Anyone expecting band commentary or ‘extra’ features was instantly disappointed as this was a music-only affair. However, if you had AIM installed you could join other fans in the appropriately named chat room, ’skybluesky’. As of 2:45 AM EST the player was still available, though there’s been no mention as to how long it’ll stick around other than a vague reference to ‘the wee hours’. [Sorry boys and girls, looks like the player is gone - Sean]
There’s been much speculation as to why the band chose to stream the album so far in advance of it’s release – especially in light of the recent suspension of certain blogs for posting advance tracks – with many guessing they’re simply attempting to preempt the inevitable leaks. Of course, given Jeff Tweedy’s previously stated opinion on music distribution, it’s entirely possible he’d just prefer we get it directly from the source.
On initial listen, the album seems to have a far more mellow direction than the band’s previous efforts. Gone is the experimentalism of ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ and the…well, fun weirdness of ‘A Ghost is Born’. In their place – for the most part – is a more straight-forward sound with simpler arrangements. Shades of Wings & dare I say, David Bowie are sprinkled throughout and Tweedy’s voice has a slightly rougher, world-weary flavor to it. Standout tracks so far seem to be ‘Hate it Here’, ‘Walken’ & ‘You Are My Face’, though ask me tomorrow and I may give you a different answer.
