Before AGIB was officially released last week, it already appeared on a half-dozen forum members' 2004 best lists and was anticipated to land there by several more. It's been almost a week since it hit the stores. What do we think?

Like a lot of people, I listened to the album first on-line, probably a half-dozen times in all. After warming up to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot somewhat slowly, I was surprised at how much I liked AGIB right away. I'm a bit put off by both "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" and "Less Than You Think," but I'm returning to "Handshake Drugs" and "The Late Greats" a lot.

In all, Summerteeth continues to be Wilco's magnum opus for me. I think YHF cemented Wilco as the great American band to watch. I expect AGIB will only grown in my estimation in the weeks and months to come.

Now Playing: "Waltz #2 (XO)" Elliot Smith XO streaming on Seattle's KEXP

Well, LT, I don't mean to be off-topic, but I'm picking hal up from the airport in about two hours. The crummy thing is that he has to go home Thursday morning. Now the deal is that he could answer your question, but I haven't heard AGIB yet because hal convinced me to let him bring it and I could hear it with him the first time. That's not too strange because I have dozens of things he hasn't heard and vice versa.

The other point this may bring up is that I probably won't be at the site for awhile, so everyone can celebrate with a cold one. Later, Gator.

A couple of thoughts on AGIB:

1. With record-lovin' friends in tow, we hit all of the indie/vinyl/import record stores in St Louis and Nashville late last week. In 7 of the 9 stores we shopped in, AGIB was playing over the sound system. So, surveys seem to show: 7 of 9 record store clerks agree: Wilco is the band of the moment!

2. I agree with LinnTate: Handshake Drugs and The Late Greats are excellent tracks. I'm not so high on the noisy stuff, but then, I usually don't dig that stuff so much.

3. I agree with LinnTate again: Summerteeth is my fave Wilco record, with Being There and YHF close behind. I can't be certain this will take first place, but maybe it'll slide in there with the other two.

4. The volume extremes, particularly on the first track and the second to last track, warrant the alternate title: "Playing Havoc with your Volume Knob."

I was already on somewhat of a Wilco kick when AGIB came out, so it was really nice to get some new tunes from them. My only complaints were mentioned by LinnTate; "Spiders" and "Less Then You Think" both try my patience. Other then that, I'm just enjoying the record, trying to break down that newness barrier and get close to the songs. One thing this record reinforced is how much I love Tweedy's voice. Simply put, I think he has the most honest set of pipes in rock right now.

I honestly believe that we don't live in a vacuum. I also believe, that due to human nature, if you "love" someone, that you will love them no matter what. Another thing that I believe is that if you read enough warnings that something is "difficult", that you might eventually accept it as fact.

I also believe that I'm going to sound like a completely-pretentious asshole (well I know myself better than anyone else, right?)

Listening to this album is like growing up and sharing stories with your best friend. First of all, let me say that I think that WILCO is brilliant, but, say, compared to Radiohead, they don't seem as essential, or at least, as personally attuned to my ears.

Second, after only four listens, I'm ready to say that this is the BEST Wilco album, and I realize that many of the opinions here leave that open to being a possibility.

Third, the songs which seem to be causing the most problems are just as good as any. "Spiders": I haven't a problem with a single second of it, let alone several minutes. The extended guitar solos seem to perfectly reflect the lyrics, and what's even more important to me, vice versa.

The title of "Less Than You Think" alone seems to invite derision, but seriously, think of any other song by an important band that goes so far into what the actual "song" is about. This is a song that describes the complexity and simplicity of a COMPLETE life, but dares to do it in the context of your "soul" taking off, whether you believe you have one or not.

Like I said, I knew I was going to sound SOOO pretentious, but try this: listen to "Less Than You Think" the next time you enter a thread on Metacritic, and tell me that you didn't think it made your thoughts easier to express.

P.S. LT, I never thought that Jeff Tweedy sounded like Peter Case before, but he sure does on the first verse of "The Late Greats."

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark f,

Wow, I got this CD today and Im about half way through listening to it for the first time, and Im really amazed by it so far. Ive never heard of Wilco before and I was expecting something totally different, like metal album, but I was pleasantly suprised. I predict this CD'll be in my player for a long time yet.

I've given A Ghost Is Born two cursory spins and, much like Modest Mouse's Good News For People Who Love Bad News, I think I'm missing a certain point. One person, who I talk to a lot about music, says that the album is something of a tremendous masterpiece and that's so good that it deserves a 10. I disagree, at least at this point.

