Less Than You Think

I was fortunate last night to catch a little bit of the live stream from Wilco online. They just finished a five night residency in Chicago playing their whole catalog. To know who know me know that i have a bit of an infatuation with this band. I think their music is brilliant and so wonderfully made. Their musicianship is top notch and I love everything they do. Literally.

One of the songs that really got me thinking was "Less Than You Think." A song that is pretty blunt of a song that says we are not trying to do something that will change the world but making music....It plays with noise at the end of the track. I had read about this song about a year ago with JEff Tweedy commenting that the song was a choose your own adventure song, that when you were done with the noise you could change to the next song and that you experienced what you wanted with the tune. So smart. So brilliant. So DIY. Hearing it last night without the possibility of turning to the next track I sat and I listened. I listened to the noise with the full possibilities of whatever I needed to hear. It was intoxicating and calming. I was initially surprised to hear that they went on as long as they did, though deep down I was hoping they would.

Noise music is it's own entity. There are no choruses, break downs, or bridges. There are no verse chorus verse sing-a-long style songs. It is just a journey through different frequencies and different impulses. There is nothing you can dance to here. Though it is something to pay attention to. When you listen to noise it helps you spend time underneath the surface of the songs, sifting through the layers to get what you need. What you end up getting is something so rich, it's what ultimately guides the songs, it is the heart of the dialouge, it is the beauty of the moment. Each note is a contribution.

As I think about my own life I think that's what is often about. The little movements underneath that you get you to your ultimate goals. I hope that I never get so unaware that I forget about the stuff underneath that is moving me to the end of the song or the end of the chapter....