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Amongst the elder statesmen of alt-country, Wilco are almost without equal. Often referred to as the 'Radiohead of country', the group have never shied away from stretching the confines of their genre to its limits, and often further. Their last two critically acclaimed records, 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' and 'A Ghost Is Born', took their cues not just from Bob Dylan, but from electronica, krautrock and ambient soundscapes – glacial, heart rending and completely beautiful. However, if you were expecting more of the same on ‘Sky Blue Sky’ you'll be sorely disappointed. Wilco, led by band patriarch Jeff Tweedy, have stripped back their experimentalism and produced a warm, loving and completely straight rock record – and the results are superb.
Immediately, it becomes apparent that Tweedy's lot has improved considerably since the dark days of the recording of their last two albums where his addiction to painkillers and internal runctions almost tore the band to pieces. On 'Shake it Off' he seems to address this directly, saying “Oh, I didn't die/ I should be satisfied/ I survived/ That's good enough for now," and this is the feeling that permeates the whole record – Wilco have finally cast their demons aside and started enjoying themselves again.
It may take a few listens. Wilco may be the only band in the world whose fans hanker for more and more torturously abstract records – the shock to the system of this abrupt turn may leave some of the more diehard followers reeling for a few moments. Certainly, some of the album's more charming moments are lost on the first surprised listen, a little like when the world was introduced to Radiohead's 'Kid A'. Admittedly, the change isn't quite as confusing, but it is just as daring. Right from the off, with the lazy acoustic strum of ‘Either Way’ you know this will be a polished, poised and utterly charming.
There are some gripes. Guitarist Nels Cline is given a very free rein, one that means that lengthy guitar solos are sprinkled liberally all over the album, particularly on the otherwise gorgeously ethereal 'Impossible Germany' and the monolithically boring White Stripes rip off 'Shake it Off', which should have been cut from the album altogether. There are moments 'Sky Blue Sky' lags in ways that its predecessors never did – ‘Please be Patient With Me’ is as trying as the title suggests, but even these songs fall effortlessly into the enveloping blanket of the album’s loveliness, and can’t be faulted too much.
They do, in fact, leave their two best songs are left to the end of the record. The astonishing 'What Light' is a piano-led sing along in the mould of Neil Young or Bob Dylan, beautifully encapsulating all the hope and love in the record with the lyrics "You feel like singing along If you feel like singing a song/ And you want other people to sing along/ Just sing what you feel/ Don’t let anyone say it’s wrong” and ‘On and On’ is as freewheeling and exquisite as the clear skies of the title. This record never quite matches Wilco’s highest highs, but you get the feeling it never tries to. This is still a fantastic reminder that Wilco, despite their problems, remain one of America’s greatest bands.
