Wilco - Yankee Foxtrot Hotel

If I were a good blogger my posts would deal with timely and relevant things, but not today! For my first post I'll be winding back the clocks to 2002 and the release of Wilco's Yankee Foxtrot Hotel.

The band's fourth studio album walks the fine line between keeping a congruent sound and theme throughout the album and providing the listener with a variation from song to song. And, in my opinion, it walks it well.

At points, the album is very catchy. Take, for example, "Heavy Metal Drummer." It's pure fun; the kind of song you can get up and move to. The verses and chorus are really catchy and the lyrics paint great mental images. "Shiny, shiny pants and bleach-blond hair/ A double kick drum by the river in the summer...I miss the innocence I've known/ Playing KISS covers beautiful and stoned." I hear that and imagine a few guys just getting together and having a blast. That coupled with the up-beat, catchy tune makes this song one for a fun day under then sun. But, hey, don't take my word for it, listen here.

But with the fun songs, Foxtrot delivers some downright sad ones. Wilco has always done a great job of achieving sadness while being reserved. Nothing is over the top or comes off contrived. It's just honest, genuine sadness. In this regard, "Ashes of American Flags" takes the cake. Tweedy sings of a man caught up in the American machine and powerfully so. Its something anyone in the good ole' U.S. of A. can relate to. Digital and analog effects used make the song feel expansive, making Tweedy's voice sound smaller.

Over that, Tweedy's lyrics are a sad cry of desperation, for help even. "All my lies are always wishes/ I know I would die if I could come back new," he sings. "I would like to salute the ashes of American flags/ And all the falling leaves filling up shopping bags."

The moment in the song where he sings "I would like to salute..." is, in my opinion, a moment of musical perfection. Listening to it is like ecstasy. The effects cut out and a sad piano comes in over a soft bass line with a few earnestly played chords. Its an incredibly sad but incredibly beautiful moment--it makes the whole song. But again, don't take my word for it, listen here.

Though the songs vary on subject matter and feel, the album is very congruent. All the songs seem to belong together. None of them really stick out in that sense. The instrumentation helps to create that. Pretty much every song features the standard drums, bass and either acoustic or electric guitar--it's what keeps the album grounded. But many songs also feature additional instrumentation, like the awesome string arrangement in "Jesus, etc." or digital and analog effects highly evident in tracks like "I am Trying to Break Your Heart." The added production is not over the top, its just right and it affords the album interesting texture while allowing it to remain genuine.

If I had to pick a word for this album it'd be genuine. Every song is honest and true. The album has ups and downs and a variety of styles but it all feels like it's coming right from Jeff Tweedy and Co.--no one else. So pick up the album and give it a go.