Jeff Tweedy doesn’t sound any happier. I’ve always found the Wilco leader’s apparent discomfort in his own skin to be one of the reasons the band was capable of compelling music (although by no means always).

On “Solitaire,” one of the many somber, introspective tunes on Wilco’s self-titled seventh studio album, Tweedy sings in his trademark laconic style, “Once I thought without a doubt/ I had it all figured out/ The universe with hands unseen/ I was cold as gasoline/ Took too long, to see, I was wrong, to believe, in me/ Only.”

Does that suggest that Tweedy is now playing well with others? Or has he finally found the others that are willing to follow his vision. I’m guessing it’s the latter.

In any case, Wilco’s approach on the new album hews more closely to standard song structures than some of the avant-garde-leaning work of the past. Only a handful of songs really stick to your ribs, though, and only one will have you singing it in your head later. That would be “You Never Know,” the disc’s most energetic, uptempo tune, with swelling background vocals, a choppy piano part and a swooping guitar lick that calls to mind George Harrison’s breezier solo songs.

While the material comes up short on the catchiness scale, the guitar interplay between Tweedy and Nels Cline is full of imagination and beguiling texture: the theremin-like whistle on “Deeper Down,” the push into Neil Young-esque noise on “Bull Black Nova,” the razory slide on “Sonny Feeling” (the albums’ other sort-of-uptempo rocker), the pedal steel-style slurs that pop up throughout.

Tweedy surrounds the guitars with a mostly pastel backdrop that at turns includes tubular bells, organ, and the slightest splashes of strings and horns (to give the closer, “Everlasting Everything,” an epic crescendo).

In the end, Wilco is a worthy entry into their canon, but certainly not a classic. (Nonesuch)

“You and I” featuring Feist

VINYL SATURDAY

From the folks who brought us “Record Store Day” comes “Vinyl Saturday.” Once a month, we’ll be waxing you poetic with special, limited releases made specially available on Vinyl Saturday. If you’re interested in any of the limited editions, you may want to get to the store early — they won’t last long! The first Vinyl Saturday is this coming Saturday,  June 20, and will feature:

WILCO
This is a special 7″ single being released 10 days before new album (WILCO, the album comes out on 7/3)! Limited to a run of 3,800, the 7″ includes the tracks “You Never Know” and “Unlikely Japan,” an early 2003 version of the previously unreleased track “Impossible Germany.”

GREEN DAY
The vinyl version of the CD Single “Know Your Enemy” will be available at Vinyl Fever on 6/20. This vinyl is limited to 5000, and is NUMBERED. The b-side is an unreleased studio track called “Hearts Collide.”

MODEST MOUSE
Second in a series of 7″ singles being released. This one is entitled “Autumn Beds” and the b-side is “Whale Song.”

PETE YORN/SCARLETT JOHANSSEN
These two are releasing an album in September through Rhino (not to be confused with the Pete Yorn release on 6/23 through Sony), and we’ll have an advance 7″ with a duet from both of them AND a Pete Yorn demo on the other side.

ALSO, the following artists have vinyl scheduled for a street date of 6/23, but us indie retailer participants are getting them EARLY, so we can sell them to you on 6/20:

Al Green (classic reissues) – Those Darlins – Wolves In The Throne Room – Wino – Patterson Hood – Earth – Woggles – Chesterfield Kings – Cocktail Slippers and more.

Until then, to hold you over, here are the New Releases out TODAY, June 16, 2009:

VINYL:

Dock Boggs – False Hearted Lovers Blues
Dock Boggs got his start playing in the mining camps while working in the mines all over the Appalachian region. In 1927 he got a contract with Brunswick Records and began recording and playing parties in the area. This collection represents his complete recordings from 1927-1929 when Dock was at the beginning and height of his short-lived recording career.

Green Day
- 21st Century Breakdown
- Nimrod

Hatebreed – For The Lions

Incubus - Monuments And Melodies
4LP-set for the price of, like, 2 and a half! New hits collection includes two new tracks, B-sides and rarities.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Freaky Styley
- Mother’s Milk
- Uplift Mofo Party Plan

Roxy Music
- Country Life
- Stranded
Repressed on HQ-180 vinyl. Each comes with a poster of the cover image.

