All this interest in Jeff Tweedy's new project Tweedy, got me thinking about Wilco. I think Wilco is under-appreciated, and taken for granted by some people, including me. Yesterday I had some time on my hands, doing chores around the house, so I used Wilco as my musical soundtrack.
I used to think that "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" was their masterpiece, but now I think it was just one piece of the puzzle, and in some ways, even though it is a great record, and essential listening, it sounds a little dour and druggy to my ears now. It was a time when Wilco was sort of falling apart from the inside, and the end of Jay Bennet's time in the band.
I think Wilco is in elite company with bands like Radiohead and The National. Powerful, singular work, a large catalog of great music: multi-layered, subtle, sophisticated, with avant-garde touches. Wilco is so deceptive. I think they get over-looked sometimes because they are sort of anti-rock star, from the midwest, they are grounded - a working band.
It helps to hear them live in concert, their double CD live album is revelatory. And to really get the greatness of this band you must watch the DVD - "Ashes of American Flags," with Wilco touring some really cool, funky clubs in the heartland of America in 2009. Tweedy is an under-appreciated guitar player, and Nels Cline is otherworldly, Glen Kotche on drums is just astonishing. An amazingly talented band.
My favorite Wilco records are these: "A Ghost is Born," "Sky Blue Sky," "Being There," "Summer Teeth," "The Whole Love," "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and the live one, "Kicking Television," recorded at the Vic in Chicago in 2005. You have to hear them all. You have to spend the time with them and really sink into the work. The more you listen, the more you hear. Really, one of the finest bands ever. No doubt.
And does Jeff Tweedy sometimes remind me of John Lennon? Weirdly, yes, he does. You can't get any better, or more significant than that...