Wilco's Sky Blue Sky: "Shake It Off" MP3

Wilco's Jeff Tweedy (left) once said in a poem (Another Great Thing) "...the best way to feel your blood is to lie...", and after listening to him sing the new songs on Sky Blue Sky, or anything else for that matter, that seems like a contradiction because, for me, no one sounds so utterly honest when they sing as Tweedy does. I've been trying to get at what I like so much about his voice and I've decided it's his simple honesty. The Tweedy voice is nothing to write home about and yet it captures the listener by making you believe every word he sings. I love this voice, there is a wounded country boy who's seen too much of the city in there (perhaps he lost that stuffie).

Funny, he sounds great doing the older alt-country stuff, but for me that voice of his sounds better when it uses the contrast of it's alt-country tinged core in the heart of a rock song or, what I like to call, one of Wilco's alt-city songs.

Here's one of those alt-city songs from the upcoming album Sky Blue Sky [May 15th on Nonesuch Records], an album which does a great job of showing how inventive and fluid a guitarist Nels Cline is... and once again, how honest a performer Jeff Tweedy is.

shake it off [mp3]

FIND MORE WILCO MP3s HERE.

MERMAID AVENUE // Billy Bragg & Wilco

A few years back now, I got a hold of my first Wilco CD, "Being There" and enjoyed it as many did. Although when I picked up the first "Mermaid Avenue" recording, which is the song lyrics of Woody Guthrie set to music written and performed by British 'protesty-folk-type' guy, Billy Bragg and the pre-"Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" Wilco, I played it much more than the Wilco release.

Bragg, who often in his solo work sings with his accent, dropped it during the "Mermaid Avenue" project, and to my ears sounds more interesting for the effort.

It's a great album, released in 1998, the collaboration of one lone Brit and a band of American musicians, who came together over the dusty notebooks of Dustbowl balladeer and Union crusader, Guthrie - it's well worth your attention.

The album can be listened to > here < in this folder.

Enjoy standout tracks like: She Came Along To Me, California Stars, and Hesitating Beauty.

go here to buy the album

Why Wilco?

Wilco have never excited me. Every so often I would get a copy of something they released (i.e. Summerteeth, Being There, Mermaid Avenue w/Billy Bragg) and I would enjoy it, but I don't get the sudden worship of them by so many. Is it that there's a vacuum left by the loss of some other band or bands - a void created by a break-up of some old and beloved favourite artist, or by a nosedive in that band or bands previous stellar quality? A raw gaping wound that now must be filled by someone or something similar, but that 'someone or something' must be great, must be renowned by their peers and their critics alike - you must have... you will accept... nothing but the best to replace your old fave. Maybe it's a result of the overzealous idoltry of so many rock critics concerning Wilco's last release,

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and the just released A Ghost is Born. The ingesting of enough over the top platitudes, praise, fawning, and 'oh god, I want to have your baby ' reviews can leave quite an impression on some readers and may just plant an 'agressive rock critic/passive rock fan' engineered seed. A seed which may have blown free from a weedy plant sprouting in the previously postulated 'vacuum'. Let's call that plant Hype and the flowers it's seeds produce have had many, many, many names. Unfortunately, great bands are hyped in the same manner as mediocre ones - I'm not saying Wilco are mediocre, it's just that this album probably won't change your life, as I read some fan claim, or cause a reaffirmation of faith (unless you believe that Jesus... sorry, Jeff... Tweedy can do no wrong) then you can drop to your knees right now in a perfect rapture the envy of a Jimmy Swaggart fan club president.

******************************************************

A Ghost is Born is now available in record shops everywhere.
some review links (good+bad)-
stylus magazine
tiny mix tapes
pitchfork

Wilco Pissed Off

It seems that the multi-entertainment magazine Entertainment Weekly in it's review of Wilco's latest album, Sky Blue Sky, made a reference comparing the Eagles and Wilco... they didn't like it. Read what band members said while talking to Spinner about the issue.

Wilco Drummer Writes For Kronos Quartet

Via Billboard:

"Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche has completed "Anomaly", a 23-minute piece for the Kronos Quartet that will premiere in New York in October."

"It's very percussive," Kotche says with a laugh when asked to describe the sound of the piece. "I'm not toning it down. I'm playing a multiple-percussion kit. It's really rhythmic; there's a lot of energy."


READ the article.





glenn kotche mobile part 3 from solo album Mobile [mp3]
wilco hate it here from Sky Blue Sky [mp3]

BUY Glenn Kotche music.

Glenn Kotche myspace and homepage

Wilco: The Riviera, Chicago February 19th: Part 2

photo credit: pneyu

Wow! Part 1 of this Wilco show was very popular with you guys, so that makes me very happy to offer Part 2 from the band's February 19th performance in Chicago. The band brings out the horn section for this half of the show, I'd love to see them live with horns, but have only had the chance to see them once and on that night they weren't... uh.... horny? Nah, that doesn't sound right, does it?

