"Since Wilco unceremoniously dumped Jay Bennett after the recording of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, frontman Jeff Tweedy has continued in his attempt to carve out a unique identity for the band."
Click here to read the rest of my review of Wilco (The Album) in the latest issue of Las Vegas Weekly.
An excellent assessment, Heir Donnelly... although I think I give Tweedy and the boys more rope. Bennett was great, but let's face it, Wilco is Tweedy's voice and songwriting. I see a band that's always firmly rooted, yet always evolving, which to me makes them the best band in the world. Never dull. Never trendy. Never pretentious. I wasn't a huge "Ghost" fan. I love "Sky Blue Sky," but it does feel more like a collection of great songs, while the new one has that mysterious cohesion that's tough to put your finger on. "One Wing" is now one of my all-time favorite Wilco songs... musically and lyrically luminous.
ReplyDeleteI got slammed by my editor, who didn't not agree with a word I wrote. Or at least with any of the opinions I wrote. He printed it, of course, but we proceeded to argue on e-mail for hours. He says the last two Wilco albums don't have any "edge" -- by which I think he means they are too emotionally self-satisfied for him.
ReplyDeleteWhatever. I later read the Tweedy profile/album review written by the great David Carr in the NYT and our opinions were very similar. So I guess I've got that going for me.