Wilco
A Ghost is Born
2004
Arguably the biggest band working right now from my current home city of Chicago, Wilco broke into the mainstream music scene following the release of their fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The album received near-unanimous praise and – as we’ve seen already a couple times on this list – there was little chance they were going to be able to sustain that level of praise much longer. Amazingly, they were able follow up YHF with an album nearly as great in A Ghost is Born.
This is an album that takes multiple listens before one can begin to accurately assess it. The reason for this is due to Wilco’s unorthodox choices in how they handle their songs’ themes as well as their lengths. On the brilliant third track, “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” lead singer Jeff Tweedy makes fun of white-collar businessmen over 11 minutes of sensational guitar lines that are among the best of the band’s career. This, however, is a giant contrast to a track such as “Hummingbird” which finds Tweedy telling a simple story about a man climbing a mountain to forget his past love in barely over three minutes time. At first I was slightly put off by these various tones and lengths, but as time passed I grew to love the album’s range and versatility in these areas. It’s as if Wilco has no limitations about which direction they wish to go from song to song; they simply take on whatever they choose to with a completely unharnessed force. -P.W.
If I may be so bold, A Ghost is Born is possibly Wilco’s best album. Yes, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is fantastic, but A Ghost is Born is obscenely underrated and glossed over far too often. Appropriately, this album does have a ghost-like quality in the shadow of its predecessor with more experimenting with dissonance, longer freak-out sessions, and a more restrained and soft-spoken Jeff Tweedy. This album exceeds anything Tweedy has done with Billy Bragg, Uncle Tupelo or Golden Fog. This album is awesome. - Ryan
Tweedy and the gang get weird after the breakout, instant-classic "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". They threw it all together here on a record that resembles its predecessor, but also includes a 10 minute motorik-fueled jam "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" and even a mediocre drone piece, "Less Than You Think". While the straight-forward Wilco tunes here don't ever reach the heights of "Yankee...", it's still a solid set of songs with some much appreciated experimentalism. - Steve
Wow Ryan, you think this may be Wilco's best album?! That is a bold statement! Is there anyone else who shares Ryan's sentiments?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I really love this album, but this was also the first Wilco record I ever heard.
ReplyDeleteThat is quite the bold statement, but I fall under the YHF group as their best album. I must say though, AGIB is a VERY close second, and I agree with Ryan that it is extremely underrated. If it is his first Wilco album he heard, then I can totally see how it could be his favorite. "At Least That's What You Said" is one of my top album openers- it sets such a tone for the whole album.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I know about Wilco, and Phil you can confirm my undying love for this band, is that ALL of their albums have had to grow on me. I was really disappointed in Wilco (The Album) when it first came out, but each time I listen to it, it gets better and better. The same happened with AGIB. The complexities in the music on all of their albums need to sit and age, kind of like a fine wine, before they can be opened up and fully enjoyed by the listener.
After listening to "Sky Blue Sky" I didn't really bother listening to the new Wilco album. I'll have to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteSky Blue Sky took a while to warm up to, but man, "Impossible Germany"... that song. I have gotten many people hooked on Wilco thanks to that song. I now think the whole album is pretty grand. The new one still isn't on the top of my list, but still worth a few listens at the least.
ReplyDelete