BUY Wilco's music.

On And On And On 4:26
Hotel Arizona 5:03
Too Far Apart 4:33
Was I In Your Dreams? (w/horns) 3:27
Misunderstood 6:25
Someday Soon 2:46
California Stars 5:23
Hate It Here (w/horns) 4:53
The Thanks I Get (w/horns) 5:24
Walken (w/horns) 4:34
I'm The Man Who Loves You (w/horns) 4:15
I'm A Wheel (w/horns) 3:37
Kingpin 5:56
Outta Site (Outta Mind) 2:59
The Late Greats 2:55

Here's the zip file for Part 2 (the zip for part 1 has been deleted but the single files are still good).

If you like what you see and hear at Sixeyes subscribe to my feed please.

Wilco: The Riviera, Chicago February 19th: Part 1

photo credit: pneyu

Here's a treat for some of you Wilco fans out there. I say 'some of you' because a lot of you have likely got your hands on this already. The sound is very good, as this show, performed February 19th (the fourth night of a five night stand), was broadcast live on FM radio. The band played 31 songs that night and I'm going to break them up into two posts, the second will be put up sometime after Monday, as I'm heading into hospital for day surgery tomorrow. Here's the first half of the show at Chicago's Riviera club last month.

Enjoy it, spread the word and the music, and subscribe to my feed if you see fit.

Intro 2:20
Outta Mind (Outta Sight) 3:36
I Must Be High 3:18
Impossible Germany 6:24
Radio Cure 5:17
Leave Me Like You Found Me (the song's live debut) 4:43
Company In My Back 4:28
Handshake Drugs 6:20
War On War 3:43
Shake It Off 6:49
Summerteeth 3:37
In A Future Age 3:37
ELT 3:32
A Shot In The Arm 4:36
Poor Places 5:23
Reservations 3:56
Spiders (Kidsmoke) 12:22

BUY Wilco's music.

Here are the songs that'll be available in the second post:
On And On And On
Hotel Arizona
Too Far Apart
Was I In Your Dreams? (w/horns)
Misunderstood
Someday Soon
California Stars
Hate It Here (w/horns)
The Thanks I Get w/horns)
Walken (w/horns)
I'm The Man Who Loves You (w/horns)
I'm A Wheel (w/horns)
Kingpin
Outta Site (Outta Mind)
The Late Greats

Wilco + The National Live At Spinner: VIDEOS!

Wilco: Watch "Hate It Here"






Watch three more videos:: Wilco Sessions live performance on Spinner

GO HERE to see The National performing live in studio versions of "Start A War", "Mistaken for Strangers", "Slow Show", and "Apartment Story".

Sixeyes: Wilco's New North American Tour Dates

photo credit: will marsh

Wilco are currently thrilling the masses Down Under (does that sound really wrong, or not?), but they'll share some of that love beginning in late April with a flurry of dates in the US and one lonely date smack dab in the middle of Canada. This is one professional outfit, not many bands sound as good as Wilco do live, just download some of the tracks from this post, or this one, and you'll be a believer.

From Sky Blue Sky
hate it here [mp3]

Down Under
03-22 Whitianga, New Zealand - Bluesfest
03-23 Auckland, New Zealand - Bruce Mason Centre
03-24 Wellington, New Zealand - Opera House
03-26 Melbourne, Australia - Palace Theatre

US + CANADA
04-30 Rochester, MN - Mayo Civic Center
05-01 Fargo, ND - Fargo Civic Auditorium
05-02 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Burton Cummings Theatre
05-04 Bozeman, MT - Emerson Cultural Center
05-05 Missoula, MT - Adams Center
05-07 Grand Junction, CO - Avalon Theater
05-08 Colorado Springs, CO - Pikes Peak Center
05-09 Albuquerque, NM - Popejoy Hall
05-11 Austin, TX - Stubb's
05-12 Austin, TX - Stubb's
05-15 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
05-16 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
08-07 Charleston, SC - North Charleston PAC

HYMNS: Brother/Sister

L to R: Jason Roberts, Jeremy Kay, Brian Harding, and Matt Cole.

I googled the word hymns and found this:
A hymn is a song specifically written as a song of praise, adoration or prayer, typically addressed to a god.
And, as in the case of most testosterone fuelled bands, the 'god' here is more succinctly 'goddess'. A band of guys singing and playing songs about women, that's Brooklyn based Hymns in a nutshell. And I'm really liking this band... A LOT. Imagine, it's not that hard, a band mixing the sonic DNA of Pavement and Wilco (among others) and touting a front man who from second to second sounds like the leaders of both these bands (when he's not making you fall in love with his own high ragged voice) and you'll be imagining reality, so, uhh... stop imagining and begin listening. But first, add to the mix, now and again, the crunchy backwoods rock of the Kings of Leons debut, Youth & Young Manhood. And on top of it all? Some very well crafted songwriting and playing from Jason Roberts (guitar, wurlitzer), Matt Cole (drums), Jeremy Kay (bass), and of course, guitarist Brian Harding's ear catching vocals. There's even some horn playing which doesn't sound out of place at all. And all of this is on their debut album, Brother/Sister, which will hit stores this June.

