Cuma 26 Haz 2009, 10:18

The following appears on my blog, Animal Noises- feel free to check it out.

http://media.decider.com/assets/images/articles/article/27766/wilco_album_390_jpg_300x1000_q85.jpg

Album: Wilco (The Album)
Artist: Wilco
Label: Nonesuch
Due Out: June 30th

I feel like everybody's heard this album by now. Between the fairly early leak, and the subsequent streaming of Wilco (The Album) in full online, I'd say most fans of Wilco (The Band) have listened to it at least once through. Still, I'd say this one's worth speaking about, if only for the fact that very few lengthy and organized opinions have been amassed on the band's seventh studio effort as of yet (or at least I haven't seen many). Plus, I mean, it's the band's seventh album. That's a real legitimate accomplishment, made even better when you can say honestly that six of them fall between pretty good and great (discounting A.M. of course- sorry, but I'm not a fan). For Sky Blue Sky's critics, perhaps this is the album for you.

The record of re-clarification begins, fittingly, with Wilco (The Song). Here, Wilco is the prescribed treatment for your problems- a "whatever ails ya"-type of approach which (somehow) works, and doesn't come off hokey. You'll find the approach here is much different than what their last album brought. Where there were sprawling landscapes and solos on Sky Blue Sky, there are the niceties and simplicity of piano and some off-beat percussion. Think Summerteeth- my favorite Wilco record. Next up is Deeper Down, which looks to dive past the playful nature of the first song, and explore some of the emotion that lies within these themes. Like a charm, it delivers, and also becomes one of the stronger musical portions contained on these eleven tracks. Then we reach One Wing. A classic Wilco song if I've ever heard one (and I have). Starting slow, it builds on its strong folk introduction to include enough pop to carry, but not to be overbearing. A lot of the album is about support, or the underlying effort needed to get through certain experiences. This one talks about the malady of inadequacy or ineffectiveness, at least in the metaphor of only having "one wing" to function with. A charmer, and I think it should have been the first single. (for the rest of the review, see the blog)