Tweedy spreads the Joy
In the past 12 months, Jeff Tweedy has released two solo albums, a very good biography, and now his band Wilco has released its 11th studio record, Ode To Joy. Heralded as heroes of alternative country music, Wilco softly sauntered into mainstream consciousness in 2001 with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
Tweedy’s fragile melodies were woven in with slow powerful arrangements of drunken pianos and shiny guitar feedback.
Ode To Joy will please long-time fans of the band and may even find new ones. It’s comparatively stripped back, with a lot of acoustic work, whispered words and slow builds.
Tweedy’s lyrics have always been enigmatic, while seeming poignant. You never know if they mean something, or if they just sound cool.
In the end, it doesn’t matter. If you find yourself happily singing away, the job is surely a job well done.
Meanwhile, after 38 years of making music, Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) has released a revelatory solo album, No Home Record.
We expected crunchy discordant guitars and they’re here, but so too is Paprika Pony, a dark tempestuous track set to a ticking trap beat.
There’s fire in her belly and a little sarcasm on her tongue as she unleashes ‘‘Airbnb, gonna set me free’’, railing against our capitalist saviours.
There’s a lot of lo-fi rumbling beats setting the pace for her snarled, syncopated syllables.
This is probably as mainstream as Gordon will ever be, but it’s still pretty left-of-centre.
A few years ago, a quiet Wellingtonian known as Lontalius, produced I’ll Forget 17, a specific and powerful coming-of-age album that wore its bleeding heart on its sleeve. The album received lots of critical love, and Lontalius (who also makes music as Race Banyon) took the cue to move to Los Angeles to see if his significant songwriting skills could find a home.
It’s been pretty quiet since, but All I Have is an accomplished and well-considered album with a turn-the-page enthusiasm that is more than a little infectious.
‘‘I’m ambitious and I’m optimistic, but I’m not pretty and I’m not realistic,’’ he says.
Make My Dreams Come True stands out, a slick slice of pop that manages to feature some incredibly complex and clever guitar work.
The style here reflects trends in pop and R’n’B, but his sense of melody means this work won’t date badly like some contemporary music will. He’s one of our most promising songwriters.
Prolific and brave, one gets the sense that his best work is still to come.