[wisdom] from [wilco]

the decemberists may be great story tellers, but wilco seems to fill it's songs with a truth that only years of experiencing life can fill.

thinking back to days and nights spent in studio, it's hard not to have a wilco song playing softly in the background while a panorama of pencils and paper fill my mind. why do i enjoy their music so much? maybe it's the truth i hear in their lyrics, or the way the sound helps convey the feeling behind the words. maybe it's the perfect balance of both, or maybe it's because i wish my own words were as poetic.

i'm not sure i would have enjoyed wilco in highschool. college has a way of forcing one through pain, hurt, sorrow, fear and doubt, with the college of architecture planning and design, handing out higher and stronger doses of them all. however, all those feelings, eventually find a way to their antonyms; relief, happiness, confidence, certainy, and trust. these feelings and the journey from one to the other are expressed in the words of a wilco song.

as a band they are constantly experimenting with their own songs. going to a concert one hears versions unable to buy or download. this might annoy some people, but i find it fascinating. jeff tweedy, once said, after you've created something, and have it the way you like it, take a step back, and deconstruct it. doing this, not only will you find the essentials, but you might just find a more interesting way of building it back up.

i'd like to think that this idea not only applies to alt-country music, but in most of life's situations.