Wilco (with Billy Bragg) : Hoodoo Voodoo

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Wilco (the album), Wilco (the song), Wilco (the album art)!

Wilco just released the artwork for their forthcoming album, which will be simply entitled Wilco (the album) (out 6/20/09). It features a camel wearing a birthday hat, a birthday cake, and a table with six empty chairs. It's pretty hilarious.

In addition to this tomfoolery,they debuted the first single off of the new album, which is simply entitled "Wilco (the song)", on the Steven Colbert show last fall after a very funny back and forth between Jeff Tweedy and Colbert. And at JazzFest in New Orleans, their tall, skinny guitar tech hopped all over the stage like a crazed streaker, banging on a large cowbell during "Hoodoo Voodoo" and looking like a clone of Billy Crudups' character in Almost Famous. I thought Tweedy was gonna bust a gut just trying NOT to laugh.

All of this points to the fact that Wilco is having fun, damn them. A band this good at the peak of their game and they are finally having some serious fun.

I sat in on David Fricke's interview with base player John Stirratt during JazzFest and when asked if he had a favorite Wilco album, he said he rates them based on his  personal memories of  the experience (and we all know some of those have been quite difficult...see I Am Trying To Break Your Heart). The new record is Stirratt's favorite and he described it as a better version of Summerteeth; one that he always felt like the band was capable of making. Summerteeth is one of my all time favorite "fun" albums so my expectations are now sky high.

Here is the track listing for Wilco (the album) and a live performance of "Wilco (the song)".Witness band laughter at varying points:

Wilco (the song)
Deeper Down
One Wing
Bull Black Nova
You And I
You Never Know
Country Disappeared
Solitaire
I'll Fight
Sonny Feeling
Everlasting Everything



With the release date a full six weeks away, the band has kept a tight lid on web leaks so until then, I thought I'd serve up the aforementioned and oft overlooked "Hoodoo Voodoo" from Mermaid Avenue, now forever stamped in my brain by that classic "more cowbell please" performance at JazzFest '09.

by Wilco (with Billy Bragg) from Mermaid Avenue

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