WILCO - Wilco (The Album)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 05:03PM 
It's pretty damn ironic that in Nels Cline, Wilco hired arguably one of the most inventive and versatile avant-guitarists around just as they settled into the tamed, streamlined and elegant Sky Blue Sky. It was anyone's guess where the band would head next—would it be another left turn into impressionist/deconstructionist rock, or would they stay their new genteel course? This winkingly self-titled affair is certainly the latter, and so we're left with yet another opportunity missed to hear Cline burn the airwaves with the sextet, or so it would appear at first listen. Leadoff track "Wilco (The Song)" is seemingly so charmed with its own nudge-nudge-iness that it's frankly difficult to listen to. The record moves by at a brisk clip, with each song so perfectly contained that you're just dying for something, anything, to reach out and slap your ears. And then it does. The same cute refrain that drove you to distraction—"Wilco will love you, baby"—is burrowed deep like some sonic earwig. Put it on again, this time with more sensitive ears, and the record conveys some exceptional emotion. The subtle interplay of "Deeper Down" and "One Wing" is a marvel to hear; the sumptuous George Harrison nods of "You Never Know" perfectly realized. And "Bull Black Nova" is ultimately as dark, tense and foreboding as anything in their catalogue. Oh, and Feist sings in there somewhere, too. As for Cline, it's very much to his credit that he recognizes just what these songs need at every turn—both he and virtuoso drummer Glenn Kotche perform with understated excellence throughout. It's not Wilco's best, but it is maybe their most unassumingly great album. Give it a few tries and you'll have no problem returning their love.
Reader Comments (2)
Definitely like the review with attention to the influence of Cline, who really seems to be ignored amidst the Tweedy talk. He definitely keeps this album strong and worth multiple listens in my opinion.
Definitely a grower of an album. Dismissed it at first but it crept up quickly on me.