Pitchfork: Tweedy, O'Rourke, Kotche Return as Loose Fur

Tweedy, O'Rourke, Kotche Return as Loose Fur

It was a match made in heaven, or rather a m�nage � trois, when bonafide indie superheroes Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Jim O'Rourke (kinda sorta ex-Sonic Youth), and Glenn Kotche (also Wilco) joined forces and shacked up to record an album as Loose Fur. That self-titled disc dropped in early 2003 on Chicago's venerable Drag City Records, meaning fans have had three solid years to memorize all the words. Well, time to make some room in your brains, because the return of Loose Fur is officially, yes, official.

Born Again in the U.S.A. will be the Fur's not-so-cleverly-titled second full-length, poised to explode March 21 by way of Drag City. Break out the blue jeans, red bandanas, and Clarence Clemons sax solos:

01 Hey Chicken
02 The Ruling Class
03 Answers to Your Questions
04 Apostolic
05 Stupid as the Sun
06 Pretty Sparks
07 An Ecumenical Matter
08 Thou Shalt Wilt
09 Wreckroom
10 Wanted

Comparing Born Again to Loose Fur in an interview with Billboard.com, Tweedy served up this charming morsel of rockstar-ese: "It's maybe a little bit heavier. There's definitely a lot of harmonized guitar parts. I think it's a similar mix of folk-ish elements, but the rock elements are a little less stridently abrasive, and maybe a little bit more prog-rock or something." Good heavens, he just dropped the p-bomb.

Tweedy also showed mad love for Fur-friend O'Rourke, proclaiming "I love getting to work with Jim and he has some really, really great songs on this."

Our favorite American aquarium drinker embarks on a much-ballyhooed solo tour at the end of this month, and for most dates he'll be supported by--how about that?--Glenn Kotche, doin' his own solo thang. Kotche, for the record, will drop his third solo effort, Mobile, March 7 via Nonesuch Records. Then after nary a month's rest, Tweedy and Kotche will enlist the rest of Wilco in a plight to conquer the Langerado Music Festival. They'll bring the music, you bring the love and/or drugs:

Tweedy:

01-25 Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub *
01-31 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom %
02-02 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre %
02-03 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom %
02-04 Eugene, OR - McDonald Theater %
02-06 Arcata, CA - Humboldt State University %
02-08 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore &
02-09 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore %
02-11 San Diego, CA - Spreckels Theatre %
02-12 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre %
02-13 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre &
02-15 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater %
02-16 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre %

* with Devil in a Woodpile
% with Glenn Kotche
& with Nels Cline

El Wilco:

03-12 Sunrise, FL - Markham Park (Langerado Music Festival) ^

^ with the Flaming Lips, the Meters, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, RJDJ, Secret Machines, various nondescript jam bands