Good morning! Need an antidote for the algorithms? Looking for a place to share the music you love with like-minded people? You’re in the right spot.
For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing, and the playlist below is some of what’s been in heavy rotation for me.
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Wilco is a band that needs little explanation: they make a record, people love it, repeat. Jeff Tweedy is often mentioned in the same breath as Dylan and credited with helping spark the entire alt-country genre.
Is Yankee Hotel Foxtrot an objectively good record? Yes.
Am I more interested in the apartments featured on the cover than the record itself? Also yes.
I’ve mentioned it before, but this has always felt like a record people liked because they thought they had to. It’s one that any hipster craft beer bar likely plays on repeat (heh). That’s reductive and unfair, of course, and listening again ahead of the Best Record of 2001 bracket, I can see the appeal. “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” is a classic, but tracks like “Kamera” sound far better than I ever remember them being. I can see myself sitting on the back patio of that bar with some friends, whiling away a summer afternoon. The strings on “Jesus, Inc.” are a nice touch, too. I get it. But I’m still more interested in the buildings.
I say all this to admit that my toxic trait is that (try as I might) I just don’t like Wilco very much.
BUT—and this is a big but—I will 100% carve out an exception for Summerteeth. To my ear, “I’m Always in Love” is the quintessential pop song, and that—more than even something like “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”—shows the genius of this band.
Wilco is here, but so too is everyone from Television and The Feelies to Heavy Looks—one of my fave WI-based bands. There are also new tracks from Jack Vinoy, Lala Lala, and Inner Wave (among others).
A few of you have asked whether I sequence these as an album or a mixtape. The answer is always yes. In my head, I imagine them being played on your morning commute or road trip. I’m too old to use the word “vibes” as much as I have lately, but, well, if the shoe fits…
This week, Side A is tracks 1–15 (ending with “1880 or So”), with Side B being 16–27.
On to the music…
KA—
Other sources: Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music|
Now it’s your turn.
Any new releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Kevin Sent 