I'm unfalteringly dedicated to Wilco. I can't imagine life without them. But I don't necessarily love everything they do - despite moments of pure loveliness (witness 'You and I' in collaboration with the endlessly lovely Feist) 2009's 'The Album' fell a bit flat for me.
This particular album required a bit of a mindshift. The opening track 'Art of Almost' is totally unexpected and a real shift in style - Jeff Tweedy's voice is a dead ringer for Tim Finn circa Split Enz, and the opening to the album itself is such a departure from Wilco's traditional style that I simply wasn't convinced I was listening to the right band.
But you know what? It's good. Crikey it's good. Self-produced and Wilco's first album on their own label, it is an experimental rock album, but the traditional underlying components are all still there. Genre aside, the phenomenon that is Wilco is still driven by an insane rhythm section, and the opening track's guitar solo can only be described as a facemelter. Jeff Tweedy's vocal and lyrical talent is as comfortingly evident as ever. And Pat Sansone's jangly, organy keys often overlay the largely bass-driven tracks (I have long thought Jon Stirratt was an overshadowed force in this band and am pleased to see him have his day in the sun here.)
So, scratching beneath the surface, it's not a total departure from Wilco as we know them. Although it's an alt-pop driven sound, the delicate vocals and keys of 'Sunloathe' are as beautiful as we've come to expect from lovely Jeff Tweedy, and features a distinct folk sound too. 'Dawned On Me' is cuteasabutton and kind of reminiscent of Blur or other Britpop of a similar era. The opening riff to the gentle 'Black Moon' is as pretty an alt-folk riff as they've ever done, and is beautifully overlaid by an intense cello and a lovely wailing guitar. I think this is my favourite track. Or wait, it was until I heard the subsequent 'Born Alone', undoubtedly the most faithful to the traditional Wilco sound. Let's just say tracks 4 through 9 (oh go on, and 11 and 12) are my favourites and leave it at that.
'Capitol City' almost sounds like a show-tune in some ways, featuring a sneaky clarinet (or is it an oboe?) it's a cheeky little track and Tweedy's vocals again reclaim that very Finn-esque sound. I adore it. I was interested to read that the earlier 'The Album' was in fact recorded in Neil Finn's Auckland studio - maybe the influence is evident for a reason...
Although the album opens with a heavier psych feel, this is actually quite a gentle album and in many ways less aggressive than much of Wilco's earlier work. To me this album is epitomised by its title track, a pretty, guitar-driven meander through Tweedy's head. So for the most part, its components are endearingly familiar and play to Wilco's core strengths, but the sum of its parts shows a real growth in the Wilco sound. And I like it for that. It does what The Album failed to do, and breaks far enough from tradition to give us a fresh, excellent taste of this superb band.
It's new. It's interesting. I like.
This particular album required a bit of a mindshift. The opening track 'Art of Almost' is totally unexpected and a real shift in style - Jeff Tweedy's voice is a dead ringer for Tim Finn circa Split Enz, and the opening to the album itself is such a departure from Wilco's traditional style that I simply wasn't convinced I was listening to the right band.
But you know what? It's good. Crikey it's good. Self-produced and Wilco's first album on their own label, it is an experimental rock album, but the traditional underlying components are all still there. Genre aside, the phenomenon that is Wilco is still driven by an insane rhythm section, and the opening track's guitar solo can only be described as a facemelter. Jeff Tweedy's vocal and lyrical talent is as comfortingly evident as ever. And Pat Sansone's jangly, organy keys often overlay the largely bass-driven tracks (I have long thought Jon Stirratt was an overshadowed force in this band and am pleased to see him have his day in the sun here.)
So, scratching beneath the surface, it's not a total departure from Wilco as we know them. Although it's an alt-pop driven sound, the delicate vocals and keys of 'Sunloathe' are as beautiful as we've come to expect from lovely Jeff Tweedy, and features a distinct folk sound too. 'Dawned On Me' is cuteasabutton and kind of reminiscent of Blur or other Britpop of a similar era. The opening riff to the gentle 'Black Moon' is as pretty an alt-folk riff as they've ever done, and is beautifully overlaid by an intense cello and a lovely wailing guitar. I think this is my favourite track. Or wait, it was until I heard the subsequent 'Born Alone', undoubtedly the most faithful to the traditional Wilco sound. Let's just say tracks 4 through 9 (oh go on, and 11 and 12) are my favourites and leave it at that.
'Capitol City' almost sounds like a show-tune in some ways, featuring a sneaky clarinet (or is it an oboe?) it's a cheeky little track and Tweedy's vocals again reclaim that very Finn-esque sound. I adore it. I was interested to read that the earlier 'The Album' was in fact recorded in Neil Finn's Auckland studio - maybe the influence is evident for a reason...
Although the album opens with a heavier psych feel, this is actually quite a gentle album and in many ways less aggressive than much of Wilco's earlier work. To me this album is epitomised by its title track, a pretty, guitar-driven meander through Tweedy's head. So for the most part, its components are endearingly familiar and play to Wilco's core strengths, but the sum of its parts shows a real growth in the Wilco sound. And I like it for that. It does what The Album failed to do, and breaks far enough from tradition to give us a fresh, excellent taste of this superb band.
It's new. It's interesting. I like.
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