Wilco
"Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"
(Nonesuch)
The documentary "I'm Trying to Break Your Heart" which is set for
release later this year focuses on the making of Wilco's long-delayed fourth
record, patriotically titled "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". Wilco's sound
took a dramatic step forward in 1995 with the entrance of mutli-instrumentalist
Jay Bennett for "Being There". While recording "Yankee Hotel
Foxtrot", it was revealed that Bennett would no longer be with the band
following the sessions, so this latest record may very well give us a last
glimpse into the collaborative genius of Bennett and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy.
Additionally, the band was dropped from its label Reprise and picked up by
Nonesuch, leading to additional problems with the recording of what has been
touted as Wilco's most experimental work. Given these developments, the documentary
should be one interesting piece of film. Till then, we have the soundtrack.
"Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" is clearly Wilco's most sonically busy record,
and Jim O'Rourke (Sonic Youth, Gastr Del Sol) has his fingerprints all over
it. The noise that punctuates the album opener, "I Am Trying To Break
Your Heart", serves as the perfect backdrop to lyrics that can only be
described as stereotypical Tweedy, harkening back to the most strikingly confessional
songs on "Summer Teeth" and "Being There". Meanwhile,
O'Rourke has found a most versatile instrument in Bennett, who can bring to
life almost any sound that the band and producer feel is essential. The result
is a song that has unmatched lyrical and sonic depth. While this feat is achieved
with such overwhelming grandeur in the opening moments "Yankee Hotel
Foxtrot", overall the lyrics are subpar comapred to the previous masterpieces
"Being There" and "Summerteeth". It seems as though Tweedy
has chosen to focus more on the instrumentation this time around, and the
record definitely reflects that with its undeniably novelsound. So we'll forgive
him this time around. Elsewhere, "Heavy Metal Drummer" is Wilco
doing Pavement, with its nursery-rhyme poetry and off-the-cuff style. It proves
that despite the chaos surrounding the band at the time of the recording,
they still knew how to have fun. It is the type of song that will spend hours
on end, weaving its way to every uncharted area of your brain. (It's catchy).Wilco's
Americana roots are conjured up for "Ashes of American Flags", which
one can only compare to the Wilco-worshipped Woody Guthrie's "This Land
is Your Land". It is a song that is chilling, the perfect complement
to muted CNN "War on Terror" footage. With "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot",
Wilco have not only departed from the alt-country shuffle of "AM",
but from the seemingly experimental stylings of "Summerteeth" as
well. Radiohead for roots-rockers? Maybe. One thing is for certain, the changes
on "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" signify the beginning of a different era
for Tweedy & company.
-Karthik
Wilco
"Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"
(Nonesuch)
Every great band that ever was and ever will be releases one album that stands
out so far from the rest it can only be called a triumph. Sonic innovations
coupled with hooks-a-plenty propel Wilco's fourth release into this very category.
As the radio waves across America continue to be infiltrated by strikingly
lackluster wanna-be metal and pop travesties, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot breathes
new life into to the world of album making. Jeff Tweedy's signature vocal
stylings grace every song with a tragic, yet hopeful resonance reminiscent
of Jeff Buckley's "Grace", and still rasping enough to satiate even
the strongest Americana fans. YHF demands the listener's full attention, and
the payoff is always a smile, and a warm tummy. Keep your ears peeled for
the chaotic intros and decadent, distorted demises of "Ashes of American
Flags" and "I'm the Man Who Loves You".
-Jeff