To start, I don't know much about Wilco. I don't have and have not heard A.M., Being There or Summerteeth. I have Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, though, and I like it a lot. That said, I don't think A Ghost Is Born is at all similar to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, contrary to what I've been told (by All Music). A Ghost Is Born is too druggy and drowsy to me to be at all similar to the inspired Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I don't mind guitar solos or long songs -- I'm a big fan of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and I listen to quite a few progressive rock bands -- but how Tweedy continuously drops into them at the end gives the song an abrupt, queer feel. For example, "At Least That's What You Said" felt unfinished to me, and much of how the songs continuously drop into extended guitar solos seems to present a lack of ideas, or something that's slowing down the songwriting process. "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" was the only song that jolted me out of my indifference for a moment because, while it is cyclical and while it drifts into unfortunate passages, it does rise and fall rather gloriously.

Ultimately, I'm not familiar with Side Two of A Ghost Is Born. I haven't heard "Less Than You Think," the supposed nadir of the record, and overall my opinion could change at any moment. Although I hate to say that I want songs that are "more of the same," I'm kind of starved for songs that were like those on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Catchy ditties like "Kamera" or "War On War," sad songs like "Ashes of American Flags" and "Radio Cure," and if Tweedy needs to solo then he can do "I'm the Man Who Loves You" and if he wants a long song then he can do something like "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" (a song that evolves at a glacial pace rather than a song that just repeats itself).

I wanted to love A Ghost Is Born, though. I will say that. I read so many positive reviews of the record, and even though Pitchfork turned in disappointment, I was treated to all of my Pitchfork-hating friends who screamed "NEIN!" though they, admittedly, had not heard A Ghost Is Born. Maybe my opinion will change with repeated listens, though, but at the moment, I share Pitchfork's disappointment.

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Originally posted by Monheim:
I've given _A Ghost Is Born_ two cursory spins and, much like Modest Mouse's _Good News For People Who Love Bad News_, I think I'm missing a certain point...To start, I don't know much about Wilco. I don't have and have not heard _A.M._, _Being There_ or _Summerteeth_. I have _Yankee Hotel Foxtrot_, though, and I like it a lot._A Ghost Is Born_ is too druggy and drowsy to me to be at all similar to the inspired _Yankee Hotel Foxtrot_...I wanted to love _A Ghost Is Born_, though. I will say that.

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Monheim, please forgive me for editing your personally-detailed explanation of your honest feelings of AGIB, along with some comments about MM's "GNFPWLBN." I second LinnTate's thoughts on your writing ability because I believe that it's one thing to be a good writer, but it's another to have a valid reason to write. You qualify in both cases, so keep it up.

I just want to mention a few things. Several people I know who love Modest Mouse think that they're missing things too; to wit, the old Modest Mouse. Since I still don't know what I'm missing vis-a-vis "old Modest Mouse", I find the new album tremendous, but I didn't initially, and it's only after several listens that I understood what the concerns of the band were (mortality seeming to be #1, with personal expression trailing at #2.)

What makes me understand, Monheim, that you have found your niche, is that you compared MM to Wilco, and you did it up front. Wilco's album is also about mortality (more than ever) and personal expression. In my opinion, it's a combination of remembering all the good times with the loved ones you now miss, and a fessing-up that you may be the one responsible for missing them.

Definitely check out Wilco's past because they are evolving, and drugs WAS a major influence on this album. It's just that I don't think it was a negative influence. As far as songs seeming unfinished through the use of guitar solos, my interpretation is that the songs are about unfinished relationships (be they with your spouse, friend, parent, child, sibling, humankind or God.)

None of this means that anything I say is true or even has any meaning. That's the beauty of life and the joy of learning about and loving art. It allows you to get in touch with your own feelings. Don't ever adopt your friends', other critics' or my opinions if they are anathema to your soul.

One other note, about "YHF"; that album took quite a bit of time to grow on everyone I know. It wasn't as if it was accessible, even if it had "Heavy Metal Drummer." To piss off philosopherEric (I hope I'm only kidding), "YHF" was the definition of "difficult" the first time, even though, strangely enough, I loved "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" up front, but that might have been because I considered it a powerful metaphor for Osama bin Laden trying to break America's heart.

I hope this doesn't scare anyone, but if you check the forums, you can see I get this way sometimes. Later, gators.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark f,

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Originally posted by mark f:
Monheim, please forgive me for editing your personally-detailed explanation of your honest feelings of AGIB, along with some comments about MM's "GNFPWLBN." I second LinnTate's thoughts on your writing ability because I believe that it's one thing to be a good writer, but it's another to have a valid reason to write. You qualify in both cases, so keep it up.

