Category:
Rock / Roots

Try if you like:
Jayhawks, My Morning Jacket, The Decemberists, The National, Varnaline

I came into Wilco (The Album) with loads of reservations. I was not a fan of Sky Blue Sky at all. It felt like a bad break-up. I came into that album feeling like I was going to be blown away only the album didn't even give me a cold draft. With that being said, I thought I would try to come into Tweedy and company's new album with an open mind but I found I just couldn't do it. 

That's why the review is only coming now, after a month of digesting. Yes, I could listen to Wilco (The Album) multiple times. My dad-rock comment of Sky Blue Sky still stands but I'm a Dad and I this is an album that I would actually listen to. I have long thought that Wilco had been losing their "Americana" pigeonhole and aside from maybe two songs on here they do nothing to try and drag you into country music. The first song, "Wilco (The Song)" is quite catchy and upbeat, and frankly the best thing they've done in a couple albums. But then the valium kicks in on "Deeper Down" and while a decent song, this is where the mellowness gets to me. "One Wing" does nothing to bring you out of that hazy/lazy state. Then on "Bull Black Nova" we are presented with staccato rhythm that leaves me hoping for something more than I get. I found this song was alright but tended to bore the more I heard it. "You And I" was a great song, quite mellow with Tweedy signing with an acoustic guitar and then a surprise vocalist, Feist! Yeah, it works itself into a fantastic duet and proved to be the album saver for me. Another mid-tempo gem is "You Never Know" with some nice 60s styled backup vocals. "Country Disappeared" could have vanished as far as I'm concerned, it sounded like a Sky Blue Sky out-take. "Solitaire" was yet another mellow song but one of the best of the quiet batch. I really enjoyed the gentle guitar riff and the nice arrangement as well as the presentation of Tweedy's voice. "Sonny Feeling" is one of those tracks that will keep Wilco in the Americana history books. A nice country tinged track with some Beach Boys harmonies embedded. Then they leave a bad taste with "Everlasting Everything", another Sky Blue Sky - type song.

Time will tell if this album will be returned to over and over but for this year, I found that some faith has been restored in Jeff Tweedy. Not all faith, only some. Jeff really needs to work on adding a few more rocking songs to his albums and easing up on the snoozers.