Putting out a fantastically innovative album — or worse, a couple of them — is a tricky proposition. If each album a band released existed in a vaccum, there would be less of a problem; unfortunately, this is not the case, and expectations begin to creep in after a certain level of ingenuity and craftsmanship is established.
Sky Blue Sky falls victim to this phenomenon, making Wilco, in a sense, a victim of its own success. While the band forged new ground with the fantastic Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and then followed it up with the not-quite-as-fresh-but-still-pretty-damn-fresh A Ghost Is Born, they seem content to rest on their laurels a bit on this album, in some instances detrimentally so. That’s not to say there’s not plenty here to love for both newcomers and seasoned fans alike, but those who follow the band closely may be a little let down, and those who have heard the various accolades about prior albums may occasionally wonder, on certain tracks, what all the fuss was really about.
It has been said that the manner in which Sky Blue Sky was recorded 
represents a departure for Wilco; while previous albums had songs crafted and fleshed out prior to studio time, the band reportedly developed most of the ideas this time around right in the studio. Whether this is true or not, there’s no denying that some tracks give off this very vibe, as if the band thought, “Hey, this is kind of neat! Hit the button and let’s see where it takes us!”
Fortunately, the group has more than enough talent to carry them admirably through these songs, which include tracks like “Shake It Off” and “Walken”, particularly with the addition of guitarist Neils Cline to the band, who joined shortly after A Ghost Is Born and thus experiences his first time on a studio recording from the band here. Still, Wilco is not the sort of band one listens to for a well-done jam session–the band has made deft composition and clever lyricism a staple of its sound with past recordings, and so unfocused efforts come off as disappointing.
All of that being said, there are some cuts here that stand completely toe-to-toe with the band’s best work. “Impossibly Germany” captures the band doing music the way it does best, with a deceptively simple and laid-back chord progression leading to complex interweaving guitar lines that do as much to stimulate the ear as the backing rhythm does to relax it. Tracks like “Side With The Seeds” proves that the band’s can absolutely still produce top-notch lyricism, as well, with Jeff Tweedy’s lamenting hope working in perfect stride with the alternately laid-back and crescendoing melody. “No one wins but the thieves / so why side with anything?” he asks. It’s a sneaking moment of relevance that can catch you by surprise with how astute it manages to be without being intrusive.
When songs like this are followed up tracks like the repetitive and not-as-coherent “Shake It Off”, however, you can’t help but feel what’s missing here. Sky Blue Sky is a fine album that’s brilliant at times, but it’s not brilliant all the time. For a band like Wilco, this is something worth mentioning.
Release date: May 15, 2007
Label: Nonesuch
Rating: 8/10
Photos courtesy of Newberry Photography and Crayola.
5 Comments »
Yeah, with different expectations, this might’ve seemed better, but as-is it’s still a fine album.
i am obsessed with the song “you are my face.” that keyboardy-rocking out part in the middle is almost cheesy but strangely addicting at the same time.
I honestly was kind of meh on that one at first, but it’s slowly growing on me.
I’m a big Wilco fan but experience the same “growing appreciation” for each album. Particulary YHF and AGiB, I thought they were “Ok” at first but after at least 4-5 times through the album I liked it more and more to the point I couldn’t remember what I didn’t like. In fact, some songs I used to skip (”hell is chrome” comes to mind”) become favorites later on; and when I recently heard “What Light” on the radio I was unmoved but later found it in my head all the time. I suspect (and hope) history will repeat itself with “Sky Blue Sky.” I can only think it’s because the songs are complex and multi-layed and it takes time to “discover” the depths. Ok, sorry, that sounds like a wine review.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Comment by Borch — March 19, 2007 @ 9:13 pm
Reading your review was a blast from the past, like those Serious Editorials we used to do, except other people will actually read this one.
We see eye to eye again. I’m disappointed that Sky Blue Sky doesn’t measure up to former greatness, but I’ll be damned if it’s not enjoyable and is my current default when I say, “I’m bored, what’ll I listen to?” Nice job, liked your take on it.