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Thank you very much. And I'm not really offended; I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to discuss music, after all.

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Originally posted by mark f:
I just want to mention a few things. Several people I know who love Modest Mouse think that they're missing things too; to wit, the old Modest Mouse. Since I still don't know what I'm missing vis-a-vis "old Modest Mouse", I find the new album tremendous, but I didn't initially, and it's only after several listens that I understood what the concerns of the band were (mortality seeming to be #1, with personal expression trailing at #2.)

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Well, my problem with Good News For People Who Love Bad News is not that I want the old Modest Mouse back. I've met many people who dislike the polish on the album, but that doesn't bother me. Unlike other people, I was a little disappointed to hear that Jeremiah Green rejoined the band. Although I was really setting myself up for disappointment (because apparently his leave was temporary), in my opinion, Weikel gave the drumming a whole new rock edge to it. In comparison to The Moon & Antarctica, whose fastest moments still kept a rough-shod aesthetic akin to a campfire dirge (even "The Stars Are Projectors" and "What People Are Made Of," which is merely sped-up), Good News For People Who Love Bad News has more driving force. I don't think "Float On" would've been possible without Weikel behind the drums.

So, while obviously Modest Mouse are starting to get more used to what a studio and major label budget can do with an album's blueprints (The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, for example), the slightly different drumming and, last but not least, the second guitarist made Good News For People Who Love Bad News into somewhat of a transitional release. It feels like it to me, at least.

As for the band's concerns, I think that Good News For People Who Love Bad News was much more reactionary, after the rape accusation towards Isaac Brock and the in-band breakdowns and so on. Rather than putting out something raw, depressing and confessional, much of Good News For People Who Love Bad News is spent on supporting optimism. "Float On" is a no-brainer, but also check out "Bukowski" ("Woke up this morning and it seemed to me,/ that every night turns out to be a little more like Bukowski/ ... God who'd wanna be such an asshole?"). I'd argue that death and mortality have been themes in Modest Mouse's lyrics for a while. The Moon & Antarctica is full of it, interspersed by commentary on big business ("3rd Planet," "Wild Packs of Family Dogs").

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Originally posted by mark f:
What makes me understand, Monheim, that you have found your niche, is that you compared MM to Wilco, and you did it up front. Wilco's album is also about mortality (more than ever) and personal expression. In my opinion, it's a combination of remembering all the good times with the loved ones you now miss, and a fessing-up that you may be the one responsible for missing them.

Definitely check out Wilco's past because they are evolving, and drugs WAS a major influence on this album. It's just that I don't think it was a negative influence. As far as songs seeming unfinished through the use of guitar solos, my interpretation is that the songs are about unfinished relationships (be they with your spouse, friend, parent, child, sibling, humankind or God.)

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I don't know why I brought up Good News For People Who Love Bad News, to tell you the truth. They are both pretty popular, acclaimed albums that I find myself unable to enjoy in the same capacity as everyone else. Ultimately, I haven't listened to A Ghost Is Born as much as I have Good News For People Who Love Bad News, and my thoughts on the latter have been around for almost a month now, maybe more, whereas I only listened to A Ghost Is Born for the first time maybe three or four days ago.

In this respect, while I can raise questions worthy of note on Good News For People Who Love Bad News, my comments and feelings on A Ghost Is Born are so underdeveloped and reactionary that I can't discuss the subject matter or past albums. (Although from reading reviews I know that Summerteeth was big on mentioning drugs, it's not enough.)

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Originally posted by mark f:
None of this means that anything I say is true or even has any meaning. That's the beauty of life and the joy of learning about and loving art. It allows you to get in touch with your own feelings. Don't ever adopt your friends', other critics' or my opinions if they are anathema to your soul.

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Agreed. This is why I'm hoping my response isn't going to cause a blow-up of any type.

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Originally posted by mark f:
One other note, about "YHF"; that album took quite a bit of time to grow on everyone I know. It wasn't as if it was accessible, even if it had "Heavy Metal Drummer." To piss off philosopherEric (I hope I'm only kidding), "YHF" was the definition of "difficult" the first time, even though, strangely enough, I loved "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" up front, but that might have been because I considered it a powerful metaphor for Osama bin Laden trying to break America's heart.

