The first notable thing about Jeff Tweedy’s new release Twilight Override is that it’s a triple album. On vinyl, it's 30 songs contained on three separate full-length records. After listening, the second notable thing is that there are no “bad” songs, and also no filler — no long instrumental jams to fill out the time. Tweedy evidently has been saving these songs up for the past five years, since the release of Love Is the King in 2020. And, yeah, there have also been two Wilco albums since 2020. So, yes, Tweedy remains a prolific songwriter, nearly 40 years into his career.

His announcement of Twilight Override had me thinking that this was going to be a project about the state of the nation and the times we’re living in. Tweedy said that he was overwhelmed by what was happening in our society, and he talked about the “twilight of an empire.” Be that as it may, these are personal, introspective songs, stream of consciousness ruminations, and memories of childhood and adolescence.
That personal approach works well for a nearly two hour immersion into Tweedy’s head. The record begins with “One Tiny Flower,” musically a Middle Eastern/Indian vibe. The song would be trance-inducing if not for the players (pleasantly) going off the rails at times. I also liked “Forever Never Ends,” where Tweedy tells a tale of high school misfortune on the side of the road. The song proceeds at a deliberate pace, rocks out on the chorus, and then ends too soon!
Around the middle of the album we get “Feel Free,” the longest song (over seven minutes), and probably the most effective track lyrically. Tweedy encourages us to experience the world as little children, and to remember what that was like. Along the way, he drops many good lines, including a bit about The Beatles and the Stones!
Next is “Lou Reed Was My Babysitter,” with Tweedy as punk as you’re ever likely to hear him, invoking the spirit of the Velvet Underground. Lyrically, it’s a clever take on the old “Rock ‘n’ Roll will never die” idea. Now that would have been a good album closer, but there are ten more songs left on the record! I’m old school in my preference to listen to an album as one piece, so I continued, and in the end respected Tweedy for delivering this lengthy, yet ultimately satisfying record.
On Twilight Override, Jeff Tweedy is not one to rage against the dying of the light. Instead, he advises us to “Feel Free,” as difficult as that may sometimes be. The album’s final song is “Enough,” and includes the line “It’s hard to stay in love with everyone.”