Posted on August 6, 2009 - by Mark Zonda

Wilco People

“It’s a secret I can’t tell, there’s a witch downour well. I don’t care anymore…”

I wasn’t asked and still I’m gonna put myself in the most dangerous situation I could get during this summer: reviewing Wilco 2009, a new masterpiece from a band that needs no introduction to people listening to bands that doesn’t even exists yet. Wilco is not a band. As Nick Hornby once argued in the very first stages of The Napster Era, this band is the gist of the faultless essence of what a real rock snob band would be appreciate for, the least common multiple a a band who would never disappoint a laddo in the small circle of the  indiekid of the world united. Still it’s for the same reason that it’s so difficult to express an opinion on such blind admired band. Their perfection is so delicate and pure that any move addressed to point at their works would  cause a crack on that fragile diamond. So blame it on me if anything goes wrong with the band, I’m the man who tried to express an opinion!

Like Anakin Skywalker came after Obi-Wan Kenobi, Wilco is the legend son of another untouchable legend: the jedi-county masters Uncle Tupelo. “Wilco”, the eponymous album, come after some semi-decent half-satisfying albums. With some good songs in them, any of them managed to reach the perfection of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot “. “War on War”, “Jesus, Etc.” and “Ashes of American Flags”, managed to become the hymns of an era for a niche of proud listeners just like Oasis waving the flag of a young generation in early 90′s in the early stages of the Brit-Pop War.

So here we are, nowadays, back to 2009, to see if the heroes are back to the apex, after having sowed a legacy of higly strong alt-country bands.

“Wilco the song” is a warranty since the first sights on the titles on the cover of the album. And the promise is fulfilled, the miracle – just like for St. Gennaro – take place once again.  The song got groove, got irony, clever lyrics with a sprout of fan service, it makes you wanna jump around the room for enthusiasm, forget about all your troubles, feeling happy just for the pleasure of being alive listening to another good great Wilco song. Look. I don’t even feel the need to go on and listen to the rest of the album. I’m truly satisfy with that manifesto song, knowing that curiosity killed the cat. Still a thought blows into my skull… what if the other songs of the album are only half good as this one? I can’t afford to take that risk, and I’ve got an album review to carry on, so I carry on with “Deeper Down”.  Creedence Clearwater Revival meets Elvis Costello. “Deeper Down” it’s a classic travelled through time right from a 60′s mysteriously unreleased hippy masterpiece, with a Del Shannonian stereophing intriguing  guitar arpreggio at 2:10″ blending its way with the harpsichord. “Deeper Down” is a “Golden Brown” for nowadays times. “One Wing” it’s not the average depressing ballad, and very creative in its simple arrangements, leaving space to the inspired Tweedy vocal interpretation. Yet again  01:52″, another great stereophonic merry go round of impressive mellow sounds and catchy guitar pitches. “Bull Black Nova”. Once again it’s pop, with a very nice bass line on the triple pianos gavel martelletto. With its plain guitar and the distant casio bossa “You and I” it’s THE REAL Wilco song, with Tweedy followed by Feist for the warm sweetest duet of ever, soon riched by a high hammond falling over our feelings like a warm blanket on the coldest snowy day. “You Never Know”, the “Travelling Wilburys Song”, another unexpected sparkling pearl from the album, almost true good to be true, and just when you’re REALLY beginning to thinking it, the next song anticipates you: “Country Disappeared”. And it’s clearly a white lie. Well now. If you’re not the adventurous kind of person you’d better turn off your player and stop here, elsewere “Solitaire” (feel free to drop the alt from the country) will take you down the road heading nowhere till the rest of your days. “I’ll Fight” it’s just an ok fitting, and “Sunny Feeling” as cleaver as an Obladibladà from Paul McCartney singing “Not such a bad boy”, good rocky acoustic material with interesting chords and a “Le Man Avec Les Lunettes” choir. As certain as the first track was a “Wilco Song”, the band seems so pretentious to proclaim the album “Everlasting”. Few seconds are enough to understand why Wilco are still on top of the most uncool bands of the indie snob world. “Everything I love must die. Every build  end-built to the sky will fall, don’t try to tell me that my everlasting love is a lie. Everlasting. EVERYTHING. Oh, nothing could mean anything at all”. Have a look at our great free digital ordinary album. Each time the band of the day, the gig of the month, the song of the year, the love of a lifetime, the invention of a century, the man of the millennium. If everything is everlasting nothing is for granted in a world with too many references to look at in order to find convinctions. Touching. Touching. Touching.

Year after year Wilco found a special and honest way to talk to our hearts, maybe that’s why this band is so loved in return by any bleeding wounded soul able to vibrate each time Jeff Tweedy move us with his sensitive and clever touch. Is “Wilco 2009″ better than “Yankee Hotel”? Not sure. Is the new album a masterpiece? Absolutely.

Wilco – “Everlasting”

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