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Jeff Tweedy sat down with Kyle Meredith With… to talk about Twilight Override, a sprawling 30-song triple album that’s both massive in scope and deeply personal. With a band made up of longtime collaborators and family members, the Wilco frontman crafted the album as a “big-hearted” expression — built not on excess, but on intention. “It just kept getting deeper and more substantial,” he said, noting that what started as a pile of songs quickly became something much more expansive. Listen above or wherever you get your podcasts, and also catch Tweedy on his upcoming tour dates by getting tickets here.
There’s no concept, exactly — but there is a story arc, divided loosely between past, present, and future. And for Tweedy, the triple album format wasn’t about indulgence, but about capturing contradictions that couldn’t coexist on a single LP. “Every sequence I tried to make of a one record felt like it was missing some of that conversation between dissonance and harmony,” he explained. That includes the swirl of memory on songs like “Forever Never Ends,” where he muses on personal ghosts and generational trauma, or the beautifully messy solos that he describes as “very individuated self-expression.”
Thematically, Tweedy leans into the radical act of hope. “Creativity eats darkness,” he says, talking about the future disc of the album. “I reject the idea that the world is only getting worse. I reserve the right to envision a beautiful world.” That sentiment echoes through the record’s final track, “Enough,” which follows — instead of ending with — another song called “This Is How It Ends.” It’s an album about staying awake, not succumbing to the noise, and finding consolation in making art even when it feels like everything’s caving in. “It’s hard to stay in love with everyone,” he added. “But the fact that you even want to? That says a lot.”
Listen to Jeff Tweedy talk about Twilight Override, radical expression, Nick Offerman, and more in the new episode above or by watching the video below. Keep up on all the latest episodes by following Kyle Meredith With… on your favorite podcast platform; plus, check out all the series on the Consequence Podcast Network.