There are some records that never receive the recognition which they deserve, and Wilco's Sky Blue Sky is bound to be one of them. Hipsters around the world have heaped praises upon their last two studio albums, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born, despite the the occasional repetitiousness of the former and the self-indulgence of the latter. Wilco, which has frequently been labeled an "alt-country" band, here find themselves leaning more towards "country" and less toward "alt," but the presence of rock is undeniably there.
Sky Blue Sky is full of toe-tapping moments that make you feel happy to be alive-----it's an album that will affect you much like the best verses of Dark Side of the Moon or Abbey Road. Opener Either Way is a perfect introduction the record: it begins with a soft, intimate acoustic riff, allowing just the right amount of room for Jeff Tweedy's entering vocals. The song's romantic themes echo throughout the rest of the album. Side With the Seeds is another pleasantry, concluding with a triumphant guitar solo that is likely to satisfy the most liberal Wilco enthusiast.
Despite the record's overall subtlety, there are rockers to be found here. Impossible Germany starts out rather serenely, but it isn't too long before the song transitions into an irresistible riff that carries new guitarist Nels Cline's notes smoothly to the conclusion. Walken kicks off with drunken ambitions and then settles very snugly into what is certainly what is certainly one of 2007's best riffs. That's perhaps the key quality of Sky Blue Sky-----in nearly every song, there's a melody that can be treasured for years and years.
The record's musicianship is also one of its selling points. Instead of letting Tweedy control everything, the band decided to make the song-writing a cooperative process, a technique that has worked with groups such as Deerhoof. Because of this, the listener doesn't find itself glued in the same-y chorus of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart or Hell is Chrome's pointless fretting. The arrangements are complex, memorable and personal-----they communicate in a warm and sincere way.
But alas, redundance is the killer of art, and there are moments when Sky Blue Sky seems directionless. Shake it Off has an immensely catchy (yet oddly-timed) chorus but spends too much time on it-----it's the same riff, four times, at a pretty damn slow pace-----the vocals don't change, the drums don't change, the guitars don't change. The verse finds itself bogged down in that same trend. What Light's lyrics are also a bit questionable-----surely Tweedy means it when he descants, Just sing what you feel/Don't let anyone say that's wrong, bit c'mon, man-----we've moved past the Sesame Street, guidance-counseling age. It simply sounds like the man had a melody and needed words to insert.
There have already been complaints about Wilco recidivating to their bucolic roots, but Sky Blue Sky is more complex and beautiful than anything that the band has yet produced. Many may be repelled by its lack of artistic experimentation, but those willing to explore its voice and passion will find themselves rewarded.
While Wilco s fifth studio album, A Ghost Is Born, didn t come equipped with quite the same artsy, experimental flourishes as the album s infamous pre...More at Buy.com
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