Gotta love the logo.
Wilco pulls off a miracle right off the bat by opening its seventh studio album (not counting the Mermaid Avenue records with Billy Bragg) with the infamously titled “Wilco (The Song)” which, miraculously, does NOT come out as conceded or even silly, but rather as a good ol’ fashioned romp (albeit with some non-traditional guitar work). Like many other songs on this record, it would have comfortably fit into Summerteeth or another one of the band’s earlier albums. The strong opener is followed by the psychedelic – if there was ever a good connotation for the term, it applies to this song – “Deeper Down”, and the epic, instant-classic “One Wing”, a tune that manages to bring together many of Wilco’s most notorious qualities (inventive drumming, clean and tuneful guitars, melancholy vocal lines, overall old school feel).
By the time the experimental, mildly disturbing “Bull Black Nova” and simple, efficient Feist duet “You and I” come around, you get the feeling that Jeff Tweedy has taken his band exactly where he wanted: if Sky Blue Sky was a laborious listen, it was a necessary step toward a direction Wilco (The Album) is closer to perfecting. The “dad rock” vibe is certainly there, and there is no indication it will be going away anytime soon; this is perhaps best exemplified when, halfway through the album, Tweedy’s “I don’t care anymore” is coupled with a droplet of realism: “but you never know.”
Wilco‘s second half is nearly as strong, featuring “Country Disappeared”, the kind of mandatory self-hating, heart-wrenching ballad Tweedy delivers better than most of his contemporaries; the perfect-pop with an alt-country feel “I’ll Fight”; and the oddly nostalgic closer “Everlasting.” Don’t be surprised if, at that point, you feel compelled to start the whole thing over.
In a way, it’s inevitable that some critics will label this record as too safe; conversely, the great thing about this album is the fact that Tweedy seems remarkably comfortable with the group’s sound, to the point Wilco (The Album) sounds almost effortless. In this release, they are not a band trying to push their boundaries, but rather a veteran act preserving their territory with a solid set of songs – much like what Radiohead did with 2007′s In Rainbows. A great album.
FOR FANS OF: Neil Young, My Morning Jacket, Feist, The Band
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