Music Blog
It wouldn’t be hard to post on the greatness of a different Wilco song everyday. These guys have built up an impressive collection of great songs over the years and their music just keeps getting better and better. “The Thanks I Get” isn’t on an album but is another in a long line of classics.
Here is Jeff Tweedy performing the track live in Portland. This is taken from the “Sunken Treasures” DVD which is a must see for anyone interested in Wilco or really even music at all.
I feeling idealistic this evening so while I recognize the seemingly insurmountable odds against a world without war; I can not deny the allure of such a society. Einstein is quoted as having said, “The pioneers of a warless world are the young men who refuse military service.”
The most ruinous casualty of war is obviously the loss of life and it is disturbing to ponder the greatness squandered on battlefields.
Most people have heard of Impressionism and the group’s more prominent painters such as Monet and Renoir but another budding artists named Frederic Bazille was a promising member of the group until he was killed fighting in the Franco-Prussian War.
Perhaps he would have been a friend, brother, son or father and that loss would be tragedy enough but maybe the world lost out on great works of art that would inspire numerous people throughout the world for years to come.
Wilco has a track entitled “The Late Greats” which makes think of Bazille and the countless others like him would had something to say but were robbed of their opportunities.
The song actually is much more light hearted and fun than my connection makes it seem but at the same time the theme is about missing out on something and to that end it is prudent to ponder what the true cost of war is.
Perhaps more appropriate would be Wilco’s track “Comment” which is more thought provoking about the ways of society so make sure and check it out as well while you are taking in “The Late Greats”
Two additional thoughts – First, Wilco is an absolutely amazing band and everyone should listen to the album “Kicking Television: Live in Chicago” at least once. There isn’t a bad track on the two disc set and I’m sure I’ll post on many more in the future. Hell, I may even cite this track again when I rant on why I couldn’t get signed to a record label.
Second, Einstein is also quoted as saying. “As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable” and “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
My fellow cube monkeys, I am having a hard time getting motivated this morning. Things are slow at work, my house is a disaster zone from “acts of god”, and even though I slept like 9 hours last night I feel like I have been shot in the ass with a horse tranquilizer. It is so bad that I sat and stared at my monitor for about an hour before I thought to turn on my Gigabeat…….but now I have remembered and I think I need to pull out some heavy hitters to get me back on track. This isn’t a morning for a shuffle or listening to a few full albums, today begs for some serious cherry picking of my current listening favs in no particular order.
Razorlight – “Golden Touch”
Kaiser Chiefs – “The Angry Mob”
Oasis – “Don’t Look Back in Anger”
Wilco – “Spiders (Kidsmoke)”
Silvershun Pickups – “Lazy Eye”
Theivery Corporation – “Lebanese Blonde”
Gnarles Barkley – “Smiley Faces”
I am just one bored dude at work so I can’t really prepare a list to end all other list of thirteen tracks that will get you through a Friday in the salt mines plus I’m not really all that into research….but I have a couple of hours to kill here so I will give you the thirteen best in my Gigabeat today.
The Zutons – “Don’t Ever Think (Too Much)”
To get things started, you gotta have a nice tempo and a track you can bob your head to or even better…. sing along to if you want to piss off that asshole in the next cube who keeps saying “is it Friday yet” to everyone that walks by.
Rock Kills Kids – “Paralyzed”
This is a fairly new addition to my collection and a great pick for this play list. I really like the rhythm of the vocals on this one and the lyrics aren’t too shabby either.
The Bees – “This is for the Better Days”
This is from a new album I just picked up called “Octopus”. This track has a nice groove and a catchy chorus.
Wilco – “Theologians”
I don’t really have a good reason to add this track but I was just walking around and overhead an overly religious immigrant chick answer her phone with the following greeting, “Oh, mighty woman of God, blessed be you” which made me think of this song.
Super Furry Animals – “The Man Don’t Give a Fuck”
Title sort of gives it away with this one. Enjoy.
The Flaming Lips – “The W.A.N.D.”
I really want to see this band live but that isn’t why I wanted them on this list. I wanted to add a little more of an experimental element and this was definitely the band to go with. Their albums really are great to listen to from start to finish because of their approach to composition but a little cherry picking isn’t always a bad thing.
Arcade Fire with David Bowie – “Wake Up”
I’ll keep things going with a live cover track. This recording sounds great, it may be a repeater.
Royksopp – “Royksopp’s Night Out”
Pure Musical Interlude
We are Scientists – “The Great Escape”
O.K. I think I put earphones in for this one. I tired of everyone asking me my weekend plans as an excuse for them to proceed to waste fifteen minutes of my life telling me about excruciating details of their tedium.
Kaiser Chiefs – “I Predict a Riot”
The more I listen to this band, the more I like them. I first heard them on Later with Jools Holland on Rave HD and they have a lot of clever lyrics and catchy sounds. They also have on a really humorous track called “From the Neck Down” that will definitely be on my next humor play list.
Oasis – “Cigarettes and Alcohol”
I’m a big time Oasis fan so it was inevitable that I would find one of their tracks to add to this list.
Hot Hot Heat – “Pickin’ It Up”
It’s getting close to 5 o’clock so I’m gonna crank up the obnoxiousness here and go play a little air guitar for the big boobed Hawaian chick in payroll. As an added bonus, the first line is “Well everybody is waiting for everbody to get out!” which seems approriate.
Snowden – “Anti-Anti”
It wasn’t easy picking a closer but it had to be done. The long day is over; now go forth and enjoy your freedom.