Steel Pulse
- True Democracy
- Earth Crisis

Subhumans
- Time Flies + Rats
- Worlds Apart

DVD:

Scott Walker – 30 Century Man
FINALLY!! Scott Walker gets some due in this documentary that examines his impact upon popular music. From his early days as a bass player on the Sunset Strip to his groundbreaking and wildly influential solo work, the film presents the truth about a true artist. With participation from Walker as well as insights from David Bowie, members of Radiohead, Brian Eno, Johnny Marr, WMNF’s Laura Taylor (just kidding) and others.

CDs:

1349 – Revelations Of The Black Flame
New release from the scorching band from Norway; deluxe edition has live tracks and a 20-page booklet for just two dollars more.

Apples In Stereo - #1 Hits Explosion

Big Star - #1 Record / Radio City
This newly remastered version of #1 Record / Radio City features enhanced packaging and two unreleased bonus tracks.

Bubble Puppy
- A Gathering of Promises
Reissue of 1969 psych classic with 8 bonus tracks!
- Michael Buble Meets Madison Square Garden CD+DVD Live recording features performances of his many hits while the DVD features the 60-minute concert, plus two bonus songs.

Rodney Carrington – El Nino Loco
He has no plans of changing his approach.

Will Downing – Classique
Will Downing returns with his fourteenth collection of sensual grooves and true love primers.

George Harrison – Let It Roll: The Songs Of George Harrison
George Harrison’s first-ever career-spanning solo hits collection. Special packaging includes a 28-page booklet featuring previously unseen and rare photos, and new liner notes by Warren Zanes.

Incubus – Monuments And Melodies
New hits collection includes two new tracks and a bonus disc of B-sides and rarities.

Jonas Brothers - Lines, Vines And Trying Times

Candye Kane – Superhero
Having recently beaten pancreatic cancer, Superhero showcases her renewed energy and new lease on life,

Kim Lenz And The Jaguars – It’s All True!
WMNF and Gabe Ech. favorite. Twelve new tracks include seven Kim Lenz originals, a track co-written by Kim and Big Sandy, a number crafted expressly for Kim by the Lucky Stars’ Sage Guyton, and two rampaging covers.

Major Lazer - Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do
Major Lazer is the super producer duo of Switch and Diplo, best known for their work with M.I.A and Paper Planes, as well as production work for Santigold, Amanda Blank, Bondo do Role (Diplo) and Tricky (Switch).

Lee Phil – So Long, It’s Been Good To Know You
With thirty years of roadwork and songwriting, Nashville singer/songwriter Phil Lee is the real deal. You can hear it in the vivid imagery that his lyrics present, with stories of worker-bee illegals, truck-driving killers, rats, weasels, and humans with rodent-like qualities. Lee’s is a world of people on the literal and figurative outskirts, straight out of Springsteen’s Nebraska, just a little further south and with a sense of humor.

Masada Quintet featuring Joe Lovano – Stolas: Book of Angels Volume 12
This is a true jazz supergroup featuring Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, Greg Cohen, Joey Baron and John Zorn.

Dee Dee Ramone – History On My Arms
With documentary DVD..

Spinal Tap – Back From The Dead CD w/DVD
Re-imagined versions of all the hits from the classic movie, plus new tracks and an hour-long DVD featuring a newly recorded track-by-track commentary by David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls.

Street Sweeper Social Club – Street Sweeper Social Club
Tom Morello and Boots Riley are Street Sweeper Social Club. This eleven-song set features Riley on vocals, Morello on guitar and bass, and Stanton Moore (Galactic) on drums.

UFO – The Visitor
Brand new material for those who actually care.

Rhonda Vincent – Destination Life
The seven time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year returns with a stellar lineup of new, original and classic bluegrass songs. The album features her award-winning touring band in their first studio appearance.

The Waifs – Live From The Union Of Soul

The Wallflowers – Collected: 1996-2005
With leader Jakob Dylan overseeing its production and compiling the track list, the 16-track Collected: 1996-2005 is the definitive look at a critically-acclaimed favorite.

Hank Williams Jr. - 127 Rose Avenue

Holly Williams – Here With Me
The hip granddaughter of Hank Williams and daughter of Hank Jr. has created an album that wears the influence of some of her favorite artists (Tom Waits, Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson, Jackson Browne).