Mr. G's Song of the Week "Bull Black Nova"

My plan was to show a great deal of self-restraint and wait until Wilco's new, self-titled album was officially released before commenting on any of the new tunes that can be found on it. But since everybody and their grandmother have heard the album which has been widely leaked on the interweb, and since Wilco themselves streamed the album in its entirety on their myspace page and official website, I'm throwing caution to the wind and proclaiming "Bull Black Nova" the Song of the Week.

"Wilco (the album)" finds the Chicago-based band playing it safer than some of their more experimental offerings from years past. There is more of a reliance on the pure genius of leadman Jeff Tweedy's songwriting ability than on creating weird and unusual sounds with which to surround those songs. As a result, "Bull Black Nova" stands out as the record's most innovative track, and in this writer's opinion, its best.

If ever there was a song created to represent the hysterical terror and unescapable frenzy that overwhelms someone driving with a dead body in their trunk while running from the boys in blue and generally freaking out; this is it. "Bull Black Nova" is the perfect musical representation of what it must feel like to endure a full-on panic attack. Pounding, repetitive piano propels the track forward, complimented by guitars that jump around and play off one another in classic Wilco fashion.

The song mirrors the emotional state of its narrator. It begins with a "hmm, I'm probably in a not-so-good situation at the moment," builds momentum into a "there's really no way out of this situation, I am totally screwed" until peaking into a feverish crescendo of "my life as I have known it is now over and I might as well crash this Chevy Nova into a tree and end it all." It's not for the faint of heart but I hope you enjoy the emotional rollercoaster ride that is "Bull Black Nova."

You can stream Wilco's new album at: http://wilcoworld.net
Edit: Its actually not streaming anymore, but, I suspect, you can find it elsewhere in the web; or, you could just wait to hear it until the end of the month.