Wilco’s seventh studio album, Wilco (the album), is a well-paced, well-produced, and well-composed record. In fact, for a band that has gone through a few lineup changes it is remarkable how consistently good Wilco continues to be. That might be the best thing about the group, which started more than a decade ago in 1995 with the still-awesome album, A.M. The entire Wilco discography can be put on shuffle and enjoyed just the same; a truly remarkable thing considering many bands in this musically saturated time period often drop a dud on their third full length release. But that’s not the case with Wilco. Their consistency is something any music fan has got to respect and appreciate.
The American experi-folk-ternative rock group has managed to keep cranking out thoughtful songs that preserve the essence of Wilco while being different from their previous releases. It seems the two constants of the band, Jeff Tweedy and John Stirratt, have managed to keep Wilco Wilco.
Wilco (the album) maintains that general cloudy and misty feeling showcased in much of the band’s work, along with the occasional sunbursts like, “I’ll Fight” and “You Never Know”, which liven things up and are placed strategically throughout the record. Overall, the track list is expertly balanced like the hat on Alfred’s head–and if you’re confused on who Alfred is, he’s the camel on the album’s cover. Nevertheless, the varied lyrical themes of the songs are paired with emotionally equivalent sounds, which, when combined with the thoughtful placement of the tracks, create an album that is truly whole. To really get a feel for Wilco (the album) an unimpeded listen from “Wilco (the song)” straight through to “Everlasting Everything” is necessary.
The album was recorded in New Zealand at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios with Jim Scott, who served as a mixer on Wilco’s previous albums, Being There (1996), Summerteeth (1999), and Sky Blue Sky (2007). Tweedy, Stirratt, Kotche, and Sansone dropped below the equator in December 2008 after touring with Neil Young to take part in the 7 Worlds Collide mini-tour. The 4 members of Wilco, who participated in the tour, also recorded material for a collaborative benefit album for Oxfam, which is a follow-up to the 2001 7 Worlds Collide compilation. After finishing up their work on 7 Worlds Collide, the group decided to stay in New Zealand with Jim Scott to write and record (the album). After returning to Chicago, Nels Cline and Mikael Jorgensen reunited with their band mates to finalize the songs and, presumably, kidnap Alfred from the Lincoln Park Zoo for the cover shoot.
With the release of Wilco (the album), roughly 2.5 months after the release of their tour documentary, Ashes of American Flags, on top of their busy touring schedule, Wilco is showing that consistency is often a band’s best bet at maintaining a lengthy music career. Creating good music doesn’t hurt either, and for all the Wilco fans out there, Wilco (the album) is just that. And if you intend on snatching the album off the internet for free, Wilco hopes you’re easily guilted into doing nice things.
A statement sent out to Wilco’s mailing list said, “If you have downloaded the record, we suggest you make a donation to one of the band’s favorite charities, the Inspiration Corporation–an organization we’ve supported in the past & who are doing great work in the city of Chicago.”
But hey, if you respect musicians who actually give a damn about their music and country, why don’t you just buy the record AND make a donation? After all, you’ll be helping disadvantaged individuals get an equal opportunity at life in America in addition to funding Wilco’s future musical escapades. Seems like a pretty solid investment to me.
Wilco (the album) is out now on Nonesuch Records.
Website: www.WilcoWorld.net
Other Info:
Billboard.com | Wilco Album Leak Generates Buzz
Rolling Stone | Wilco Keep It Simple, Name New LP “Wilco (The Album)”