ShockHound

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  4 of 5

  
  

  As oversimplified as it may seem on paper there are really two Wilcos: One is the alt-country band who formed out of the ashes of Uncle Tupelo and released twangy albums like 1995’s A.M. and the other is an avant-garde act who were baptized via the bands’ 2002 mainstream breakthrough YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT. While Wilco have hinted toward the heady experimentation of their latest incarnation via tracks like the six-minute-plus, feedback-droning “Misunderstood” (from their 1996 double-disc opus Being There), WILCO (THE ALBUM) is the first release to truly fuse these seemingly disparate worlds and the result is mostly breathtaking. In fact if you can get past the hokey self-titled opener the rest of the album ranges from soulful, moody meditations like “Deeper Down” to perfect pop nuggets like “I’ll Fight” and jangly rockers like “You Never Know” (the latter of which is reminiscent of Wilco vocalist Jeff Tweedy’s sometimes side-project Golden Smog). “I don’t care anymore,” Tweedy sings over a bed of expertly arranged instrumentation on the latter track — and for the first time it sounds like he means it. — Jonah Bayer

9 months ago

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  beachhouse purchased this item

12 months ago

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about 1 year ago

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  4 of 5

  
  

  As oversimplified as it may seem on paper there are really two Wilcos: One is the alt-country band who formed out of the ashes of Uncle Tupelo and released twangy albums like 1995’s A.M. and the other is an avant-garde act who were baptized via the bands’ 2002 mainstream breakthrough YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT. While Wilco have hinted toward the heady experimentation of their latest incarnation via tracks like the six-minute-plus, feedback-droning “Misunderstood” (from their 1996 double-disc opus Being There), WILCO (THE ALBUM) is the first release to truly fuse these seemingly disparate worlds and the result is mostly breathtaking. In fact if you can get past the hokey self-titled opener the rest of the album ranges from soulful, moody meditations like “Deeper Down” to perfect pop nuggets like “I’ll Fight” and jangly rockers like “You Never Know” (the latter of which is reminiscent of Wilco vocalist Jeff Tweedy’s sometimes side-project Golden Smog). “I don’t care anymore,” Tweedy sings over a bed of expertly arranged instrumentation on the latter track — and for the first time it sounds like he means it. — Jonah Bayer