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Wilco (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
Released: April 23rd, 2002 11 songs –51:33
Nonesuch Records
8 out of 10
Standout Tracks: "Kamera", "War on War", "Jesus, etc."
Wilco’s 4th studio effort, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, got the band dropped from one major label only to be picked up by another resulting in the largest sales the band had ever seen from an album. In a similar spirit, this album can easily be hated; yet at the same time can be loved. The difference in the two sides breaks down to personal taste and the amount of time you’re willing to invest in this work.
- Justin Hawkins
Justin: 8
At first glance, this album seems mediocre at best. Songs like “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” and “Kamera” seem likable and sentimental, though upon first impressions, Wilco’s songs seem to drag on and become mundane with Tweedy’s sometimes uninspiring vocal styles. However, if you can find the glimpses of reason to keep giving Yankee Hotel Foxtrot a chance, these tracks that seem boring or simply not worth listening to begin to catch your attention and subtly become addictive. Tweedy has a gentle voice that you quickly fall in love with while the delicate blend of instruments continue to grow on you through multiple listens. Almost every track on this album is worthwhile, from pop, mainstream-infused “Heavy Metal Drummer” to more obscure tracks like “Poor Places”. In particular, “Ashes of American Flags” and “Jesus Etc.” really caught my attention as this album’s highlights, though the remainder of the album is constantly emerging and with every new listen, I can cite another track to be my favorite. Surely, Wilco has a unique down-beat acoustic style that can easily throw the appeal away from many mainstream listeners, though if you have some time to give a new album a try, this is one that can truly change your life.
Joe: 8
Wilco has mastered the hard-to-nail-down art of the acoustic, heartfelt ballad. They’ve mastered this art so much so that if acoustic ballads were a museum exhibit, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot would be the Mona Lisa, and undoubtedly, Wilco would be the experienced curators. Let them have 50 minutes of your life, and they’ll give you a tour of ballads you won’t soon forget. The first stop on the tour would be “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” a 7-minute opus dominated by laid-back strumming, but a distorted organ and various percussion instruments make guest appearances as well. But the centerpiece of this masterpiece, and of the rest of this album’s masterpieces as well, is Jeff Tweedy’s resigned, earnest voice. Tweedy is so likable I’d likely listen to anything he sings, but that’s not to say this albums instrumental moments aren’t worthwhile. Which brings us to the crisp, upbeat “Kamera,” another one of the album’s high points. And following that track are several other just as worthy tracks, but “Jesus, etc.” and its moving violin/piano combo accompanying Tweedy’s down-to-earth vocals make it a true winner. Nearly every other song on the album is just as sweet and emotion-soaked as these tracks I’ve named, but sadly, some are made less attractive by various out-of-place effects (see: “Reservations”). But apart from these minor lapses (which are few and far between) this album is incredibly solid and dishes out poignancy like a curator distributes pamphlets about the art of the French Revolution.
What Did They Say?
NME: 8/10
Rolling Stone: 4/5
Metacritic: 87/100
Pitchfork: 10/10
justin_hawkins |
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