Musical Wednesdays: Wilco and A Call for Girl Groups

I think I'm going to make Wednesdays my days to post about music-related things. Since Tuesday is a day for new releases, it makes sense (in my mind) to talk about music the day after. This week, I'm going to kick it off by talking about one my perennial favorites, Wilco. They've just released their new, self-titled album, and unlike Sky Blue Sky, which took me a few listens to really get into, this one was an instant hit for me. I think it's pretty funny that this late into their career, they're releasing a self-titled LP, and it seems like Jeff Tweedy thinks it's funny, too. Why else would he include a song called "Wilco" on the album? That song reminds me of their old song (maybe one of the first I heard by them) "Radio Cure." It's Jeff Tweedy saying, "Are times tough? Wilco: good for what ails you."

As far as a review, it's kind of hard to say anything about Wilco that hasn't been said. If "Alt Country" is a genre, Wilco started it, and by constantly tweaking their sound but sticking close to everything their fans love about them, they've continued to be a respected, productive band. I think their ethos is almost as great as their music: they self-released their album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," when a major label dropped them, and since then they've been touring and making new music. They understand, like record labels don't, that the days of musicians making a living purely off of royalties and selling records is probably over. That was the old way, when old, irrelevant rock stars got fat off of singles they recorded decades ago, before the internet changed the game. Wilco understands that you have to tour, you have to work on connecting to the fans, if you're going to be a successful artist. It works. They sell out every show they play, because they don't care if you download the album, as long as you're supporting the band.

Now, before I wrap this up, a request to anyone reading: I have an idea for a novel about a girl group in the late 1960s, somewhere between the Ronettes and Janis Joplin, and I need a soundtrack and more information on girl groups from this time period. Think the Marvelettes, or Martha and the Vandellas. The band in the novel will be influenced by them, but with an aesthetic more in line with the emergent (hippie) subculture. If anyone has any recommendations for girl groups from that era, the heyday of Motown, send it along to john.shortino (at) gmail.com.