Wilco shared a new song, “Tired of Taking It Out On You,” from their forthcoming double album “Cruel Country” (out May 27th), Hard times and conflicts bubble up on nearly every song, whether it’s the self-inflicted crises of “Ambulance” or the interpersonal struggles of “Tired of Taking it Out on You.” These themes are familiar ones in the Wilco songbook and they’re also ideally suited to be filtered through the country music stylings that pop up across the album.
“I’ve realized over the years that a lot of the songs I’ve written have worked as reminders to myself to pay attention to various things,” says Jeff Tweedy of Wilco’s new song. “Sometimes I think I’ve figured out how the world works in some small way, and I worry I’ll forget it if I don’t sing it back to myself occasionally. This song, I believe, is going to come in handy for just that purpose. I’m a person who needs to stay alert to how I’m treating others when I’m not feeling my best. And now that I mention it, when I look around, it seems like a lot of us have been taking things out on each other when we would be better served striving for understanding and empathy. I’m just trying to be honest with myself, and I guess I’m hoping if this song can help me focus on that, maybe someone else could find it useful in the same way.”
As for the tour, It kicks off August 12th in Cedar Rapids, and includes stops in Toronto, Montreal, New Haven, Fargo, Santa Fe, San Diego, Memphis, New Orleans, and more. There are no NYC shows at the moment, but Wilco did just play a five shows here celebrating the 20th anniversary of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”. All dates are listed below.
In other news, Wilco have announced that their sets at the Solid Sound Festival this month will be available to livestream. Those include Friday, May 27th’s performance of “Cruel Country“, their May 28th performance and the May 29th “Jeff Tweedy & Friends” performance.
The dynamic Chicago rock band Wilco return’s with their 12th studio album, the first of its kind. “Cruel Country” is the band’s exploration of the genre they’ve often been defined by but, until now, never fully embraced. The double album features 21 Jeff Tweedy-penned tracks, made almost entirely of live takes, created with all six members together in The Loft for the first time since the 2011 release “The Whole Love”.
“I love my country stupid and cruel,” Jeff Tweedy sings on “Cruel Country,” the title track to Wilco’s 12th studio album. That line, and the song itself really, serves as a summation of the LP’s sound and purpose as the iconic band works more overtly classic country music themes into a sprawling album that attempts to make sense of life in this fractured country.
Wilco is Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Patrick Sansone, Nels Cline, Glenn Kotche and Mikael Jorgensen “Tired of Taking It Out On You” is from the forthcoming Wilco record “Cruel Country”.
Jeff Tweedy – vocals, acoustic guitar Glenn Kotche – drums, Tambourine John Stirratt – bass, vocals Nels Cline – lap steel Mike Jorgensen – organ, piano Patrick Sansone – electric and acoustic guitar, piano, vocals
Produced by Jeff Tweedy, Tom Schick, and Wilco
The Fat Angel Sings 