadfast fan boyish faith in Wilco had been shaken by the super lame Spiders from A Ghost is Born, I was more than willing to give the song my shit spin. However, I will have to save it for another time and another song. I like Walken’. It’s a simple and direct little love song that blends some quasi-honky tonk piano with some Greg Brown-esque guitar runs at the end (I actually thought they were starting to play Going the Distance at the three minute mark). Plus Tweedy’s singing throws out the scratchy vocal strain that makes me want to go out and start smoking three packs a day so I can sound a tenth as cool as he does. Take a listen… then buy some Marlboros.
Wilco – Walken’
