Wilco
Sky Blue Sky
(Nonesuch)
For Jeff Tweedy, the clouds have finally parted. It's been a few years since the Wilco leader kicked his longtime addiction to painkillers. And now that he's cleaned up his personal act, he's decided to clean up his musical one as well.
The 39-year-old singer-guitarist's newfound clarity colours his Chicago band's sixth album Sky Blue Sky. A literal return to roots, the dozen-song disc eschews the noisy, hallucinatory experimentation of their recent CDs in favour of simpler sounds and more sincere sentiments.
Which is not to call it a step backward. Stoned or sober, Tweedy is still the moodiest troubadour since Neil Young.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group -- especially recently drafted guitar scientist and musical MVP Nels Cline -- still supply the sort of subtle sonic shadings that will satisfy the band's artsier followers. So Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind this ain't.
But Sky Blue Sky is the most accessible Wilco album in nearly a decade.
Our track-by- track rundown:
Either Way 3:05
"Maybe the sun will shine today," Tweedy rasps hopefully over a gently plucked acoustic guitar. Soulful organ, tinkly piano and a burbling, jazzy guitar solo set the disc's stylish tone.
You Are My Face 4:38
The boys find second gear when this low-wattage strummer shifts into a thumpy groove accented with some blistering, lightly funky guitar.
Impossible Germany 5:57
A trio of spindly guitars weave a shimmery spell, eventually converging in southern-rock style harmonies. Sort of like Television jamming with the Allmans. Speaking of impossible.
Sky Blue Sky 3:23
We take to the country with this dusty late-night shuffle. "I didn't die, I should be satisfied," sings Tweedy as a ghostly pedal steel moans in the background.
Side With the Seeds 4:15
A martial snare drum introduces a melancholy piano-ballad waltz that winds itself up into a gnarly little guitar workout highlighted by syncopated licks.
Shake it Off 5:40
This musical centrepiece begins as an understated ballad, moves into a bluesy slow-rolling groove, and builds to an angular chorus of stabbing guitars and give-the-drummer-some fills.
Please Be Patient With Me 3:17
Tweedy's trusty acoustic returns with a folksy plea for tolerance. Twin electric guitars paint spacey blues licks at the edges.
Hate It Here 4:31
Our show heads to Memphis for this slow-burning country-soul lament -- though the punchy chorus has echoes of latter-day Beatles. What is not to love?
Leave Me (Like You Found Me) 4:09
Quietly pretty and unfussily arranged, this laid-back roots-pop ode to loneliness is an easily overlooked oasis between the disc's bigger and bolder fare. Pity.
Walken 4:26
A jaunty honkytonk piano sets the pace as Jeff strolls along in romantic reverie -- until growling blues licks and a fiery little slide solo nudge us closer to the juke joint.
What Light 3:36
As the band bashes out a ragged country-gospel waltz, Tweedy assures us that "it's all right to be frightened." But really, there's nothing to fear here.
On and On and On 4:00
Lyrics about the immortality of love float over an insistently pulsing track decorated with atmospheric guitars and lush strings. An ending as hopeful as the disc's beginning.
