Description

I had heard very mixed reviews about this CD and having listened to it a few times I can see why. It's gentle, some (but not me) might say bland, and very smoothed out compared to other Wilco releases.

Since the release of Summerteeth in 1999 Wilco have progressed increasingly further down the road of dissonant, yet musical experimentation that is at times hard to listen to but always utterly captivating. They perfected the journey-in-a-song style, taking the listener from one place and transporting them seamlessly to a completely different place (try playing "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" from A Ghostmore… Is Born from anywhere in the final 1/4 of the song without the context of the rest of the song and you'll see what I mean). Yet this is a facet, and definite plus, of Wilco's music that has been pretty much dropped in their new release.

Gone are the feedback, lengthy experimentation and expertly placed atonal guitars and in comes a new style of smoother country-tinged rock that has less edge, lyrically and musically, than many fans of Wilco's repertoire have come to love and, to a certain extent, expect. The beat is still there in the livelier tracks, but more akin to Van Morrison or Bob Dylan during his time with The Band. The atmosphere is still there in some of the ballads but the lyrical edge has been smoothed.

I was fortunate enough to see Wilco live in London this week and it was interesting to hear how, when played with a bit more dynamic range and grit, these songs were really lifted to a new level and came across very well. This left me feeling that maybe the production of Sky Blue Sky has not done the depth of the music justice.

One personal gripe for me is the excessive guitar noodling in a faux-jazz stylee by Nels Cline. However, I recognise that this may not be an annoyance to other listeners, some may find it very impressive but to me it lacks a little substance and often takes away more than it adds.

Overall I think that this is an interesting album and strikes me as a band, whom we have grown used to being slightly dark and insightful, taking a break from expectation and having a little fun doing what they know best instead. I doubt it will be a CD that I will play incessantly like Summerteeth or YHF but who knows, it may be a grower!

NOW ONTO THE DVD...

I must say... it's pretty good. This interview, inter-cut with live performances, seems to be a genuine attempt on Jeff Tweedy's part to relate where the songs came from and what the intended vision and direction for the album was. Some of the photography is really good to boot.

In part of the interview Jeff Tweedy says that he purposefully avoided some of the darker topics of previous releases, partly because they have already been covered but also because he wanted to make an album that his wife could listen to. Perhaps this accounts for some of the loss of edge? Still, a good album and a very interesting DVD.

Tracks

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Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

Comments:

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Cover Info:

Title:

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky: +DVD (2007) Retail CD

Part:

CD 2

Dimensions:

1417 x 1417 px

Size:

269 KB

Downloads:

27 (0 today)

Uploaded:

Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

21/12/07 by Sarge!

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