Wilco - The Whole Love

Wilco - Since their formation in the mid-90's from the ashes of beloved alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo, the Jeff Tweedy-led Wilco have simply never worn a single genre outfit comfortably, sometimes confounding (and delighting) fans and critics with a mash-up of folksy Americana, harmony-rich 60's retro rock and the jagged, cacophonous edge of the more experimental modern alternative indie purveyors...Sprawling, diverse new album is their eighth studio project and first since 2009's Grammy-winning major-label swan song Wilco (The Album) // Release: The Whole Love (September 27, dBpm/ANTI-) // Sounds like: the promise of Tweedy and company feeling invigorated and emboldened in their independence, embracing the noise and avant-garde aspects inherent in the band's chemistry while using the experimental elements to pinpointed effect...sure we get the dramatic seven-minute album opener "Art of Almost", recalling both Pearl Jam and Radiohead, and the 12-minute epic closer “One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)”but there's also the Farfisa-fueled 60's riff rock of "I Might" and the more folksy "Open Mind" on the menu...

Quote: "I feel like I'd really like to quit if I thought I wasn't getting better. I don't know if they're 'the best' songs but I think I'm getting better and enjoying what I do more." - Jeff Tweedy // What we like: how can you not like a band that is always striving for their "A Game" album after album?...There's nothing revolutionary going on in "Dawned On Me" or "Born Alone" (both could have been written in any year since 1964) but these songs' classic jangling vibe and appealing directness makes for an interesting counterweight to the The Whole Love's more unconventional adventures...

Wilco - "I Might" (from The Whole Love)

Jeff Tweedy - "Open Mind" (solo acoustic from The Whole Love)

Comments

[Sean Murdock]

Very excited about this album. Wilco seems to be returning to the more experimental sounds of Summerteeth and YHF. Lead single is great!