The album's title track, "Brother/Sister", screams to radio programmers, PLAY ME! With it's dual machine gun rat-a-tat-tat guitar line (which I love), slashing and chiming over the double time beat. "C'mon C'mon" comes at you like Being There era Wilco with Brian Harding's vocal, in it's upper and lower register, giving a taste of Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. "Power in the Street" with it's Strokes influences, especially in the chorus; and "Friends of Mine", shows the influence of Pavement's Malkmus, especially in the chorus's fantastic hook and then, again, the band caps the track with a simple, yet perfect horn line. And don't forget "It's A Shame", the most beautiful ballad on the record, opening with a Neil Young and Crazy Horse guitar sound and offering Harding's best vocal performance. These are all instant favourites. This is great stuff. It's always a thrill to find a new band that echoes their heroes, but has the talent and skill to make the music all their own. And isn't that what all great bands do?

+ friends of mine
+ brother/sister

Brother/Sister Tracklist...
1. Magazines
2. Brother/Sister
3. Friends Of Mine
4. C'mon, C'mon
5. Power In The Street
6. Scenery Glow
7. First Time
8. Stop Talking
9. It's A Shame
10. Starboat
11. Town

The Hymns' website gives this short and sweet description of the band:
"Hymns are Brian Harding (vox, guitar), Matt Cole (drums, tambourine) and Jason Roberts (guitar, wurlitzer)--three friends who moved from North Carolina to New York in 2003. We signed to Blackland Records in 2005 and spent two months in Celeste, TX recording an album with producer, John Kent. The album 'Brother/Sister' will be released in June, 2006. You're gonna love it. We now have Jeremy Kay on bass wtih us for the live shows. He's perfect."

An interesting little tidbit I learned is that Jason Roberts, Hymns guitarist and Wurlitzer player, is also Ben Kweller's guitarist, and Kweller's drummer, John Kent (Kent was also in Radish with Kweller and is frontman for Pony League), produced Brother/Sister and is also president of the band's label, Blackland Records.

Hymns will release their debut, Brother/Sister, on Blackland this June. But you can get it now on vinyl, here's what it says on the label site:
"Brother/Sister" is the debut LP from New York City based Hymns. The record is pressed on 125 gram vinyl for Hi-Fi enthusiasts. LP buyers also receive a code which provides access to a free, one-time download of the entire album in mp3 format. Vinyl limited to 1000 copies, so be the first on your block to own one. Power in the Street!
Go here to pick it up.

Upcoming Hymns Dates - go see them and say *sixeyes sent you (that show on April 28th with Happy Bullets and Bishop Allen sounds great).

04/14/2006
Venue: Northsix - New York, New York
Details: 8pm With +/- and Say Hi To Your Mom

04/15/2006
Venue: Pussycat Lounge - New York, New York
Details: Midnight 96 Greenwich St. at Rector, New York, NY 10001

04/28/2006
Venue: Pianos - New York, New York
Details: 9:30pm 158 Ludlow @ Stanton With Happy Bullets (From Dallas) and Bishop Allen

05/13/2006
Venue: Pussycat Lounge - New York, New York
Details: 11:00pm 96 Greenwich Street @ Rector

WILCO tonight... "I'm"

I'm going to see Wilco tonight in Toronto. Got to see The Arcade Fire and The Constantines in separate shows last weekend, both solid shows, but I am thinking both bands weren't quite "on" if you know what I mean. I am hoping Wilco kill at tonight's concert.


+ i'm the man who loves you
+ i'm a wheel
+ i'm always in love

WILCO: SKY BLUE SKY LYRICS!

First I want to thank all the new readers who've been coming over the past couple of months, thanks for visiting and your emails. I appreciate all the nice things you've said and any requests you've made, such as, "Could you please post the lyrics to this Wilco song, or that Wilco song?". And here they are, the lyrics to Wilco's latest release, Sky Blue Sky.

* * * * * * *

Vote For Sixeyes (please) And Get FREE MP3s!
The MUSIC BLOG AWARDS 2007 are brought to you by emusic (the best digital music store on the internet). This is the first year for the event and unlike any other awards event all nominees have been selected by a group of music bloggers. Now if you go here to vote, you will get a chance to try out emusic for two weeks with forty free downloads!

