By Chris Moore:

This is completely off the cuff, and I’m loving it!

All you Mets fans out there will be well aware that Jeff Francoeur — the topic of not a few trade rumors since the return of Carlos Beltran and the outstanding performance of Angel Pagan this season — got a spot on the starting rotation last night due to Jason Bay being out with a concussion.  Well, he made the most of it…

…with a three run homer off the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, arguably one of the best pitchers in the game right now!

Granted, it’s only one hit in the midst of a mighty slump, but it reminded me of this great song called “Joe DiMaggio Done It Again” off Wilco and Billy Bragg’s second album of Woody Guthrie-penned (lyrics, at least) songs, Mermaid Avenue Vol. II.  I slipped a “Jeff” here and a “Frenchy” there, and voila!

This is my 200th Laptop Session, and I could think of no better way to celebrate it than to make it a fun one. (And, yes, at the beginning of the music video, that IS me doing my best Jeff Francoeur impression…)  I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording it.

Oh, and go Mets!!!

RATING:  4 / 5 stars

By Chris Moore

For an album that is thematically based in the mysteries of human nature and love, the opening track is remarkably straightforward.  “Are you under the impression / This isn’t your life? / Do you dabble in depression?” Jeff Tweedy inquires in “Wilco (the song)” before declaring that “Wilco will love you baby.”

But don’t let the unabashed directness — even Tweedy admits it may appear cheesy at first  — of this opening track deter you from taking the album seriously.

Immediately after “Wilco (the song)” fades out, the heartbeat of “Deeper Down” steadily fades in with the crash of a cymbal.  This song is more subtle and serves as a reminder that the band has not lost its flair for more experimental fare, even after its flirtation with the more straightforward songwriting and jam band mentalities present on 2007′s Sky Blue Sky.  Aside from the standard acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and drums, this track also incorporates lap steel (which is becoming a standard Wilco instrument, particularly since the arrival of Nels Cline), loops, harpsichord, Mellotron cello and vibraphone, bowed piano (go ahead: look up “bowed piano” — it’s wild…), synthesizer, and cimbalom.  Based on the list of instrumental credits alone, it is apparent Wilco is not through with the sonic experiments that have earned them fame throughout their career, ever since the opening moments of “Misunderstood” on 1996′s Being There.

“Deeper Down” also begins to tackle the core subjects covered by the album, namely the uncertainties in both our relationships and personal lives.  As Tweedy sings, “Out beyond the telescope’s pry / Up above the tallest Dutch dope high / He realized / This mystery is his.”  The unknown elements that the singer is concerned with here are not the ones that can be analyzed by using scientific equipment or engaging in a study.  Rather, personal demons and mysteries are on display for examination throughout the song and the album.

As the next verse begins to employ the metaphor of the ocean floor for the depths of the human mind, a creaking sound invokes the image of a deep sea vehicle moving farther and farther down into the watery depths.

This is the one track on the album that is not written solely by Tweedy.  A collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, “Deeper Down” is the perfect bookend to the album proper.

“One Wing” returns to the lighthearted lyricism of the opening song, the title metaphor of this third track comparing a full relationship to a bird (“We once belonged to a bird”) and the aftermath of a breakup to the separation of those all-important feathery appendages (“One wing will never ever fly, dear / Neither yours nor mine, I fear / We can only wave goodbye”).  Again, this type of songwriting may seem worthy of a dismissal at first, but it works in context here.

The fourth track is anything but lighthearted.  Told from the manic perspective of one who has just committed murder (online sources suggest the victim was the narrator’s girlfriend), “Bull Black Nova” is the sonic standout here, being easily the most experimental track on the album.  Spin‘s review of the album suggests that this song is out of place in what is largely a body of traditionally arranged songs, but this is not the case.  After all, what will drive a person to killing another — particularly a loved one — is perhaps the greatest human mystery of all.

Driven by a steady beat and arrangement of electric guitars, this track fittingly evokes the mental hysteria of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.”  Indeed, the mystery dealt with in this song is perhaps best described as how one might handle the aftermath of having committed such a heinous crime.

The first of two acoustic masterpieces, “You and I” prominently features the first duet to be included on a Wilco album.  Accompanied by Leslie Feist, Tweedy presents this moving track with a fittingly subdued instrumental performance by the other members of the band.  Moreover, this song advances the motif of the album.  As Tweedy and Feist sing, “Oh, I don’t need to know / Everything about you / Oh, I don’t want to know / And you don’t need to know / That much about me.”  This song considers the reality that two people may still be strangers, regardless of how close they become.  While that may sound negative, it is turned around in the song as a positive and natural element of any relationship.

Tweedy later goes it alone on “Solitaire,” the eighth track.  This is another acoustic gem highlighted by Tweedy’s understated but heartfelt double-tracked vocals.  Lyrically, this is the perfect example of a simple but powerfully written song.  (Click here to see the Laptop Session this song inspired.)

“You Never Know” is the first single; it comes halfway through the album, proving that Wilco was only warming up.  This song nicely features all of the elements that make this an excellent band: Tweedy’s vocals, Cline’s lead guitar, Sansone’s piano,  Jorgensen’s organ, and the typically strong bass and drums of Stirratt and Kotche, respectively.  What stands out about this track is that it is clearly Wilco in sound and style, yet, as several other reviews have noted, the stylistic touches are strongly reminiscent of one of the best songwriter/guitarists of all time: George Harrison.  It is nearly impossible to listen to “You Never Know” and not hear Harrison’s characteristic flourishes in the mix.  In a recent interview, Tweedy suggested that the similarities were not planned, but that he was pleased to offer an homage.

