More Noise from These Boys
Review Score: 








(8/10)
We probably should wait even longer before we review this cd. More than any other commercially successful band we can think of (save for, perhaps, Radiohead), Wilco makes music so complex and daring that their albums require repeated listenings in order to make a fair assessment. Not surprisingly, therefore, this one, even more than their previous one, is still growing on us. Not to say we can't recommend it unequivocally right now, as long as you know what you're getting into. Wilco, led by the extraordinarily talented and stranger-than-he-appears Jeff Tweedy, constantly challenge and provoke the listener. They experiment with texture, volume, rhythm, and scope. Although they and their brilliant collaborator/co-producer, Jim O'Rourke, seem to resort less to the strange assortment of manufactured noises they employed on Wilco's last cd, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, this time most of the noise comes courtesy of Tweedy's screaming, bristling guitar. This is the first Wilco album, we believe, where Tweedy's guitar is the predominant one (guitarist Jay Bennett left the band during the making of the previous cd) and he acts like a prisoner set free (even though it is clear that he's always called the shots). The results are both positive (like the exhilarating solo on the opening track which ends `like a hurricane') and negative (like the 12 minutes of feedback on `Less Than You Think'-which is how often we'll be listening to it). Nevertheless, Tweedy has a knack of writing wondrous pop songs that, (almost) no matter what he throws at them or in them, are as catchy and enjoyable as any. Furthermore, it seems that both Tweedy's lyrics and vocals are, at the proper points, as peppy, poignant or pained ( our apologies for the alliteration, sometimes we can't help ourselves) as they've ever been (which may certainly relate to the fact that Tweedy went into drug/psychological rehab shortly after this recording was completed). Whatever the contributing factors, Wilco have, once again, created one of the most compelling albums of the year and established themselves as one of the most important bands in music today.
More Reviews:
- Intriguing
- Another Wilco classic
- Great Surprise... good reason to watch The Passion again
- Overrated? Wilco?? NO WAY
- yet another step up
- B O R I N G!
- