Wilco
Chicago, Illinois9 reviews across 4 releases
Wilco is a Chicago rock band formed in 1994 from the remaining members of Uncle Tupelo after that band's breakup. Jeff Tweedy's songwriting gave the group a starting point in alternative country, but the sound changed quickly. Mermaid Avenue, made with Billy Bragg from unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics, used sparse roots instrumentation and guest vocals while keeping Wilco's folk connection visible. By Summerteeth in 1999, the band had turned toward lush pop, vintage studio color, and uneasy lyrics, with reviewers hearing echoes of the Beach Boys and Beatles rather than a straightforward country act. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot pushed farther, placing electronic static and fractured rhythms around acoustic Americana while retaining strong melodic hooks. Tweedy's rough, vulnerable singing kept the experiments tied to ordinary songs.
In 2000, drummer Ken Coomer left and Glenn Kotche joined Wilco. During the making of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, guitarist Jay Bennett also departed, while Reprise refused to release the finished album; Nonesuch Records eventually issued it in 2002. The label dispute became part of the film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, which documented the record's troubled path to release. In 2003, Wilco offered More Like the Moon as a free internet EP for owners of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Nels Cline and Pat Sansone joined in 2004, completing the six-member lineup with Tweedy, John Stirratt, Kotche, and Mikael Jorgensen. Wilco later moved from Nonesuch to its own dBpm label.
4 releases reviewed
Mermaid Avenue
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
More Like the Moon