So, please check it out here and when you come to category 4 for "Best Blogg", please type Sixeyes in the box labeled 'other - please specify'. And if we all work together on this, Sixeyes may finally win an award after three long hard years in front of a radioactive monitor.



Wilco Sky Blue Sky - release date May 15th

BUY Sky Blue Sky

Sky Blue Sky Tracklist:
01 Either Way
02 You Are My Face
03 Impossible Germany
04 Sky Blue Sky
05 Side With the Seeds
06 Shake It Off
07 Please Be Patient With Me
08 Hate It Here
09 Leave Me (Like You Found Me)
10 Walken
11 What Light
12 On and On and On

"Either Way"
Maybe the sun will shine today
The clouds will blow away
Maybe I won’t feel so afraid
I will try to understand
Either way

Maybe you still love me
Maybe you don’t
Either you will or you won’t
Maybe you just need some time alone
I will try to understand
Everything has its plan
Either way
I’m gonna stay
Right for you

Maybe the sun will shine today
The clouds will roll away
Maybe I won’t be so afraid
I will understand everything has its plan
Either way

"You Are My Face"
I remember my mother’s
Sister’s husband’s brother
Working in the goldmine full-time
Filling in for sunshine
Filing into tight lines
Of ordinary beehives
The door screams I hate you
Hate you hanging around my blue jeans
Why is there no breeze
No currency of leaves
No current through the water wire
No feelings I can see
I trust no emotion
I believe in locomotion
But I've turned to rust as we've discussed
Though I must have let you down
too many times
In the dirt and the dust

I have no idea how this happens
All of my maps have been overthrown
Happenstance has changed my plans
So many times my heart has been outgrown
Now everybody’s feeling all alone
Can’t tell you who I am
When everybody’s feeling all alone
Can’t tell you who I am

I am looking forward
Toward the shadows tracing bones
Our faces stitched and sewing
Our houses hemmed into homes
Trying to be thankful
Our stories fit into phones
And our voices lift so easily
A gift given accidentally
When we’re not sure
We’re not alone


"Impossible Germany"
Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan

Wherever you go
Wherever you land
I’ll say what this means to me
I’ll do what I can

Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan

The fundamental problem
We all need to face
This is important
But I know you’re not listening
Oh I know you’re not listening

If this was still new to me
I wouldn’t understand

Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan

But this is what love is for
To be out of place
Gorgeous and alone
Face to face

With no larger problems
That need to be erased
Nothing more important than to know
Someone’s listening
Now I know
You’ll be listening



"Sky Blue Sky"
Oh, the band marched on in formation
The brass was phasing tunes I couldn’t place
Windows open and raining in
Maroon, yellow, blue, gold and gray

The drunks were ricocheting
The old buildings downtown
Empty so long ago
Windows broken and dreaming
So happy to leave what was my home


With a sky blue sky
This rotten time
Wouldn’t seem so bad to me now
Oh, I didn’t die
I should be satisfied
I survived
That's good enough for now


With a sky blue sky
This rotten time
Wouldn’t seem so bad to me now
Oh, if I didn’t die
I should be satisfied
I survived
That's good enough for now


"Side With the Seeds"
Tires type black
Where the blacktop cracks
Weeds spark through
Dark green enough to be blue
When the mysteries we believe in
Aren’t dreamed enough to be true
Some side with the leaves
Some side with the seeds

The treetops nod
the rain applauds
The park grows dark
And the swings all slowly die
But you and I will be undefeated
by agreeing to disagree
No one wins but the thieves
so why side with anything

The streetlights glow
Comes and goes
When the sun comes back
As we all can plainly see
Embracing the situation
Is our only chance to be free
I’ll side with you
If you side with me


"Shake It Off"
Sunlight angles on
A wooden floor at dawn
A ceiling fan is on
Chopping up my dreams
What is left of them
I take to sleep again
Where I dare pretend
I’m more than I seem

Tears get triggered
Yours remind me
Of the ice melting in my glass
Finally full again
So
I listen for
Your lips to break apart
Into words

It definitely starts to spoil my heart
Somewhere there’s a war
Sometimes there is art

It definitely starts to spoil my heart
Somewhere there’s a war
Sometimes there is art

When I’m awake enough
I’m gonna shake it off

Shake it off

Hotels hold me
Thoughts horizon
So many hearts
Beating in one place
Like a giant
Beast with many souls
No
Just a body
Full of holes

When I’m awake enough
I’m gonna shake it off

When I’m awake enough
I’m gonna shake it off

Shake it off

"Please Be Patient With Me"
I should warn you
When I’m not well
I can’t tell
Oh, there’s nothing I can do
To make this easier for you


You’re gonna need to be patient with me


I’m this apple, this happening stone
When I’m alone
Oh, but my blessings get so blurred
At the sound of your words

I’m gonna need you to be patient with me


How can I warn you when my tongue turns to dust
Like we’ve discussed
It doesn’t mean that I don’t care
It means I’m partially there

You’re gonna need to be patient with me


"Hate It Here"
I try to stay busy
I do the dishes, I mow the lawn
I try to keep myself occupied
Even though I know you’re not coming home

I try to keep the house nice and neat
I make my bed I change the sheets
I even learned how to use the washing machine
But keeping things clean doesn’t change anything

What am I gonna do when I run out of shirts to fold?
What am I gonna do when I run out of lawn to mow?
What am I gonna do if you never come home?
Tell me, what am I gonna do?

