Wilco (The Interview)

After more than ten years in the upper reaches of US alt. rock pecking order, it’s temptingly easy to call Wilco an institution. But institutions are reliable, stable, unchanging: a new album every four years, identifiable from the one before only by the title, followed by another dash through the greatest hits across the world’s stadia. Which is the exact opposite to how the Chicago six-piece operate. Balancing a heartfelt respect for the great American music tradition with a keen, fearless interest in pushing boundaries, Wilco’s sound continues to mutate, even if the band’s line-up has remained stable after several changes in personnel throughout the 90’s and early 00’s.

They’ve stayed constantly on the move from the alt. country key text ‘Being There’ (1996) to the tension-filled creative high points of ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ (2002) and ‘A Ghost is Born’ (2004) and the stylistically diverse new ‘Wilco (The Album)’s mixture of the smooth and the spiky, resulting in an output that tackles straightforward folk, country ballads, atonal drones, fuzz-driven aggression and Krautrock freak-outs with equal aplomb. Gigwise chatted to drummer Glenn Kotche on the eve of the band’s brief UK tour next week.

Gigwise: Wilco’s past records have been markedly different from one another, whereas ‘Sky Blue Sky’ and ‘Wilco (The Album)’ present a fairly unified sound. Has Wilco “arrived” at an ideal sound or do you expect the band’s music to continue to evolve?
Glenn Kotche: I actually think the last two records have a very different sound from each other. They were written and recorded completely differently.   SBS was done live in the studio with no isolation - hence it's very intimate and more soulful than any other Wilco record.  The new record utilized the studio much more in many capacities and is more of an overview of our live sound - including some pretty loud and abrasive moments.  I do however feel that we have not arrived at a particular sound and will keep exploring new directions - we're all just too restless and curious not too.

Both ‘Sky Blue Sky’ and ‘Wilco (The Album)’ are smoother, more mellow offerings than tension-filled past albums such as ‘A Ghost is Born’. Was the more approachable, less spiky approach a conscious decision?
I definitely agree with your statement regarding SBS - but I don't think you can listen to a song like Bull black Nova off of ‘Wilco (the Album)’ and say that.  I think both the new record and ‘...Ghost...’ have a lot of stylistically disparate songs on them. But maybe the impression you're getting is mostly from the lyrical content.  In that case, the time of ‘...Ghost...’ was a much more turbulent time for Jeff. The songs dictate the direction of the record ultimately. It seems that any specific premeditated approach to a new record will end up being forced - the songs and how they are best served dictate the nature of a record for the most part.  We realize and respect that.

How would you describe the band’s current sound?
Still eclectic, since we stylistically jump around the band's catalogue at live shows. We just played the last two nights in Chicago and the shows had moments of pure pop, county waltzes, extreme noise and chaos, and all out rock - I guess we cover a lot of ground but it all still sounds like Wilco somehow.

After some turbulent times, Wilco’s line-up has remained stable for a number of years. What is life like in the band like at the moment?
Pretty much a joy.  We all get along really well and trust each other musically.  I think most of the criticism is self criticism for any of us, and we're all happy with the level that we've been performing at.  I keep hearing from other people in the music industry that we're one of the most functional bands around - I chalk it up to a whole lot of respect for one another.