897 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

897 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

Studio Album - Experimental Rock




About the Act:

Wilco are an Alternative Rock band from Chicago, who have been in existence since 1994. During their first decade they had a high turnover of members and then settled down. They emerged out of an alternative country band called Uncle Tupelo. They have received critical acclaim but not massive sales. They have released 11 studio albums.


About the Album:

This was their fourth studio album. Because of the lack of radio-friendly singles, it was rejected by their record label, Reprise, who let them out of their contract and gave them the rights to the album for free. As bootleg mp3s were leaking out over the internet, they posted the whole album for free streaming on their website. It got a lot of hits and a lot of attention. After a year, they signed a deal to have it commercially released, with NoneSuch records. The irony is that both Reprise and Nonesuch are subsidiaries of Warner.


My History with this Album:

None


Review:

This is an odd album. At its core is a collection of alternative rock songs, which are quite laid-back and melancholy in the main, although a couple are more up-beat. The instrumentation often includes unusual sounds and orchestral instruments, and the general feeling is atmospheric space with low-key vocals, which reminds me a lot of Eels actually (but I appreciate you might not know them). This is contemplative songs, not driving beats. The lyrics are thoughtful, enigmatic, and again at times melancholy, reflective of modern life, and a bit Generation X. There's relationship stuff and you get the feeling they are trying hard not to be cliched, so there are interesting pictures and metaphors here. 

These songs are then strung together with more experimental sounds, sound effects, noise, soundscapes, verging on the dark ambient at times, with some electronic sounds. I understand that different band members were responsible for the songs and the linking, which makes sense. It does have a feel that is unified, though, which is really one of a desolate wind in an abandoned shopping centre.

I liked it, it is engaging, the sounds are interesting, the songs tickled my curiosity, and it felt like something different, which is always a good thing.


7.1/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0rPtXOMN42nsLDiShvGamv

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJNbijG2M7OzhPF01zaXVFi3-A5bONW_p

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Hotel_Foxtrot


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