Well, they've done it again. Wilco are no strangers to right turns, and Wilco (the Album) is no exception. It seems with every new release the Chicago rockers can't help themselves from frustrating fans who have only just gotten used to their most recent curveball. Though this time around the misdirection is more subtle. The jam band-esque aesthetic is still in tact. And Nels Cline definitely remembered to bring his reverb pedal for those slide guitar parts. But after listening to this album for several weeks I'm left wondering, where are the intricate arrangements? Where are the unique sounds? And why the hell is Jeff Tweedy doing a romantic duet with Feist? This collection of tunes certainly carries forward the country/jam rock sound that Wilco's previous album (2007's Sky Blue Sky) layed out. But many of the more interesting elements of Wilco's past efforts seem to have gone missing.
Take, for instance, the ablum's first single, "You Never Know". There is certainly nothing wrong with this song. It's a catchy, uptempo, sing along tune that will no doubt inspire more than a few head bobs. But if people want to hear some acoustic chugging on major chords, while a couple average-voiced dudes "oooh" and "ahhh" their way through bland harmony parts they could just as well listen to CSN.
And this is pretty indicative of much of the album. Acoustic strumming has largely taken the place of overdubbed experimentation and mind-boggling arrangements. Gone are the guitar-solo-upon-guitar-solo expeditions of "Impossible Germany". Absent are the electronic experiments of "I Am Trying To Break Your Hear". Wilco have definitely settled into a sound - emphasis on "settled".
The band does have a couple momentary flash-backs to their trippier days, most noticeably on "Deeper Down". Here we find the kind of swirly slide guitar parts and anti-radio song structure that had been a staple of the band circa 2002 (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot). And "Bull Black Nova" has a repetitively thumping beat that leaves the listener feeling pleasantly quizzical. Definitely the two highlights for listeners expecting that old Wilco frenzy.
Ultimately though, the album just feels too easy. It has the sound of something thrown together by a few guys who have become really comfortable playing together. But Wilco has never been about being comfortable. Wilco has been most successful when pushing to create new and interesting music. But there is precious little of that here.
This is a band that has made their money off of upheaval. Drama has worked for them. I'm not saying that they will only make good music while Tweedy is on drugs, or ex-members are suing over royalties. But could we at least get an unexpected firing of a keyboard player or some weird sonic experimentation that their label refuses to put out? Just a little? Please?
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