in what i understand to be an ongoing project, ‘together at last’ is the first in a series of releases jeff tweedy has begun recording, showcasing his songwriting talents over the years. this one has eleven songs, nine from his wilco albums, and one each from his loose fur project and his golden smog days. all are performed solo at their studio in chicago, with mostly acoustic guitar and some occasional harmonica and whistling.

although i have seen wilco a number of times live, i have never had the opportunity to see him play solo live. but everything i hear is that this is how he often plays his songs in concert, acoustic and unaccompanied. the stark contrast between the takes here and the versions that were recorded on the original albums are for the most part significant, especially the wilco selections. jeff’s idiosyncratic lyrics can often be easily overlooked or underappreciated when ensconced in the sonic song structures that wilco creates, but we have no such excuse here. i have heard ‘hummingbird’ a hundred times but have never really listened to the lyrics like i did when listening to this version. that is true of nearly all the takes here, and maybe that is his intention. in addition, we get to hear just him on guitar, instead of the usual three guitar approach with the band. occasionally he dubs a second guitar line, but either way the playing is not just simple strumming but singularly geared to each cut. ‘muzzle of bees’ sounds almost like richard thompson at times.

a great new addition to my library and summer playlist.

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