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Yankee Hotel Foxtrot went from "pretty cool" to "mindblowing" within the five days between when I first listened to it and when I was playing it every hour. "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" was my favorite song up front, but as I stopped freaking out over how infatuated I was with one song, there was always another song there to knock me out and get me screaming again. If it wasn't "Kamera" then it was "Ashes of American Flags" or it was "Pot Kettle Black" or it was "War On War." In my opinion, I think that the reason why Yankee Hotel Foxtrot felt so relevent to all the 9/11 stuff was because of how, one, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot triumphed over every insurmountable odds and stole the hearts of just about everyone in 2002 (good triumphing over evil!), and, two, because "Ashes of American Flags" wasn't as blunt or horrendous as some of the other songs coming out at the time. Rather than being filled with rebellious fervor or being mindlessly patriotic, much of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and especially "Ashes of American Flags," was just an honest, patriotic song from a left-wing band. Then again, I'm Canadian, so I am far removed from American thought processes.

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Originally posted by mark f:
I hope this doesn't scare anyone, but if you check the forums, you can see I get this way sometimes. Later, gators.

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It's not scary. It's a big response and it's a sharing of ideas. It's why I, among with everyone else (I hope), comes here.

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Originally posted by mark f:
One other note, about "YHF"; that album took quite a bit of time to grow on everyone I know. It wasn't as if it was accessible, even if it had "Heavy Metal Drummer." To piss off philosopherEric (I hope I'm only kidding), "YHF" was the definition of "difficult" the first time

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I'M OUTRAGED!!!

Nah, not so much. Never has a record more deserved to be called a "difficult" record than YHF. The circumstances, the music, the turnabout from previous sounds and style certainly made YHF one of the classic "difficult" albums of the recent past.

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Second, after only four listens, I'm ready to say that this is the BEST Wilco album, and I realize that many of the opinions here leave that open to being a possibility.

Third, the songs which seem to be causing the most problems are just as good as any. "Spiders": I haven't a problem with a single second of it, let alone several minutes. The extended guitar solos seem to perfectly reflect the lyrics, and what's even more important to me, vice versa

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Well, mark f, your praise has inspired me to give this record another listen, focusing on the stuff I didn't like the first few times. Even if I don't change my mind, I admire it all the more for invoking such support from a thoughtful dude like you.

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Originally posted by Monheim:
I've given _A Ghost Is Born_ two cursory spins and, much like Modest Mouse's _Good News For People Who Love Bad News_, I think I'm missing a certain point.

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I'm not willing to take a stand on either record yet, since mark f has convinced me to give AGIB more time to settle in, but I'm not sure I "get" Modest Mouse. I've not listened to them before, but I liked "Float On" and a good friend (who shares many of my musical tastes) recommended it. While I like it in parts, it seems to meander a little and seemed to need some editing. But I can't speak to it compared to past MM efforts.

I guess I've shown again, by my ignorance of Modest Mouse, that I'm not very indie cool. I wanted to like this record more than I actually do. But I'm going to keep trying, if only because I want to make sure I'm not missing something.

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Originally posted by philosopherEric:
I guess I've shown again, by my ignorance of Modest Mouse, that I'm not very indie cool.

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I know how you feel. I don't have the entire output of Alien8 and I don't have every record released by the Japanese noise music scene. I'm a failure to my indie brethren.

(Translation: No matter how indie you are, there is someone out there indier than you, with a Soulseek file bigger than yours, and he will hate you for being a lesser being. Might as well do your own thing and enjoy it.)

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Originally posted by philosopherEric:
I wanted to like this record more than I actually do. But I'm going to keep trying, if only because I want to make sure I'm not missing something.

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I feel the same way, moreso about A Ghost Is Born than Good News For People Who Love Bad News, as I read the orgiastic praise for it and screamed, "ME TOO!!" I am, much like you are, still trying to get the record to really "click," though. Having listened to Good News For People Who Love Bad News again, it's still kind of the same to me. "The World At Large," "Ocean Breathes Salty" and "Bukowski" get more remarkable everytime I play them, although the Tom Waits impression in "The Devil's Workday" is still horrendously grating and jarring.

This has been a really interesting discussion to date if only because some of us are coming to AGIB having been fans for a long time and some are coming to the album having not listened to a great deal of Wilco before Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

For my part, Summerteeth continues to be the seminal Wilco album for me because I already loved the band, because it was such a bold departure from their previous work, because it caught me so off guard, that barring an equally bold album from them, they may never knock me on my ass in quite the same way again. YHF was so eagerly anticpated in the press that it was the first introduction to Wilco for a lot of listeners and had a similar effect, I think, on them that Summerteeth had on me. For them, therefore, AGIB has something of the same impact that YHF had on me.

