I'm always excited when bands I love release new records, especially the band I love the most: Wilco. The fact that the line-up, as it currently exists, is barely the same as it was in 1994, matters little. Jeff Tweedy is still standing behind his guitar and microphone, and bassist John Stirratt is nowhere near a microphone. As it should be. My expectations for this release were mixed. On one hand, Sky Blue Sky was such a departure from what the band did on its two previous records (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born), that I wanted to temper my enthusiasm. As a whole, Sky Blue Sky grew on me, but it took some time. On the other, who the hell knew what Tweedy had up his sleeve? This could be magic. As it turns out, we got Wilco (The Album).
Like most good Wilco fans, I had heard the opening track (Wilco (The Song)) on The Colbert Report. It's a tongue-in-cheek, Band as Savior song that offers the listener a "sonic shoulder for you to cry on" before assuring him that "Wilco will love you baby." Anyone accusing this song of being absurd need only remember I'm A Wheel or ELT. It's also got a screaming (at least in terms of Wilco) guitar solo from Nels Cline that serves as a welcome introduction to the record. For good or bad, it doesn't last past the final chord as Tweedy slows to a near stop with Deeper Down. Songs about meaning, or the absence of it, have often dominated the seven studio records credited to Wilco, and this one is no exception. Couched in the metaphor of a beat-up boxer, it leaves more questions than answers, but does so beautifully. The same can't be said for One Wing, which may be a very personal song for Tweedy (I kind of hope not), but left me feeling a little embarrassed for him. It's a plaintive relationship song that relies on the image of a bird needing two wings to fly, or in the case of the song, two people to make love work. "We may as well be made of stone, we can't be flown," Tweedy implores, eventually (and mercifully) crash landing. Its inclusion, along with the fourth track, Bull Black Nova, is regrettable. I have nothing against songs about murder, but this one falls short of having anything to say. You would think that anything would be a welcome change after enduring those two songs, but Wilco is slow to get back up. The duet between Tweedy and indie-super girl Leslie Feist got a lot of hype prior to the album being released, but I'm afraid there isn't much to it. Feist basically sings along with Tweedy, which has a distinct campfire feel to it, but I can get that at one of his live solo shows. Although it's lyrically stronger than One Wing, I couldn't help but cringe a little when Tweedy compared his love to "the deepest well [he'd] ever [fallen] into." Seriously? A much better fit here would have been Nothing Up My Sleeve from the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot demo tapes. That's a song worth singing along with, Fesit or no Feist. Gratefully the tempo picks up on You Never Know, but only in time for Tweedy to start hassling me. "Come on children, you're acting like children, every generation thinks it's the end of the world," he sings, sounding more like my dad than the guy who penned Via Chicago. All that chiding and I'm not getting an allowance? Throughout the song Tweedy insists he doesn't care anymore, but I'm praying that's not actually the case. Country Disappeared and Solitaire echo common themes: the need for someone else, the inability to go it alone. Tweedy's always been gifted at being able to paint vivid pictures with his words, even when the words themselves are often cryptic. "I'll Fight" is the best song on the record, without a doubt. "I'll go for you," and "I'll fight for you" quickly turn dark as Tweedy sings "I'll kill for you, I will," and promises to die "like Jesus on the cross." It's a near-perfect song, and could stand next to How To Fight Loneliness or Jesus, etc. without any shame. Unfortunately the album doesn't end there, but rather chugs along (even forgettably so) with Sonny Feeling (an upbeat song about hanging in there when times get tough and accepting the good and the bad) and Everlasting Everything (a nice - I guess - reminder that nothing lasts except love, despite what some of the previous ten songs have said). The sentiment is okay, but it's all rather un-Wilco. I've never depended on Tweedy for pats on the back and positive thinking lessons, so I'll ask his forgiveness if it all comes across as a bit awkward.
Now for some frank discussion: as mentioned, this is an almost completely different version of Wilco than the Wilco I fell in love with in college. Jay Bennett, despite his control-freak tendencies and ill-timed hugs, was a musical genius. His departure post-YHF is painfully evident in the music that followed. Nels Cline and Pat Sansone are incredibly talented, but they just don't rock like Bennett did. Rest in peace, Jay. Secondly, this is not the same Jeff Tweedy. The Jeff Tweedy so many of us were drawn to wrote songs from a very dark place in life. If any benefit arose from Tweedy's chronic migraines, depression, and prescription drug addiction, it was some amazing rock 'n' roll music, but at what cost? From all accounts, he's in a very healthy place right now, and as is often the case, his music reflects that. It would be difficult to wish him anything less - even if it means a sub-par Wilco record.
Final grade: 75/100
well written and nicely (pete) rendered. but rest assured this has all been one belated april fool's joke. the actual wilco album will drop unexpectedly later this summer and there will be great rejoicing.
Wouldn't that be glorious.
Micah, great review. Like I said before, I kind of liked this album because it was just kind of comfy and familiar and a little bouncy and Wilco-y, but it is definitely not great. It's weird, I feel differently about it every time I listen to it. Sky Blue Sky took me a long time to deal with, and after hearing the songs played live, I finally reached a begrudging acceptance and admitted it was okay. There was a steady progression to appreciation. But this one...I think i liked it a lot more the first time through when I streamed it from their site, probably because I thought - nay, was completely convinced - it would be a complete atrocity. Now, with time to really analyze, I'm not nearly as enthusiastic. But I'm still okay with it.