I hate it
I hate it here
When you’re gone

I caught myself thinking
I caught myself thinking once again
Have to try to keep my mind out of this
Try not to pretend

I’ll check the phone
I’ll check the mail
I’ll check the phone again and I call your mom
She says you’re not there and I should take care

I hate it here
When you’re gone
I hate it
I hate it here
When you’re gone

I try to stay busy
I take out the trash, I sweep the floor
Try to keep myself occupied
Cause I know you don’t live here anymore


"Leave Me (Like You Found Me)"
That’s when I knew you
You might be lonely too
That’s what I wished for
Somebody just like you
To tell me what to do, honestly
And leave me like you found me

Can you believe it
I’m somebody just like you
Content with being blue, honestly
Leave me like you found me

I sit on the couch alone
Where you sit when I’m not home
And I feel so close to you

And down the city streets
People are climbing the trees
They’re finally up off their knees
Honestly
You leave me like you found me
Can you leave me like you found me


"Walken"
I’m walking
All by myself
I was talking to myself about you
What am I going to do

I was singing
This song about you
I was thinking about singing
This song for you

The more I think about it
The more I know it’s true
The more I think about it
The more I’m sure it’s you
Honey I think you’re just right
You’re just right

I was walking
Like I said by myself
I was talking
To myself about you
Like I always do

The more I think about it
The more I know it’s true
The more I think about it
The more I’m sure it’s you
Honey, I think you’re just right
You’re just right


"What Light"
If you feel like singing a song
And you want other people to sing along
Just sing what you feel
Don’t let anyone say it’s wrong

And if you’re trying to paint a picture
But you’re not sure which colors belong
Just paint what you see
Don’t let anyone say it’s wrong

And if you’re strung out like a kite
Or stung awake in the night
It’s alright to be frightened

When there’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
Inside of you

If you think you might need somebody
To pick you up when you drag
Don’t loose sight of yourself
Don’t let anyone change your bag

And if the whole world’s singing your songs
And all of your paintings have been hung
Just remember what was yours is everyone’s from now on

And that’s not wrong or right
But you can struggle with it all you like
You'll only get uptight

Because there’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
There’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
There’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
There’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
Inside of you


"On and On and On"
On and on and on we’ll stay together yeah
On and on and on we’ll be together yeah
You and I will try to stay together yeah
On and on and on we’ll be together yeah

Please don’t cry we’re designed to die
Don’t deny what’s inside
On and on and on we’ll stay together yeah
On and on and on
On and on and on

One day we’ll disappear together in a dream
However short or long our lives are going to be
I will live in you or you will live in me
Until we disappear together in a dream

Please don’t cry we’re designed to die
You can’t deny even the gentlest tide
On and on and on we’ll be together yeah
On and on and on
On and on and on
We’re going to try

Please don’t cry
This world of words and meanings makes you feel
outside
Something that you feel already
deep inside
You’ve denied
Go ahead and cry

On and on and on we’ll stay together yeah
On and on and on
On and on and on

You and I will stay together yeah
You and I will try to make it better yeah

WILCO: Sky Blue Sky Lyrics + MP3

First I want to thank all the new readers who've been coming over the past month, thanks for visiting and your emails. I appreciate all the nice things you've said and any requests you've made, such as, "Could you please post the lyrics to this Wilco song, or that Wilco song?". And here they are, the lyrics to Wilco's upcoming release, Sky Blue Sky + an mp3.

* * * * * * *

Vote For Sixeyes (please) And Get FREE MP3s!
The MUSIC BLOG AWARDS 2007 are brought to you by emusic (the best digital music store on the internet). This is the first year for the event and unlike any other awards event all nominees have been selected by a group of music bloggers. Now if you go here to vote, you will get a chance to try out emusic for two weeks with forty free downloads!

