The Wilco frontman’s fifth solo album is a treasure trove of lo-fi, beautiful, warm, intimate, sensitive, bittersweet songwriting – gently profound, reflective and catchily tuneful, a 30-track triple LP opus recorded and self-produced himself at his Chicago studio, The Loft, with a general theme of slow, autumnal fade and mortality but also life affirmation. Four singles heralded it prior to release - with tinkling piano and gentle percussion gorgeously freeform One Tiny Flower (“The grass is growing/ All over town / From the cracks in the sidewalk / Whеre all the shops shut down”), the catchy shuffle of Out In The Dark, the serene and strumming, Elliott Smith-ish Secret Door, or Stray Cats In Spain, the latter of which seems to recall a surprise encounter with the legendary rockabilly band (“Oh, what a beautiful day / Following the mosaic / At an angle from where we stayed / The Stray Cats are playing in Spain”), and the closer Enough, toe-tapping bluesy, 70s rock number about clinging on to life and love (“Is your heart tired? / Don't lie / Is your heart hiding / From your fire?”). But there are many other wonderful numbers and moods to dip into here, such as slow, talky, existential Parking Lot in which he pictures another self (“There’s a version of me that hangs out in parking lots In my brain …or my subconscious… Whatever … He has a car, the hood is popped / Talking to some other me’s I don’t recognize.” Secret Door is syncopated beauty with a touch of Smith again and also Nick Drake. Better Song is a warm, witty waltz-time meta-musing (“I need a better song /If I’m gonna sing /I better have a better song /For you to love me”). Lou Reed Was My Babysitter is a fun, passionate catchy rolling, lo-fi celebration with a Jonathan Richman / Reed groove (“’Cause rock ‘n’ roll ain’t ever gonna die / Not as long as you and I are alive / ’Cause rock ‘n’ roll is dead / But the dead don’t die … I wanna feel everything / I wanna feel everything / I wanna listen to the idiot sing / Until I can’t feel anything.” This is merely a taste of many treasures here, but seems to sum up Tweedy’s prolific hunger to write and record, and long may we admire, enjoy and applaud him. Out on dBpm Records.
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