Sky Blue Sky

From time to time I will search through my library and post on a personal favorite. Today I will be discussing on of my all time favorite albums Sky Blue Sky by my favorite band Wilco.

Sky Blue Sky is Wilco's 6th studio album and arguably one of their best. Released May 15th, 2007, it sold 87,000 copies in it's first week making it Wilco's best selling record. Recorded at their Loft in Downtown Chicago, this was the first album with Multi-Instrumentalists Nels Cline as a full time member and Pat Sansone. It received mostly positive reviews except from sources such as Pitchfork Media, criticizing it's "dad-sound." 

The band wanted to create a much more mellow sound, therefore took a more relaxed approach to the recording process compared to their previous album, A Ghost is Born. Tweedy took inspiration from bands such as The Byrds and Fairport Convention and looked to make a sound similar to The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and The Beatles. 

The album starts off with the mellow Either Way and a great guitar to begin the record. The song has a little bit of a folky start but gets a bit experimental with a crisp guitar solo towards the middle. The next song, You Are My Face, is a nice picture and features more of Jeff Tweddy's poetic lyricism. In the middle of the song, there is a great solo featuring a very cool raspy guitar played by Nels Cline. Tweedy's vocals become stronger and have more emotion at this point and thus the song becomes more powerful. The next song is my favorite on the album, the jazzy, Impossible Germany. This song utilizes both Tweedy's beautiful lyrics and Nels Cline's awesome guitar abilities. It ends with one of the best guitar solos on any Wilco song. Next is the title track Sky Blue Sky, a country song that would sound a little more appropriate on their second album, Being There, but is still a good song. After that is Side with the Seeds, a bluesy song with Tweedy belting out his vocals against a cool guitar part. The middle of the song gets a little hectic but will be enjoyed by any Wilco fan. Next is the funk influenced Shake it Off with a great bass line by Jon Stirrait. Then is the very deep and emotional love song Please Be Patient With Me, which is done entirely solo by Jeff Tweedy. The next track is the blues song, Hate It Here, a great ballad to a missing woman. The song has great guitar parts interspersed throughout and of course fantastic belting vocals. The next song, Leave me (Like You Found Me), is a bit plain and would also easily fit into Being There but is still a good song. Then there is Walken, one of the better tracks on the album with a very fun slide guitar by Nels Cline and some great guitar playing by Jeff (the song may sound familiar from the Volkswagen commercial). Then the album's single, What Light, which is a country song about being your own person, a nice moral to come away with. It is a good song and reminiscent of the Mermaid Avenue collaborations with Billy Bragg. The final song on the album On and On and On is the weakest song in the collection with very mediocre and shallow lyrics, possibly written by Tweedy's sons Spencer (13) and Sam (10).

This album gets a 4/5 stars. It is a near masterpiece and comes together in a very strong way and is the bands most mature work to date. They have announced an album coming out some time this spring so keep your eyes out for that. This is an album every collection should have so if you don't already own it, go out and buy it now.

My Morning Jacket New Years Eve 2008

Now I know this is a little late but I think it's something that must be shared with the world. On new years eve 2008, my girlfriend and I went to see My Morning Jacket at Madison Square Garden and it was one of the best nights of my life. We took the subway down there and as we got closer to the garden, we started to see people dressed up in the most bizarre outfits,  ranging from tuxedos and party gowns, to long curly wigs and tie die shirts. We immediately felt under dressed in our regular clothes. 

We were sitting there for about an hour as the arena began to fill up with more of the same crowd and at about 9:15, the band went on. They opened with a cover version of Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield and although most of the crowd did not know the words (myself included), we all went crazy. Next they played the title track from their new album Evil Urges but this time, the crowd went crazier. Both the audience and the band were filled with tons of energy and we knew we were in for a wild night.

They continued to play until 11:40, playing mostly their own songs but they pulled out a few covers by Marvin Gaye, Charles Wright and Dion. All funk songs and all packed with enthusiasm. They ended their first set with Mahgeetah, a personal favorite and promised the hungry crowd they'd be back in 20 minutes, just in time to ring in the new year. 

Surely enough, at precisely 11:59 and with 20 seconds to go, they started the countdown and at midnight, they dropped a huge projection screen down from in front of the band to reveal that they had changed into white tuxedos, equipped with matching top hats and canes. They played Celebration by Kool & the Gang, a major crowd pleaser, and Get Down On It, also by Kool. Their second set was just as good as their first possibly even better. The crowd was completely psyched up and was dancing like there wasn't anyone watching. 

Definitely one of the best concerts I have ever been to and probably the most fun. They put on a great show and played almost all of their best songs. If you have the means to see them, I highly recommend it.