PRINTHear This
Wilco (the album)
Nonesuch Records
June 24, 2009 | 10:00 a.m. CST
Start saving up for June 30 because on that day the same band that dropped the acclaimed Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2002 is back with their seventh release: Wilco (the album). Wilco, who graced Ninth Street two years ago at Summerfest, resurrects its supercharged guitar and drum medleys in this new album, which is musically as good as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and lyrically on par with their last album, Sky Blue Sky.
Here, Wilco demonstrates a sonic range, though; “Deeper Down” is the instrumental incarnation of a toy room coming alive, but the room is in David Gilmour’s house under a sunroof. “Solitaire” conjures images of Grandpa sipping iced tea on the porch while he spills life’s wisdoms. Meanwhile, the guitar rhythm that opens “I’ll Fight” is so breathtaking you might have to re-listen to the song a few times before getting used to the introduction of other instruments.
But one of the most powerful instruments Wilco uses on this album is their lyrics. Although lyrics like “Is someone twisting a knife in your back? Are you being attacked” from the spectacularly-titled “Wilco (the song)” might come across as juvenile, the 4th-grade vocabulary is more of a guise for getting across big issues rather than an indication of the album’s lack of profundity. Intense themes including crushed cities, harsh coldness and love are gracefully laid upon an alternative combination of instruments, which make Wilco, Wilco and “Wilco” each deserving of another listen.
Twitter
Facebook