So, please check it out here and when you come to category 4 for "Best Blogg", please type Sixeyes in the box labeled 'other - please specify'. And if we all work together on this, Sixeyes may finally win an award after three long hard years in front of a radioactive monitor.


impossible germany [mp3]


Wilco Sky Blue Sky - release date May 15th
nonesuch records
PRE-ORDER

Sky Blue Sky Tracklist:
01 Either Way
02 You Are My Face
03 Impossible Germany
04 Sky Blue Sky
05 Side With the Seeds
06 Shake It Off
07 Please Be Patient With Me
08 Hate It Here
09 Leave Me (Like You Found Me)
10 Walken
11 What Light
12 On and On and On

"Either Way"
Maybe the sun will shine today
The clouds will blow away
Maybe I won’t feel so afraid
I will try to understand
Either way

Maybe you still love me
Maybe you don’t
Either you will or you won’t
Maybe you just need some time alone
I will try to understand
Everything has its plan
Either way
I’m gonna stay
Right for you

Maybe the sun will shine today
The clouds will roll away
Maybe I won’t be so afraid
I will understand everything has its plan
Either way

"You Are My Face"
I remember my mother’s
Sister’s husband’s brother
Working in the goldmine full-time
Filling in for sunshine
Filing into tight lines
Of ordinary beehives
The door screams I hate you
Hate you hanging around my blue jeans
Why is there no breeze
No currency of leaves
No current through the water wire
No feelings I can see
I trust no emotion
I believe in locomotion
But I've turned to rust as we've discussed
Though I must have let you down
too many times
In the dirt and the dust

I have no idea how this happens
All of my maps have been overthrown
Happenstance has changed my plans
So many times my heart has been outgrown
Now everybody’s feeling all alone
Can’t tell you who I am
When everybody’s feeling all alone
Can’t tell you who I am

I am looking forward
Toward the shadows tracing bones
Our faces stitched and sewing
Our houses hemmed into homes
Trying to be thankful
Our stories fit into phones
And our voices lift so easily
A gift given accidentally
When we’re not sure
We’re not alone


"Impossible Germany"
Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan

Wherever you go
Wherever you land
I’ll say what this means to me
I’ll do what I can

Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan

The fundamental problem
We all need to face
This is important
But I know you’re not listening
Oh I know you’re not listening

If this was still new to me
I wouldn’t understand

Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan

But this is what love is for
To be out of place
Gorgeous and alone
Face to face

With no larger problems
That need to be erased
Nothing more important than to know
Someone’s listening
Now I know
You’ll be listening



"Shake It Off"
Oh, the band marched on in formation
The brass was phasing tunes I couldn’t place
Windows open and raining in
Maroon, yellow, blue, gold and gray

The drunks were ricocheting
The old buildings downtown
Empty so long ago
Windows broken and dreaming
So happy to leave what was my home


With a sky blue sky
This rotten time
Wouldn’t seem so bad to me now
Oh, I didn’t die
I should be satisfied
I survived
That's good enough for now


With a sky blue sky
This rotten time
Wouldn’t seem so bad to me now
Oh, if I didn’t die
I should be satisfied
I survived
That's good enough for now


"Side With the Seeds"
Tires type black
Where the blacktop cracks
Weeds spark through
Dark green enough to be blue
When the mysteries we believe in
Aren’t dreamed enough to be true
Some side with the leaves
Some side with the seeds

The treetops nod
the rain applauds
The park grows dark
And the swings all slowly die
But you and I will be undefeated
by agreeing to disagree
No one wins but the thieves
so why side with anything

The streetlights glow
Comes and goes
When the sun comes back
As we all can plainly see
Embracing the situation
Is our only chance to be free
I’ll side with you
If you side with me


Sky Blue Sky
Sunlight angles on
A wooden floor at dawn
A ceiling fan is on
Chopping up my dreams
What is left of them
I take to sleep again
Where I dare pretend
I’m more than I seem

Tears get triggered
Yours remind me
Of the ice melting in my glass
Finally full again
So
I listen for
Your lips to break apart
Into words

It definitely starts to spoil my heart
Somewhere there’s a war
Sometimes there is art

It definitely starts to spoil my heart
Somewhere there’s a war
Sometimes there is art

When I’m awake enough
I’m gonna shake it off

Shake it off

Hotels hold me
Thoughts horizon
So many hearts
Beating in one place
Like a giant
Beast with many souls
No
Just a body
Full of holes

When I’m awake enough
I’m gonna shake it off

When I’m awake enough
I’m gonna shake it off

Shake it off

"Please Be Patient With Me"
I should warn you
When I’m not well
I can’t tell
Oh, there’s nothing I can do
To make this easier for you


You’re gonna need to be patient with me


I’m this apple, this happening stone
When I’m alone
Oh, but my blessings get so blurred
At the sound of your words

I’m gonna need you to be patient with me


How can I warn you when my tongue turns to dust
Like we’ve discussed
It doesn’t mean that I don’t care
It means I’m partially there

You’re gonna need to be patient with me


"Hate It Here"
I try to stay busy
I do the dishes, I mow the lawn
I try to keep myself occupied
Even though I know you’re not coming home

I try to keep the house nice and neat
I make my bed I change the sheets
I even learned how to use the washing machine
But keeping things clean doesn’t change anything

What am I gonna do when I run out of shirts to fold?
What am I gonna do when I run out of lawn to mow?
What am I gonna do if you never come home?
Tell me, what am I gonna do?

