Wilco’s forthcoming album, Sky Blue Sky, is set for release May 15th, but was leaked about a month ago via the internet. I first heard a couple tracks on NPR’s All Songs Considered and immediately became excited.
Wilco’s mystique, complexity, and craftsmanship make them a band that I love to keep rediscovering. My appreciation for their songs and records has been growing for years now. As I recently watched a 2005 recording of their performance at Austin City Limits, I was blown away by the electricity they exude onstage. Jeff Tweedy is the heart of the group, but every member adds so much sonic depth and instrumental expertise that I found myself in awe of their live spectacle. Nels Cline was added to the group in 2004 and his avant-garde style & presence on both 04’s A Ghost is Born and 2007’s Sky Blue Sky is a true gift for this ever-expanding group.
Deemed as the “American Radiohead” by some, the comparison is worthy and continues to ring true on the latest.
Every Wilco record is crafted with such meticulous precision and is quite different from the predecessor. Wilco’s musical evolution is complicated to understand and controversial to fans, as their genre labeling is convoluted - Alternative Country, Folk, Experimental, Psychadelic, Indie-Rock. It’s all needless branding since Wilco doesn’t come neatly packaged.
I will continue to quote the words of my friend Gabe McNatt - “Wilco is the music we are going to play for our kids.” I like that label.
The only static entity for this progressive group is Jeff Tweedy’s lyrical gift and voice. Just when you think his voice has gotten more mellow and medicated, the emotion picks up like on the fifth track, “Side with Seeds”. Even when the guitars flare and distortion frolicks, Tweedy is the fulcrum that keeps the tracks tight and pretty.
Though Wilco is not as daring and experimental this time around, I would say that this is a dare in itself. It seems that after years of toying with varying sounds, they found themselves, while still making an entirely different album. I do think they are one of the greatest bands around today and an essential brick in the structure of American popular music today.
More on Wilco’s latest masterpiece to come…
[…] I first met Mario back in San Diego via Revaz - the great connecter of the human race … or at least 20-something lovers of indie-rock. He’s back blogging … about … his love for indie rock. I hate to admit it, but 70% of my favorite music comes from Revaz’s recommendations. The National’s new album, Boxer, has been my constant accompaniment on my runs around Lake Merritt. And now I’m already weeks late downloading Wilco’s new album, Sky Blue Sky. How ever to keep up? […]
[…] 1. Wilco – Impossible Germany – Sky Blue Sky [2007] 2. Beirut – Cliquot – The Flying Club Cup [2007] 3. Magnetic Fields – A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off – 69 Love Songs (vol. 1) [1999] 4. Jens Lekman – Your Arms Around Me – Night Falls Over Kortedala [2007] 5. St. Vincent – Now Now – Marry Me [2007] 6. The National – Slow Show – Boxer [2007] 7. Stars – Take Me To The Riot – In Our Bedroom After The War [2007] 8. Silversun Pickups – Little Lover’s So Polite – Carnavas [2006] 9. Fujiya & Miyagi – Ankle Injuries – Transparent Things [2006] 10. LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great – Sound of Silver [2007] 11. Justice vs Spank Rock - Thunderous Bumps (back from japan edit) - Pop Salvation [2007] 12. Girl Talk – That’s My DJ – Night Ripper 13. Brother Ali – Pedigree – The Undisputed Truth [2007] 14. Blue Scholars – Burnt Offering – Blue Scholars [2004] 15. Madlib – Movie Finale – Beat Konducta Vol. 3-4: In India [2007] 16. Die Sonate Vom Guten Menschen - Gabriel Yared & Stéphane Moucha - Das Leben Der Anderen [2007] […]