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My first reaction to all the songs by Wilco as a whole was that they sounded a lot alike. There was an occasional more upbeat song thrown in there, but for the most part each song sounded passionate, but mellow and slower. Each song also had the same underlying theme heartbreak, hope, and the lack of hope.

The first song was “Either Way” and started out a lot like the others. It started out slow and gained tempo further into the song but never lost its mood. I feel that this slow and somewhat sad mood helps in the song and how it is reacted by the listeners. This song sounded like it was full of a sad hopefulness. He kept repeating the words “maybe” and “you”. The over usage of the word “maybe” supports the hopeful meaning. And the use of the word “you” in pretty much every one of the Wilco songs makes the songs not sound like they are focusing on the listeners life or experiences but like he is speaking directly to his loved one and kind of like the he isn’t aware of the listeners. In this song he hopes that things will get better.

The Second song was “You Are My Face”. Instead of focusing on a feeling of hope like the previous song, I got a feeling of hopelessness. Instead of the idea “things will get better” it is now “things are never going to get better, so why try?” This song also uses a lot of metaphors. Instead of stating straight out what is going on, he uses a lot of metaphors and literary devices to get a deeper meaning across, perhaps to allow the listener to interpret it the way he wants.
Then there was “Impossible Germany”. Now this song is unlike the previous two. This one instead of being either hopeful, or hopeless is more indignant. It seems to state, “this is how it is, it’s hard, but its going to happen”. This song is more “in your face” than the others. It is not sulking, but stating facts and the reality of it all.

Next was “Side With the Seeds”. This song uses personification and many more literary devices. It seems to be split between hopefulness and hopelessness. “No one wins but the thieves, so why side with anything”. This quote gives of a sense of giving up. It seems to be saying that the situation is impossible to change, its too frivolous, so why bother? Maybe it gives off a tone of one who has given up to the reality of it all. This is ironic because it uses many metaphors and literary devices to get the “reality” idea off.

Then “Please Be Patient With Me” played. I like this song because of the idea “you need to be patient with me”. This song seems to be more realistic in a real-world situation. Overall, I like not only the music but also the messages this band puts out with every song. It is not screamer or in-your-face opinions, but it does all that with a more artistic flare. I also like that, unlike much music today, the words mean so much. With this band, the words hold everything. It is not about having the craziest beat, but the words mean so much.