I hate it
I hate it here
When you’re gone

I caught myself thinking
I caught myself thinking once again
Have to try to keep my mind out of this
Try not to pretend

I’ll check the phone
I’ll check the mail
I’ll check the phone again and I call your mom
She says you’re not there and I should take care

I hate it here
When you’re gone
I hate it
I hate it here
When you’re gone

I try to stay busy
I take out the trash, I sweep the floor
Try to keep myself occupied
Cause I know you don’t live here anymore


"Leave Me (Like You Found Me)"
That’s when I knew you
You might be lonely too
That’s what I wished for
Somebody just like you
To tell me what to do, honestly
And leave me like you found me

Can you believe it
I’m somebody just like you
Content with being blue, honestly
Leave me like you found me

I sit on the couch alone
Where you sit when I’m not home
And I feel so close to you

And down the city streets
People are climbing the trees
They’re finally up off their knees
Honestly
You leave me like you found me
Can you leave me like you found me


"Walken"
I’m walking
All by myself
I was talking to myself about you
What am I going to do

I was singing
This song about you
I was thinking about singing
This song for you

The more I think about it
The more I know it’s true
The more I think about it
The more I’m sure it’s you
Honey I think you’re just right
You’re just right

I was walking
Like I said by myself
I was talking
To myself about you
Like I always do

The more I think about it
The more I know it’s true
The more I think about it
The more I’m sure it’s you
Honey, I think you’re just right
You’re just right


"What Light"
If you feel like singing a song
And you want other people to sing along
Just sing what you feel
Don’t let anyone say it’s wrong

And if you’re trying to paint a picture
But you’re not sure which colors belong
Just paint what you see
Don’t let anyone say it’s wrong

And if you’re strung out like a kite
Or stung awake in the night
It’s alright to be frightened

When there’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
Inside of you

If you think you might need somebody
To pick you up when you drag
Don’t loose sight of yourself
Don’t let anyone change your bag

And if the whole world’s singing your songs
And all of your paintings have been hung
Just remember what was yours is everyone’s from now on

And that’s not wrong or right
But you can struggle with it all you like
You'll only get uptight

Because there’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
There’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
There’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
There’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
Inside of you


"On and On and On"
On and on and on we’ll stay together yeah
On and on and on we’ll be together yeah
You and I will try to stay together yeah
On and on and on we’ll be together yeah

Please don’t cry we’re designed to die
Don’t deny what’s inside
On and on and on we’ll stay together yeah
On and on and on
On and on and on

One day we’ll disappear together in a dream
However short or long our lives are going to be
I will live in you or you will live in me
Until we disappear together in a dream

Please don’t cry we’re designed to die
You can’t deny even the gentlest tide
On and on and on we’ll be together yeah
On and on and on
On and on and on
We’re going to try

Please don’t cry
This world of words and meanings makes you feel
outside
Something that you feel already
deep inside
You’ve denied
Go ahead and cry

On and on and on we’ll stay together yeah
On and on and on
On and on and on

You and I will stay together yeah
You and I will try to make it better yeah

Full Album Streams: Wilco's Sky Blue Sky + More

The great new Wilco album, Sky Blue Sky, is streaming in all it's glory at AOL's Spinner, along with Travis' The Boy With No Name, Lavender Diamond's Imagine Our Love, Page France's ... And The Family Telephone, Sage Francis' Human The Death Dance, and more. GO HERE TO LISTEN.

Pre-Order Sky Blue Sky

Wilco's Sky Blue Sky: "Impossible Germany" MP3 + Lyrics

Wilco's latest release will be on shelves May 15th (nonesuch), titled Sky Blue Sky, it will be the first studio album recorded with the current line-up. This means Nels Cline and his guitar will make their presence heard and felt, and that's true in the song "Impossible Germany" which opens with the chiming entwining of two guitars, not unlike a mellow Television, a band which Cline has admitted being fond of in the past (and the band behind my all-time favourite album, Marquee Moon:

"...I'm a fanatic for two guitars, like [Television's] Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and [Sonic Youth's] Lee Renaldo and Thurston Moore, and I'm looking forward to coming up with some potentially classic twin-guitar stuff with Jeff." - from SF Gate Nov. 2004

This song does bear some lovely guitar work from Cline as the song lazily winds down... and then winds up again, it's a long song, and then winds down once more... you'll see.

impossible germany [mp3]

find more mp3s here

"Impossible Germany"
Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan
Wherever you go
Wherever you land

I'll say what this means to me
I'll do what I can
Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan

Fundamental problem
All need to face
This is important
But I know you're not listening
No I know you're not listening

