Loose Fur

The release of Jeff Tweedy solo and Tweedy-related projects is really rolling along now: besides this album, there is Minus 5's "Down With Wilco" (just released), the pending release of new Wilco material on the "Camera" EP, not to mention of course YHF and "Chelsea Walls", both released in 2002.The trio that makes up Loose Fur consists of sound engineer/producer Jim O'Rourke (who worked on YHF) and Wilco's Tweedy and Glenn Kotche. The album covers 6 songs in 39+ min. Opener "Laminated Cat" and closer "Chinese Apple" are the best tracks (both Tweedy-penned), with that could-have-been-a-YHF-track feeling to it. The other tracks are quite good as well, combining lots of accoustic sounds ("Elegant Transaction") with sound scratches and twists. "So Long" reminds me of Pink Floyd's "San Tropez" (from "Meddle"), updated musically for 2003.Don't expect this to be "YHF 2". It's beyond that, perhaps less ambitious, but in its own right very much enjoyable (more so than the "Down With Wilco" album). As he did on "Chelsea Walls", Tweedy invites you to trust him that he will deliver out-of-the-ordinary, enduring music. And right he is! You won't be disappointed.

This is a great album I am not sure how I could consider myself a Wilco fan and not know about loose fur

We like this as it is not your typical Wilco/Tweedy album.

This is a great album. Creative and different. I also suggest the recent Postal Service

The vocals, songwriting, and guitar of Jeff Tweedy. The drums and percussion of Glen Kotche. And the vocals, guitar, and songwriting of Jim O'Rourke.That should be review enough. That should tell you: buy this!If it's not, let me just tell you that if you're a Wilco fan, you've heard Loose Fur before. On "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." On that Wilco album there's a moment in--I believe it's the song "Poor Places," where Wilco becomes Loose Fur. Jeff Tweedy and Glen Kotche are in both bands, and Jim O'Rourke has produced (and contributed to) two Wilco albums, and it just happened that way.And, not to insult any other members of Wilco (John, you rock!), but sometimes that three's all you need.This is a stripped down, more experimental Wilco, with a hearty dose of Jim O'Rourke thrown in. Its jams are about as good as "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" on Wilco's "A Ghost is Born" album, its lyrics are heartfelt and unique ("You were wrong to believe...in me," "If I said I loved you, I was talking to myself.), and it is always interesting and fun to listen to.The songs include a word-sample from Wilco's "Heavy Metal Drummer," a long shambling chain of lalalalala's reminscent of Bob Dylan's "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" soundtrack, wild mercury drums that sound as if Kotche just threw his sticks into a clothesdryer and recorded them, and some excellent experimental noise rock.I highly recommend this to any Wilco fans that were with it enough to make the transition with Wilco from "Summerteeth" to "Yankee Hotel" and from "Yankee Hotel" to "A Ghost is Born." This may take a few listens to get used to, but you may discover it's a classic.I know I did.

Last year was a great year for several Chicago artists known to many as Jim O'Rourke, Jeff Tweedy, and Glenn Kotche. The latter two members are from the celebrated outfit called Wilco. O'Rourke, historically, has been on his own doing solo acoustic and electronic material, but over the last several years has found himself creeping into other band's studios to collaborate and provide some helpful insight. He's shown the music world that he definitely has what it takes, and that his precise and melodic sensibilities are completely valid in the music industry. While becoming a major contributor to Sonic Youth's Murray Street, it became quickly apparent that his style of melody was exactly what Sonic Youth had needed for quite some time. Simultaneously, Tweedy and Kotche were at work on the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It finally landed around April 2002, with much praise and accolades from the public. It had been a long ride for the band, but the time had finally come to get the long awaited material out. After comparing the YHF demo tapes to the final product, it's again obvious that O'Rourke had quite a bit of influence on what the public would call Wilco's best album yet.If you've heard anything by any of these gentlemen, you know by now that Tweedy, O'Rourke, and Kotche are talented musicians in their own rights. However, there really isn't anything on Loose Fur that Wilco and O'Rourke fans haven't heard before. Except maybe for the fact that Tweedy is "back in the saddle again." In fact, Loose Fur sounds pretty much exactly like what you'd expect. The opening track, "Laminated Cats" leans toward the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sessions and begs comparison to Radiohead's "I Might Be Wrong," while "Elegant Transaction" is all O'Rourke in scope. It permeates the album with homage to anything on Insignificance or Eureka. For this reason alone, Loose Fur seems a little "insignificant" and somewhat forced. I'm not speaking of the music itself, because each song is respectively great. However, I find myself wondering why this collaboration was formed other than to make an album that would expand O'Rourke's already endless catalogue even further. Regardless of my assumption, the material that's been produced here is pleasantly received."So Long" is the stand-alone track due to the fact that on the surface it has the least aesthetic appeal. About half way through the song, the noisy guitar antics begin to fade, and we're left with what seems to be one of the only two true collaborative moments. "You Were Wrong" follows behind "So Long," and is signature Wilco from beginning to end. Why this song wasn't on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is beyond me. The true gem here, however, is the final track, "Chinese Apple." It's the only song that actually sounds exactly like O'Rourke and Wilco combined. It resonates with pure harmony, and proves that this is a collaboration that truly works for something better. I guess the best things are saved for last.So, if reading this review still leaves you in question as to what Lucifer, I mean, Loose Fur sounds like as a band, simply refer to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Insignificance, and Eureka. It's really impossible to put it any other way. Going by what these guys have produced in the past, it's almost hard to say anything negative about the music itself. The only question that truly remains is, "Why collaborate on something you can do yourself?"