Sky Blue Sky
The Elegance Of Simplicity - Great Songwriting, Great Recording
Wilco
Sky Blue Sky
2007; Nonesuch Records
My Rating: 10/10
Have you ever bought a record that you listen to once, scratch your head,
but back on the shelf for a year, pull out again, and listen to non-stop for
the next year? When I first bought SKY BLUE SKY upon its release in
2007, I was immediately disappointed. Sure, A GHOST IS BORN wasn't
great, but there was enough to like about it and I could respect a dip in
inspiration following on the heels of the glorious YANKEE HOTEL
FOXTROT. But by the time SKY BLUE SKY rolled out in 2007, I was ready
for WILCO to find their footing and deliver another left-field masterpiece.
Instead I discovered what I thought at the time was a band on cruise
control.
The thing is, you won't find anything strikingly revolutionary on SKY BLUE
SKY, but that may in fact be the most wonderful thing about this record. It
took me selling my copy of this record and then re-buying it to discover that
SKY BLUE SKY is in my Wilco Top 3, and when all is said and done, may
be right on top. SKY BLUE SKY is the sound of a band arriving. The lineup
TW EEDY employs on this record came together shortly after the release of
A GHOST IS BORN, and has been with him since. With SKY BLUE SKY,
Tweedy makes the boldest statement of his career: "My songs and this
band are so strong that I don't need anything to ma ke a great record but a
few microphones and a room big enough for the six of us."
From the opening, there is something sweet and pastoral about this
record. The interplay between Tweedy's songs and the rest of the band is
effortless. Opening with the softly swaying "Either Way", the band quickly
finds the zone with "You Are My Face" and never lets up. "Impossible
Germany" is one of the album's highlights, featuring the best three-guitar
interplay of any Wilco record and some of the best I've ever heard
anywhere. The title track keeps things soft and dreamlike, while "Side with
the Seeds" is another album highlight. Thought I hesitate to say it, "Shake
It Off" might be the album's low point, although even it feels integral to the
record's progression.
The album's second half features another handful of soft, dreamy tunes in
"Please Be Patient With Me," "Leave Me," and closer "On and On and On."
"What Light" is as sunny and optimistic a song as you're likely to hear from
Tweedy, while "Walken" and "Hate It Here" lend a little more drama to the
album's second half.
All in all, it's understandable why many people walked from SKY BLUE
SKY after its initial release, but in my view there is no other record so
deserving of a second chance. I love this record, and given enough time,
so will you.
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