No other journalist has pointed out that the Hammond organ stylings on “You and I” sound like a reference to Bob Dylan’s “I Believe In You,” so I’ll just throw that one out there, too…

The second half of the album is equally as strong as the first.  “I’ll Fight” (a standout track) and “Sonny Feeling” (highlighted by Cline’s lap steel guitar licks) are a powerful combination, occupying the ninth and tenth slots on the album.  The former is a statement of purpose, evoking Biblical references to drive the point home.  The latter evades an entirely concrete interpretation, but it is clear that the song centers around a pivotal experience in a high school student’s life.  The middle is perhaps the strongest section of this song, as Tweedy sings, “You know it’s true / The other shoe / It waits for you / What can you do? / Remember to show gratitude / The darkest night is nothing new.”

In addition to the aforementioned “Solitaire,” the true highlights of the second half are certainly the two acoustic-based songs “Country Disappeared” and “Everlasting Everything.”  “Country Disappeared” is just about as political as you’ll hear Wilco (in song at least), but it is still best described as poetic and personal.  If “Deeper Down” is a fitting thematic bookend at the opening of the album, then “Everlasting Everything” is the ideal closer.  As Tweedy sings, “Oh I know this might sound sad / But everything goes, both the good and the bad / So it all adds up, and you should be glad / Everlasting love is all you had.”  This is apparently what is to be found after digging “deeper down,” namely the realization that a life driven by love is worthwhile.  With this, Wilco (the album) turns out to be perhaps the most positive release in the Wilco catalog.

As “Everlasting Everything” fades out and “Wilco (the song)” thunders in, listeners will find it difficult to pop the CD out of the player or change the selection on the iPod.  And this is just as a great album should be.  Is Wilco (the album) the perfect record, or even a masterpiece?  The answer is undoubtedly in the negative.  And yet there is something compelling, soothing, passionate, and masterful about it.

This is the story of a band putting out a strong seventh release, continuing to impress after an already impressive career.

“Far, Far Away”
Wilco

G                                     Bm
Far, far away from those city lights,
Em                         Bm                    Bm – Bbm – Am
Might be shining on you tonight.
Am                        C
Far, far away from you.
C         G            Em      C          G
On the dark side of the moon.

G                                  Bm
I long to hold you in my arms and sway,
Em                           Bm        Bm – Bbm – Am
Kiss and ride on the CTA.
Am                          C
I need to see you tonight,
C              G                    Em – C – Am
And those bright lights.
Oh, I know it’s right.
Deep in my heart,
Am   G                         Em – C – G
I’ll     know it’s right.

INSTRUMENTAL:
G – Bm
Em – Bm  (Bm – Bbm – Am)
Am – C
G – Em – C – Am
G – Em – C – G

By the bed, by the light that you read by,
By the time that I get home to say goodnight.
I need to see you again
On the dark side, my friend.

G – Em – C – G

G                                 Em – C – G
On the dark side…

** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **

By Chris Moore:

In the spirit of the blog, I’ll be posting on several topics tonight.  First, let’s get down to business and talk about my choice for an acoustic cover song session.  “Ingrid Bergman” is my second selection from the Wilco and Billy Bragg album Mermaid Avenue.  This album has one of my favorite back-stories; essentially (as I described for my “Walt Whitman’s Niece” post), Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy and British folksinger Billy Bragg were given access and rights to boxes full of Woody Guthrie lyrics.  They recorded this album by writing music to fifteen of Guthrie’s songs, and it is an excellent recording.  Unfortunately, the second volume is not nearly as fresh and exciting as the first…

That being said, I had such a good time and a good response for my first Mermaid Avenue track that I decided to record this one also.  “Ingrid Bergman” is a song that I have oftentimes gotten easily stuck in my head and I find it peaceful to sing along to in my head.  It was actually more difficult to figure out the strumming pattern than I thought it would be.  Other than that, it was a pretty straightforward performance that I hope you’ll enjoy listening to!

In other news, it was a bad day to be a Mets fan…  After yesterday’s AMAZING outing by Johan Santana, I thought that there might be enough energy and momentum built up to translate into an important win of this, the last game played at Shea Stadium.  I’d like to jump on the bandwagon and blame the bullpen, but the great point has been made that, really, it takes both defense AND offense to make a winning team.  Not to mention the reasonable argument that Santana is essentially the sole reason why the Mets were in the race for so long to begin with.  Well, I suppose I can’t really complain.  I haven’t been a Mets fan for all that long, and this is really the first year that I watched or paid close attention to each game (thank you iPhone!!).  Let’s hope that management and the team in general has learned some important lessons for next year…

And last, but certainly not least, I will second Jim’s reflections on friendship.  I think that, all too often, with family, friends, lovers — we get so busy with our day to day lives and we lose perspective.  I know that I have been guilty of that.  And I’ve also been guilty of not taking a firm stand for those that I care about.  Life is a crazy, crazy process, and every time I think that I’m getting ahead of the curve and finding happiness, I get set back a step.  Ever felt that way?  Ever felt trapped by a paradox, or a no-win situation?  For those that don’t know me, I’m generally a pretty positive person — sometimes positive in the face of all logical proof to the contrary.

Contradictions, controversy, and general confusion are some of the best reasons we write.  I know that they’re my motivations.  And let’s just say I have a lot to write!  (More about that on my upcoming Original Wednesday…)

Thanks for stopping by for your daily dose of Laptop Sessions acoustic cover song excitement; don’t forget to hurry back tomorrow for an all-new cover by Jeff.

See you next session!