Wilco : Hot Sun Cool Shroud

Wilco have established themselves as elder statesmen of American rock and roll by now. Their decade album run between 1996 and 2007 was enough alone to cement their reputation as icons. And of course Jeff Tweedy is one of our great songwriters, front men, and general righteous dudes. So they can be forgiven for spending […]

‘Summerteeth’ Turns 25, Pye Corner Audio Worship, And Faex Optim Filling A BOC-Size Hole

25 years ago this past Saturday I was sitting in a mildly dumpy hotel room in Fresno, California wondering what the hell I was going to do with myself. I’d flown into town for work. I was Distributor Inventory Auditor for a Midwestern orthopedic company in the late 90s. In simple terms, I traveled to […]

Wilco : Cousin

Wilco have quietly and casually slipped into elder statesmen mode, putting out decent records every couple of years. Jeff Tweedy and company have locked into, while not auto pilot, something akin to safety mode. Gently strummed songs with Tweedy’s now hushed and whispered delivery. The band’s cache of musical wizards(Nels Cline, Pat Sansone, John Stirratt, […]

A Box Full Of Wilco : A Deep Dive Into ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’

It’s safe to say that Wilco’s 2002 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is one of the most important albums to come out in the last two decades. It’s certainly one of the most important for me personally. It was one of the most striking sonic shifts that a band could make, while also simultaneously not changing […]

Wilco : Cruel Country

Chicago’s native sons Wilco have returned after almost three years with a follow-up to their quiet, reflective 2019 album Ode To Joy. Cruel Country is yet another quiet, reflective album; songs that feel whispered by songsmith/singer Jeff Tweedy in hushed, breathy tones as if he’s recording songs next to a room where a small child […]

“Cheer Up, Honey, I Hope You Can” : Yankee Hotel Foxtrot At 20

We arrived in Chicago just in time for the Palestinian protests and roving motorcycle gangs speeding through traffic on Michigan Avenue on Motorcross-style dirt bikes. Chicago cops in the median standing next to their mountain bikes flummoxed and indignant. The entrance to our underground parking a mere 50 feet away, though it might as well […]

“It’s For You I Swoon”: Wilco’s ‘Summerteeth’ Deluxe Edition

Fresno, California, March of ’99. I flew into a dumpy little airport for work. My work consisted of me driving to various hospitals, storage lockers, and basements of sales guys wearing too much cologne and counting orthopedic implants that were on consignment from my employer. I was an inventory auditor, which meant I was paid […]

Wilco : Ode To Joy

It feels that for the last decade Wilco have been struggling to find their footing. That sounds rather ridiculous to say given the powerful unit of musicians that have occupied the space within the Chicago band since 2004. They’re like this band of wizards backing one of our generations greatest songwriters, Jeff Tweedy. But as […]

Wilco’s “Everybody Hides”

In just a little over a week Wilco will release their new album, the grandly-titled Ode To Joy. It’s been a few years since a new Wilco album was something I was hotly anticipating. I’d say Wilco(The Album) was the last record of theirs where I was chomping at the bit and waiting by the […]

Wilco’s “Love Is Everywhere(Beware)”

After three years of side projects, solo albums, and the occasional concert, Wilco are now readying their follow up to 2016s Schmilco. Ode To Joy is set to drop on October 4th, 2019 on Wilco’s own dPbm label. From the sound of first single “Love is Everywhere(Beware)” we’re going to be treated to a bunch […]