I've fallen back in love with Wilco again.
I was a huge fan of their first four albums -A.M. (1995),Being There (1996), Summerteeth (1999) and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) - in particular albums 2 and three.
Thereafter they went experimental - all squiggles and feedback which put me in mind of an American Radiohead. That is not good by the way.. I have charity shop purchases of 2 of their next 7 albums plus the free download of Star Wars. There is the occasional good song or two on all of them but listening to the albums in their entirety can be a bit of a struggle.
Thankfully things changed big style in 2022 with the release of Cruel Country which saw the band returning to their alternative country roots. It rightly was critically acclaimed.
I was a bit apprehensive in case this was a one off so there was a degree or trepidation when I gave their new album Cousin a listen. I'm happy to say that me fears were not realised. Whilst it is not as country as Cruel Country it is very accessible with few if any squiggles or blasts of feedback.
The album on their own dBpm label is produced by Kate Le Bon. Pitchfork give it a score of 7.1 and feel that several songs hint at the controlled chaos of their experimental era. If so they do it gently. The Guardian feels that it bears a close family resemblance to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot which is obviously no bad thing.
Just the one track from Cousin as it is new and to make up the numbers one each from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Cruel Country for you to compare and contrast.
I'm amazed to see how many of their albums I've missed in the past few years. I thought that there were some great songs on A Ghost is Born, Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (The Album) in amongst the squiggles and feedback, but only know the subsequent half a dozen albums in passing.
ReplyDeleteFor about 6-7 years there Wilco was my favorite band, and I lived in Chicago during that time and saw them regularly. Post-Bennett, I agree with you and the Swede there were still flashes, but the albums simply weren’t as good. These last two seem to have captured the hearts of some critics and fans. That’s enough for me. Just got the last one, and Cousins is on the shopping list. I want to love them. Fingers crossed. - Brian
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