Wilco have always had the tendency to wrong foot their fans and listeners. After the two disc country rock stomp of Being There we had the Beach Boys-tinged pop of Summerteeth, after that the experimental Sonic Youth excellence of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (YHF) which was followed by the Krautrock inspired A Ghost Is Born (AGIB). You just can’t second guess these guys. After bringing Nels Cline in as a full time member of the band you might have expected some more experimental leanings, some guitar jazz extremism, but Sky Blue Sky is not that record.

What we have here is a rich tapestry of 70’s inspired rock. There’s the occasional nod to past experimentalism, but it’s a rare occurance. The Jim O’Rourke factor turned down and he was only involved in some string arrangements whilst Jim Scott mixed and TJ Dohery record it, the band produced it. Everything about this record has a retro feel, from the production right through to the fact that this record is an old fashioned grower. There’s no two ways around it. Initial listens will throw those fans who liked YHF and the drone-inspired elements of AGIB, this is a much more straightforward approach to songs and songwriting. But it’s an album that has to be listened to more than once or twice. There’s elements of the record that only, truly, unfurl themselves after a number of listens.

From the opening bars of Either Way you know you’re listening to a band who are comfortable with what they’re doing. Jeff Tweedy’s lyrics are still of the highest caliber but he’s not at his most obtuse. These songs where meant to be able to convey his feelings to his wife, he wanted to write songs that she could understand and not get taken out of context. The presence of Nels Cline’s guitar is also an interesting addition. It flutters and weaves it’s way through the songs, adding additional twists and turns to the music whilst Tweedy’s Neil Young guitar infatuation continues, especially when he grates his solo into You Are My Face. The deep rooted problem with this album, however, is it’s cosiness. What it’s missing is a spine-tingling moment that all their previous albums possessed. Like the tinkle of piano on Reservations or the feedback drenched ending to Muzzle of Bees, the songs are, in the majority, good but not great. There are even a couple of howlers on here. The Grateful Dead inspired Shake It Off begins so boringly that you switch off before it cranks through the gears and the pub-rock Walken is well below par for a band like Wilco and a songwriter like Tweedy.

The inspired Hate It Hear with it’s pangs of loneliness and heartbreaking lyrics paper over these cracks however, the music a perfect passive aggressive accompaniment. Whilst the dueling guitars of Impossible Germany invite repeat listens just for the solos alone, it’s the sound of a band playing well together and understanding each other. It’s not all electric though, the beautiful acoustics of the title track embellished with echoes of slide guitar is wonderful, a simple song that brings to mind memories of places and people. Please Be Patient With Me follows a similar path, an obvious ode to his wife and one that many of us can relate to, patience being a virtue but one that doesn’t come naturally.

The album ends on a high too. The 70’s Dylan of What Light may be a homage to the main man, even down to Tweedy’s vocal delivery, but it’s what Wilco do well – living up to their alt-country tag; the mix of slide, acoustic and electric guitars come together in some almost anthemic manner. On And On And On closes the album. It’s delicate piano and guitars build through a lush string arrangement and it peaks just before it quietly ends.

It’s an end to a record that finds one of the most ambitious bands of recent times having a comfort break. It’s also the sound of a band being a band, with no dominance of any one person. Where they go from here though is the interesting question. You know you can never second guess Wilco, they’ll always do what they want to do and for that, at least, they have to be applauded.
75%

Links
Wilco [official site] [myspace]