Wilco did a time warp today: the band released a music video that will take you back to the ’90s, and Jeff Tweedy performed a song that will take you back to 2009.
First, there’s “Born Alone,” a title that for some reason sorely depresses me. But the tune itself is actually a pretty decent driving number, culled from the band’s forthcoming “The Whole Love.” And, actually, it’s more of a mix of ’70s era Paul McCartney road videos with that whole ’90s collage love-in. It was directed by Mark Greenberg, who has previously collaborated on Wilco’s albums.
“The Whole Love” is due Sept. 27 through the band’s own record label dBpm, a first; check out “I Might” here and their Nick Lowe cover of “I Love My Label” here.
Then there’s frontman Jeff Tweedy, bless him, is a victim of circumstance.
See, current Chicago mayor and former Obama staffer Rahm Emanuel has a mouth on him, and in turn, somebody naturally started a fake @MayorEmanuel Twitter personality out of it. During his active electoral months, the fake Rahm would Tweet requesting Wilco cover Black Eyed Peas tunes because “People love that sh*t.”
The Tweets turned into a book and at the book release party real-life journalist Dan Sinker’s “The F***ing Epic Quest of @MayorEmanuel,” Tweed obliged. He performed his acoustic guitar version of “I Gotta Feeling,” including a spoken word interpretation of the track inexplicably inane middle section. Sing along. Or cry. Or both.
Time Out also says that Tweedy read through the lyrics of “My Humps.” A few years late, but transfixing nonetheless, I’m sure.