I'm babbling now, aren't I? Okay, let me try to pull this together.

There is something exciting going on here. mark, you said "...[L]et me say that I think that WILCO is brilliant, but, say, compared to Radiohead, they don't seem as essential, or at least, as personally attuned to my ears."

Radiohead casts an incredibly long shadow on the music scene today. So, too, I think does Wilco. Based on a lot of conversation around here, Modest Mouse seems to be acquiring a similar stature (who else am I leaving out?). One way or another, some of the truly great bands that will define this decade in music are becoming apparent. That's exciting to me and that, I think, is why AGIB is generating so much ink and discussion.

Now Playing: Die Hard on FX. Action Adventure is not my usual cup of tea, so why is it I've seen this movie about a thousand times?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LinnTate,

While I still can't express the same love that mark f has for "Spiders" and "Less Than You Think", after spending a whole day listening to AGIB at home, in the office, and in the car, I have to say that I'm really getting into the album as a whole. It starts slowly, but "Hummingbird," "Handshake Drugs," and "Theologians" are great, great songs. And LinnTate nails it..."The Late Greats" just sells this record as a classic. Were there ever more autobiographical lyrics:

"The greatest singer in rock n roll
would have to be Romeo
His vocal chords are made of gold
he looks just a little too old"

Jeff looks like he's gained about 15 years in the last two. But them pipes sho'nuff sound like gold to me...

I am here to declare that 'Muzzle Of Bees' is the greatest pop song ever written. If you don't agree...put the CD back in and listen: Track 4. Agreed. Thank-you. Now go about your day.

Anyone who reads Pitchfork will already know this but:

Wilco to Expand A Ghost Is Born,
Launch World Tour in February

Rob Mackey reports:
A few years back, somebody lit a fire under Jeff Tweedy's bumpkin ass, and by God, it seems like the flame is still burnin'. Seriously, after Yankee Hotel Foxtrot convinced everyone and their dad (no, really, fathers love this shit) that Jeff Tweedy was a genius, some of us at the 'Fork figured there was no way Wilco could sustain such far-reaching success. Now we're eating crow. Although 2004's A Ghost Is Born was all over the place musically and not quite as feted as Foxtrot, it did keep Wilco in amphitheatres throughout 2004 (and well into 2005, with the band announcing a high-profile Febuary jaunt earlier this year), garnered them two Grammy nods, and helped get them to contribute a predictably decent song for the predictably so-so soundtrack to the predictably bad The Spongebob Square Pants Movie. Now they're jumping on the "hey, let's re-release our album with a few extra songs on it!" bandwagon, a la Franz Ferdinand and Morrissey.
Yes, Wilco are prepping a much-needed reissue of A Ghost Is Born with a mature cowboy boot full of extra material. Due March 7 via Nonesuch, the repackaged record will include a second disc containing an unreleased outtake and a b-side from the initial recording sessions, and three live versions of Ghost fare from Wilco's October 2004 show in Madison, WI. So, even though you gave him the record for Christmas, you can tell Dad the repacked release is a brand new album on his birthday. "Thanks, son," he'll say, eyes beaming. "But why the hell didn't they just release the new shit as an EP?!?" Tracklist for the new stuff:

01 Panthers
02 At Least That's What You Said (live)
03 The Late Greats (live)
04 Handshake Drugs (live)
05 Kicking Television


While I'm sure the completist record geek in me will buy the re-released version, I'm getting tired of the trend of re-releasing a record 6 months after its initial release.

I bought YHF twice..when it came out and then as a pricy Aussie import with the internet ep as a bonus disc. Now I've gotta buy AGIB a second time...bastards.

It doesn't interest me at all, and of course, I'm a big champion of that album. I'll just keep listening to my already "perfect" original album some more, thank you.

I'm a bit slow because I don't buy that many CD's so I only just bought AGIB last Friday because it made so many of the "Best of 2004" lists. I've listened to YHF a few times bit it never really "clicked" for me. After listening to AGIB about 5 times, I now feel the same way about Wilco as when I first got into Radiohead's OK Computer. I think this album will go down as a classic and one of the best of the decade.I love every single track and even the 10 mins of noise near the end doesn't bother me that much. I don't mind using the skip button and there are many great albums with annoying experimental sections, eg. Kid A, The White Album. Funnily enough, I have gone back and given YHF another chance and it has really grown on me, but I think AGIB is a better album. I would give AGIB 10/10 but YHF maybe an 8.

Interestingly, I had some trouble finding this album in my local record shop as it was filed under "Country". WTF???