Here’s an album that wasn’t going to make our top 20 initially. It’s problem? Well none really other than the sense that it was merely just another very good album by Wilco. Now there’s no shame in that of course, but these days they’re a band enjoying the most settled line up of their life and perhaps there was a sense that they were a tad too comfortable with the recording process. Things kick off sharply enough; there are some who hear the hypnotic Krautrock vibe of opener ‘Art Of Almost’ and wish that Wilco would go for it with an albums worth of experimental fare. That’s not where they ‘re at though now; in fact if it wasn’t for the fact that they appear a fairly amiable working unit I’d say they’re almost going through a kind of ‘White Album’ phase. This band are really exploring their sonic and stylistic ranges which is why a Country type tune is followed by a song with Britpop flourishes (‘Capitol City’, it even ends with very English sounding church bells) amongst out and out Rockers, Garage Rock and then finally the strung out Folk picking of the long flowing narrative ‘One Sunday Morning’. This is the track that resonates the longest on the album, it’s a major Tweedy piece of writing that beautifully illustrates the story of a son’s fractious conflict of religious opinion with his father and the feelings he experiences on the older man’s passing. Already a highlight of this great songwriters back catalogue, I suppose it does have the unfortunate effect of Dylan’s ‘Wedding Song’ on ‘Planet Waves’ in that it slightly overrides the impression left by the perfectly fine album that’s preceded it. Maybe that too was the reason this record wasn’t looking initially like a contender for the year’s best. As we have seen on the past few records by Wilco however, the entire set is packed with an expansive pallet of slowly unfolding pleasures. Now I feel it sits proud alongside the best of their work and we should cherish them why this combination remains together. This is the band’s defining period of work as they’re slowly, subtly putting together one of the finest music catalogues in the modern era.Friday 16 December 2011
ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2011 No.17 - WILCO, The Whole Love
Here’s an album that wasn’t going to make our top 20 initially. It’s problem? Well none really other than the sense that it was merely just another very good album by Wilco. Now there’s no shame in that of course, but these days they’re a band enjoying the most settled line up of their life and perhaps there was a sense that they were a tad too comfortable with the recording process. Things kick off sharply enough; there are some who hear the hypnotic Krautrock vibe of opener ‘Art Of Almost’ and wish that Wilco would go for it with an albums worth of experimental fare. That’s not where they ‘re at though now; in fact if it wasn’t for the fact that they appear a fairly amiable working unit I’d say they’re almost going through a kind of ‘White Album’ phase. This band are really exploring their sonic and stylistic ranges which is why a Country type tune is followed by a song with Britpop flourishes (‘Capitol City’, it even ends with very English sounding church bells) amongst out and out Rockers, Garage Rock and then finally the strung out Folk picking of the long flowing narrative ‘One Sunday Morning’. This is the track that resonates the longest on the album, it’s a major Tweedy piece of writing that beautifully illustrates the story of a son’s fractious conflict of religious opinion with his father and the feelings he experiences on the older man’s passing. Already a highlight of this great songwriters back catalogue, I suppose it does have the unfortunate effect of Dylan’s ‘Wedding Song’ on ‘Planet Waves’ in that it slightly overrides the impression left by the perfectly fine album that’s preceded it. Maybe that too was the reason this record wasn’t looking initially like a contender for the year’s best. As we have seen on the past few records by Wilco however, the entire set is packed with an expansive pallet of slowly unfolding pleasures. Now I feel it sits proud alongside the best of their work and we should cherish them why this combination remains together. This is the band’s defining period of work as they’re slowly, subtly putting together one of the finest music catalogues in the modern era.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment