Jeff Tweedy can’t stop, won’t stop. Since releasing 2016's Schmilco with his venerable Chicago rock outfit, the songwriter dropped two solo albums of original material and a memoir—he’ll also appear on an upcoming episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Now, he and Wilco are back with Ode To Joy, a decidedly optimistic collection of new tunes he describes as “really big, big folk songs, these monolithic, brutal structures that these delicate feelings are hung on.”
Accompanying its announcement is a new song, “Love Is Everywhere,” a rich, guitar-driven folk song expressing the kind of soul-warming sentiments that don’t emerge much in 2019. “There MUST be more love than hate. Right?!” Tweedy said in a statement. “I’m not always positive we can be so sure. In any case, I’m starting to feel like being confident in that equation isn’t always the best motivation for me to be my best self—it can kind of let me off the hook a little bit when I think I should be striving to contribute more love outside of my comfortable sphere of family and friends. So…I guess the song is sort of a warning to myself that YES, Love IS EVERYWHERE, but also BEWARE! I can’t let that feeling absolve me of my duty to create more.”
Hear it below.
Ode To Joy, the band’s 11th LP, drops on October 4 via dBpm Records. Pre-order it here and see a robust list of their upcoming North American tour dates here.
18 Comments
Wilco, you’ve done it again.
Any fans out there going to shell out the $500 for the Deluxe Vinyl version of the new album?Super limited to 1000 copies (!) it features a limited edition hand-numbered slipcased pop-up art book which includes:
Ode To Joy LP on 180 gram vinyl
LP jacket and inserts exclusive to this editionA 22-page
clothbound hardcover embossed book printed on 100 point archival paper.
The book features collages and unique hand assembled paper constructions
that animate and reveal album lyrics including pages engineered with
pull out die cut pockets, spinning wheels, paper doors, and unfolding
gatefold spreads.Unfortunately, it’s a strict limit of two per person and DOES NOT include a late night phone call from Jeff Tweedy making fun of your penis.
https://odetojoy.shop/collections/frontpage/products/ode-to-joy-deluxe-vinyl-lp
That is so fucking on-brand. Jesus (etc.).
1000 copies, limit 2 per customer. IE- (at least) 500 will be on E-Bay the following day starting at $600 and going to $5000.
I heard a few of the new songs at their Solid Sound Fest a few weeks ago.
News flash: they sounded great!
DUUUUHHH (rolls eyes).
Were you able to get in to hear “Before Us” at the Genelec Talks?
That guitar lick is tight! I think bank commercials have ruined the xylophone for me, however.
Xylophone is so last year, all about the Vibraphone now babaaay!
The first thing I thought when I first heard the melody was the song that Holly Hunter sings to her freshly kidnapped baby in Raising Arizona. Coincidentally, the film uses Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” in its score.https://youtu.be/eWYvDsyfqnI
Going to be a little contrarian and say I’m… underwhelmed? Kind of like the last few albums? There’s a more dynamic element that I’ve been missing, some of the noise and abrasion.
wilco died with jay bennett
Cold takes exposed
if by died you mean became better than ever, then yes, I agree.
you must be a missourian who supports trump and likes zappa.
Melody reminds me of the song Holly Hunter sings to the freshly kidnapped baby in Raising Arizona. Coincidentall, the film uses Beethoven’s Ode to Joy prominently in the score.
It’s really pretty, just wish Tweedy’s vocals weren’t quite so drowned out (reverbed-out?)