This was still new to me
I wouldn't understand
Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan
This is what love is for
To be out of place
Gorgeous and alone
Face to face

With no larger problems
That need to be erased
Nothing more important
Than to know someone's listening
Now I know you'll be listening

Sky Blue Sky Tracklist:
01 Either Way
02 You Are My Face
03 Impossible Germany
04 Sky Blue Sky
05 Side With the Seeds
06 Shake It Off
07 Please Be Patient With Me
08 Hate It Here
09 Leave Me (Like You Found Me)
10 Walken
11 What Light
12 On and On and On

New Releases: May 2007

Here's what insound have lined up for new releases for the month of May. Some good stuff coming up like Feist, The National, Wilco and some things that have failed to move me such as Bjork, Patrick Wolf, and Handsome Furs. But best of all, it being May means we are one month closer to summer!

May
05/01/07 Afghan Whigs Unbreakable (A Retrospective) Rhino
05/01/07 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Baby 81 RCA
05/01/07 Dinosaur Jr. Beyond Fat Possum
05/01/07 Dungen Tio Bitar Kemado
05/01/07 Feist The Reminder Interscope
05/01/07 Frog Eyes Tears of the Valedictorian Absolutely Kosher
05/01/07 Patrick Wolf The Magic Position Low Altitude/Universal
05/01/07 Through the Sparks Lazarus Beach Skybucket
05/08/07 Björk Volta One Little Indian/Atlantic
05/08/07 Brakesbrakesbrakes The Beatific Visions Rough Trade
05/08/07 Clientele God Save The Clientele Merge
05/08/07 Elliott Smith New Moon Kill Rock Stars
05/08/07 Fields Everything Last Winter Blacklab
05/08/07 Lavender Diamond Imagine Our Love Matador
05/08/07 Maximo Park Our Earthly Pleasures Warp
05/08/07 Mystery Jets Zoo Time Dim Mak
05/08/07 Page France And the Family Telephone Suicide Squeeze
05/08/07 Sea and Cake Everybody Thrill Jockey
05/08/07 Shannon Wright Let in the Light Touch and Go
05/15/07 Au Revoir Simone The Bird of Music Self-Released
05/15/07 Horrors Strange House Stolen Transmission
05/15/07 Wilco Blue Sky Blue Nonesuch
05/15/07 Wooden Wand James and the Quiet Ecstatic Peace
05/22/07 Battles Mirrored Warp
05/22/07 Ben + Vesper All This Could Kill You Sounds Familyre
05/22/07 Bravery The Sun and the Moon Island
05/22/07 Cex Sketchi Temporary Residence Ltd.
05/22/07 Handome Furs Plague Park Sub Pop
05/22/07 National Boxer Beggars Banquet
05/22/07 Parts & Labor Mapmaker Jagjaguwar
05/22/07 Shapes and Sizes Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner Asthmatic Kitty
05/22/07 Voxtrot Voxtrot Playlouder

Stream The National's 'Boxer' + Wilco and More!

I do... love Boxer. And now you can learn why by streaming the whole damn thing at spinner.com's 'Listening Party'. Every week there's a pile of interesting new albums to stream at Spinner. And Wilco's Sky Blue Sky is also streaming, as well as new Hot Chip, Rufus Wainwright, Dungen, and more.

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And please vote for Sixeyes as 'Best Blogg' at The MUSIC BLOG AWARDS 2007.
A brand spankin' new event presented by eMusic. After placing your votes you can download 40 free mp3s from eMusic! Go vote!

Wilco: "Hate It Here" Saturday Night Live Video

Here is video evidence of Wilco performing on last night's Ellen 'Juno' Page hosted SNL.

Wilco: Sky Blue Sky MP3

Today is the release date for Wilco's latest, Sky Blue Sky. A record which sees the band getting comfortable, a likely sign that Jeff Tweedy is much more relaxed as opposed to when he was making Yankee Hotel and A Ghost Is Born. A good thing for Tweedy, just not as interesting a listen for music fans. But this record isn't bad, far from it, I love "Impossible Germany" and it's chiming guitars and mini-epic feel. "Hate It Here" matches the level of the previous song making this one worth owning just for those two alone, but that's just me, you'll likely have other favourites... more favourites.

hate it here [mp3]
BUY Sky Blue Sky
Find more mp3s.

Dancing About Architecture: October 17

At Gigwise: Devendra Banhart has revealed that he’s been making Mix CD’s for Lindsay Lohan to help the troubled star beat her problems.

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Wilco's Glenn Kotche talks about some favorite songs with the Columbus Dispatch.

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Iron and Wine's Sam Beam talks with Drowned in Sound.

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Madonna Signs Revolutionary Live Nation Deal

technorati tags: Wilco | Devendra Banhart | Lindsay Lohan | Madonna | Iron & Wine