Steve Wynn in the 2000s

Recently, I've been playing the records that Wynn has cut over the last 5 years alot, in particular "Here Come the Miracles", "Static Transmissions" and the new one "tick, tick, tick". All 3 of these are tremendous albums (and need updated TP entries too!) and I've been thinking what a baffling figure Wynn is. Sure, I liked "Days of Wine and Roses" as much as anybody, but really if you stopped his career before "Here Come the Miracles" he'd just be a scattershot, sporadically interesting artist.....Somehow with the material from 2001 on he's resurrected himself as a snarling bastard spawn of Reed/Dylan/Young with a complete mastery of his work. It's kind of thrilling when a guy starts making the best Rock & Roll of his career in his 40s, I really can't think of anybody currently who's better at the type of stuff he's doing.



Post Edited (07-04-06 15:40)

So, you're saying his most recent work is his best. Representational tracks?
(turn me on dead man)


Thanks!



Post Edited (07-04-06 17:44)

Hard to say for individual tracks - if forced to pick I'd suggest "Amphetamine", "Crawling Misanthropic Blues", "Strange New World" and off the new one the lead off song "Wired" is a scorcher. Apparently "Here Come the Miracles" is out of print domestically (temporarily?). There is a 2005 career retrospective called "What I Did After My Band Broke Up" that covers some of the recent high points and cherry picks the better tracks from his early, mediocre 90s records.......I really do think his work from 2001 on is his career peak, or at least the equal of the best of the Dream Syndicate stuff.



Post Edited (07-04-06 17:20)

this year he said that if sxsw gave out diplomas, he would get a phd (he played at least 10 gigs there just this spring) and minor in songs in D minor (something like that).

Totally agree that he's doing his best work these days. tick...tick..tick... blew me away. I think several of his 90s records are excellent (particularly My Midnight and Flourescent), but he's really firing on all cylinders right now. Plenty of bands would kill to have a one-two-three punch like Here Come the Miracles, Static Transmission and tick...tick...tick.

And I saw three of those SXSW gigs. He sprinkled in some Dream Syndicate songs ("Tell Me When It's Over," "Days of Wine and Rose," "That's What You Always Say") into them, and they sounded right at home. But I'd argue his current songs are better.

Anybody heard the live album yet?