Throughout the album, they rip through many catchy "country grunge" songs (tell me the guitar riff on the first song doesn't remind you of a much more famous first-song riff on an album released a year later), the songs that really shine through are the quieter ones. Lines like "Whisky bottle over Jesus/ Not forever, just for now" hit hard, maybe not in literal terms, but the passion they are sung with reaches right into your head and plucks out whatever "thing" you're not proud in a very powerful way.
"No Depression" (which became an anthem in this scene and still has a prominent blog named after it) and "Screen Door" were probably two of the first songs I ever knew all the words to. For as long as I can remember my dad would play them for my sister and me with my mom singing harmony. I didn't know it at the time, but those were nights after my dad's corporate job and affluent lifestyle were really making him feel out of touch with what matters to him. "Screen Door" in particular is just an incredible overall description of the attitude and culture of where my parents came from and, though I experienced a much more privileged version of the world Tweedy describes, I understand the emotional core of the song. Some of the most poignant memories from my childhood are of my dad and some of his friends sitting out on our back porch on sticky, lightning bug-filled summer nights singing songs like these. Where I come from is not always a source of pride for me, but these songs remind me that, for all the fault I can place on the south, most people there are doing the best they can, "looking for a life worth livin'." These are emotions and memories I can cherish.
I know country is not a super easy genre for everyone to listen to, but I also know that everyone loves Jeff Tweedy, so I hope you can enjoy exploring this album this week and come away with a better appreciation of this genre, the culture surrounding it, or at least little baby Jeff.
My brain wants to say I didn't like this album, but I found myself grooving to it several times. I'm not big on country nor grunge but I still got some enjoyment out of this album. I kind of actually enjoyed the country aspects of it more than the grunge. Though this was before Tweedy went on to participate in what many would argue is his most successful project (Wilco), you could still tell that this band well knew what they were doing, in both composition and performance. As you stated, the slower/quieter songs definitely stood out for me, but those are generally the songs I like the most on any album.
ReplyDeleteI will give my usual album dragging on criticism, whether that has any validity or not. I think there's definitely a lot to explore on this album, and possibly more than can be taken in in a single week. Unfortunately I probably won't return to this album, but I will say that if they hadn't broken up, I would maybe like to see Uncle Tupelo live, as I feel that would be an interesting experience. They definitely seem like one of those bands with great live energy. I have never intensely listened to Wilco, but maybe some day in the future I will, and I'll think of Tweedy's roots in this band when I do.
I'm afraid I don't have much to say about this album. For me at least, there is too much country and bluegrass on here. Genres which I have forever associated with the most boring of family vacations and dinner theater. I know a lot of people have a soft spot for this music and its connotations, but for me it is extremely difficult to listen to attentively.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where the line is that leads me to enjoy a good amount of folk music and not country music, but for the most part this album falls far on the side that I'm not into. Screen Door stood out for me in a more positive way. I think this is largely due to the addition of violin accompaniment that helped separate itself from the rest of the album.
Some real Lynyrd Skynyrd "fuck yeah" motorcycle beard bald white guy music right here. But with some more nuance than that, to be fair. Apparently, Farrar used J. Mascis' guitar (he recorded Bug with the same producers) for this album and I think Dinosaur Jr. is an apt comparison - but if Dinosaur Jr. was from Alabama, not Massachusetts.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't really get into this album very much. As you predicted Nora, it's just not for me. When I think about this album compared to the shit Tweedy did with Wilco I'm a bit flabbergasted. Obviously this is early in his career, but Wilco's output is so consistently complex and fantastic and this whole album is very straightforward. Just an interesting juxtaposition. If nothing else, it was really cool to hear this album because I love Wilco and it's always a good exercise to hear albums from artists you like before they were making the music you like.
If you didn't tell me the back story behind the album, I'd be super confused why you chose it. It's fairly by the numbers country rock that I'd hear some bar band playing on a Saturday night. At least musically; The lyrics dive deeper than typical bar fare, from what I can tell.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed No Depression and the freak out ending of Factory Belt. But at almost an hour long, it feels long and bloated. There is nothing here, in my opinion, that warrants such a lengthy run time. If they really focused on maybe 8 songs instead of the 16 (18 if you include the demo's on Spotify) I feel like it would have been a stronger album.
It is super interesting though to see Tweedy's roots like this. I like Wilco a lot and hearing the origins in this album is pretty cool. As a history lesson or as a service of southern drinking charm, it's a nice album, but beyond that it seems lacking.
Sorry I forgot about all the extra songs, Tyty, it's an easy 41 minutes if you cut out the extras.
DeleteI was really glad to see this was the album you picked. I'm not any means a big fan of Uncle Tupelo but I think they are severely underrated and completely overshadowed by Wilco. Which is a shame, because there are definitely some shining moments on this album. My favorite song on this album is No Depression. I can't explain why I like it so much, as I don't really like country music at all, and this song being one of the more 'country' tunes on the album.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stood out to me on this album was the lyricism. Country music gets a lot of slack for it's dull lyrics about beer, cars, etc. so hearing an album like this is very refreshing and reminds me that there is a lot of good country out there, that I'm not well acquainted with. Anyways, I'm glad you picked this album because it has been years since I had heard it and I think I enjoyed it the most these past couple listens than I did when I first heard it a while ago. Thanks and great pick!