Leak Review: Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

9 / 10. Wilco (the band) Makes it 7-for-7 with Leak-Jumping Release

May 13, 2009

Wilco is a band of progressive-minded liberals from Chicago who supported Barack Obama last year. But in 2009, the Chicago band delivers the first album of the Obama Era.

At some point earlier today, Chicago indie rock band Wilco began to stream their new album, “Wilco (The Album),” for free on the band’s website, wilcoworld.net.

This is a fantastic development for many reasons, but two come to the forefront. The first being the simple fact that Wilco, one of the world’s greatest rock bands, has a new album out. This is Wilco’s seventh full-length studio album in the past 15 years, a discography that already includes six tremendous albums, including 2002’s classic “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” which is among the best albums released this decade.

The second main reason the news of Wilco (The Stream) is so fantastic is that Wilco have put themselves in rarified air by being one of the few bands on the planet to capitalize on the inevitability of the pre-release leak and feature the album on their website instead declare war on law-breaking music pirates/their own fans. Yet another twist on the hugely successful “In Rainbows Model” that Radiohead deployed in October 2007. Maybe it’s not a huge surprise that people have called Wilco the “American Radiohead.”

The First Album of the Obama Era

Wilco spent a great deal of time and energy in support of fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama on the campaign trail last fall on his way to becoming President. And (to a certain extent) the hope and promise that Obama inspired on his way to inheriting the biggest mess in generations shines through in the music on “Wilco (The Album).”

The biggest example of this is the song “You Never Know,” a bright, hopeful song that nods to George Harrison’s post-Beatle classic “My Sweet Lord.” The song features the lyrics “Come on children/you’re acting like children/every generation thinks it’s the end of the world.” Here, lead singer/songwriter Jeff Tweedy plays his role as the grizzled rock ‘n’ roll veteran who has faith in a better tomorrow.

However, Wilco is not a political band in the sense of Rage Against The Machine, Coldplay or even Pearl Jam. It’s much less pragmatic and it’s much more rooted in reality; more of a folk song than a protest anthem. The band is still aware of a country eroding around them, as evidenced by the song “Country Disappeared,” which features the lyrics “Every evening we can watch from above/ Crushed cities, like a bug.”

In this sense, Wilco captures a sentiment that is certain to echo all over the American experiment, the sense of hope and promise infused the country in the wake of such a historic election and the reality of a beleaguered empire, struggling to get by, making it the first real album to exist inside the Obama Era (whatever that means).

A True 21st Century American Band

But “Wilco (The Album)” is not an album with a message. Like “In Rainbows” before it, this is an album that comes to grips with the limitations and takes advantage of the opportunities in the 21st century music universe, but it is not intending to change anybody’s mind. The album is about accepting the world for what it is, not stressing over what it should be. And this is a world with some truly excellent songs.

The first track, aptly titled “Wilco (The Song),” debuted on The Colbert Report last October, and on "Wilco (The Album)," it immediately sets the tone for the album, rollicking upbeat American folk-tinged rock 'n' roll. There is great songwriting and lyrics from Tweedy and near-flawless support from guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalists Pat Sansone and Mikael Jorgensen and drummer Glenn Kotche. Songs like “One Wing,” “Sonny Feeling,” “I’ll Fight,” and the aforementioned “You Never Know” fall into this same vein.

Wilco can write slow-down ballads with the best of them, and they deliver a few gems in this realm as well. “You and I” (which features Feist), “Solitaire” and love-conquers-all album-ender “Everlasting Everything” are all beautiful songs. Both the slower songs and the more up-tempo ones are all big steps up from 2007's "Sky Blue Sky," a top-ten album on many year-end lists.

Lyrically, “Solitaire” might be the album’s best, and is one that really needs to be listened to in order to be truly appreciated. But sonically, the album’s true triumph is “Bull Black Nova,” a more cohesive, more compelling and more rockin’ version of “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” from 2005’s “A Ghost Is Born.” This song is destined to become a truly amazing part of Wilco’s already staggeringly good live show.

With the release of “Wilco (The Album),” Wilco (The Band) is seven for seven when it comes to great studio albums. There aren’t many bands in all of music history who can say that. Be sure to check out Wilco (The Stream) and be sure to pick up Wilco (The Vinyl) when it hits stores on June 30 because this is sure to be one of the best albums of the summer.

Tracklist

The copyright of the article Leak Review: Wilco - Wilco (The Album) in Indie Rock Music is owned by Daniel Shafer. Permission to republish Leak Review: Wilco - Wilco (The Album) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

May 13, 2009 3:27 PM

Guest :

This is an awful review. The album has nothing to do with politics. You don't even know what 'The Obama Era' means by you own admittance. So why would you even mention it? Also the album leaked first, then was put up in response to it. Wilco also put Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on their site after it had leaked, which was far before In Rainbows... Basically you should check facts and not just use filler that everyone else does, mainly political filler and comparing anything to the In Rainbows format.

Jul 2, 2009 6:54 AM

Guest :

To the first commenter: listen a few times to the lyrics of "I'll fight" and tell me again that this album has nothing to do with politics.

Jul 7, 2009 3:56 PM

Guest :

To be totally honest I listened to I'll fight (in fact even played it on guitar several times) and never once thought it was a political song. Not saying that it's not, but certainly doesn't have to be. Think of it in terms of a relationship. Still works just fine.
####not the same guy who posted before btw####