When Wilco refused to budge when its then-label rejected the album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” notice had been served: Wilco is a very serious band. From then on, the former alt-country act has had free reign to engage every indulgence and whim, from hiring avant jazz guitarist Nels Cline to pasting atonal noise experiments atop pretty pop tunes.
“Wilco (The Album),” like 2007’s “Sky Blue Sky,” skips from stoner introspection (“Solitaire”) to throbbing yet compelling noise (“Bull Black Nova”), an odd collection of music but nothing new for Wilco. It’s an album that won’t turn nonbelievers into fans, but if you’ve followed Wilco through its progressions thus far, you’ll be rewarded.
“Wilco (The Song)” is straightforward and funny, but self-referential and serious. “Do you dabble in depression?” sings Jeff Tweedy, who has battled depression, anxiety, migraines and painkiller addiction. The solution, he sings, is the band. “Wilco will love you baby.” “Deeper Down” is slow and mellifluous, but challenging, in that the song comes to several complete stops, threatening to sap momentum.
“One Wing” eschews the wryness of “Wilco (The Song)” and the gimmickry of “Deeper Down,” emerging as one of the record’s prime moments. A wistful descending and interlocking guitar pattern drives the narrative, which finds Tweedy in one of his common situations, pining for connection despite his loner tendencies. “One wing will never fly, dear / Neither yours nor mine, I fear / We can only wave goodbye,” he sings. Drummer Glenn Kotche’s nimble stickwork first builds tension then smoothes it out as the song builds, and Cline’s oddball guitar work sounds out-of-place, which is part of the new Wilco trademark and saves even the poppiest moments from sounding typical. His outer-space blasts bring the song to a crashing end.
“Bull Black Nova” is “Wilco (The Album)’s” “Spiders/Kidsmoke” or “Kicking Television,” the statement song that reaffirms Wilco’s gonzo status. However, unlike some of the band’s past indulgent, artsy moves, this one’s a foot-tapper with a stately guitar riff to go along with Eastern noises and stabbing percussion.
“You And I,” a Tweedy-and-Feist duet, is down-the-middle balladry, somewhat reminiscent of Eric Clapton’s “Promises”; “You Never Know” borrows George Harrison’s guitar from “My Sweet Lord”; and “Country Disappeared” is a heartfelt slow selection. “I’ll Fight” is jangly and loose, a nice blend of slide guitar, organ and vocals.
The closer “Everlasting Everything” borrows from Harrison again, this time thematically, echoing “All Things Must Pass.” “Everything alive must die,” Tweedy intones over nothing but piano.
But even a depressive can hope. “Don’t try to tell me my / Everlasting love is a lie,” he sings, setting up a crescendo of percussion, chimes and strings.
Rating: W W W W W
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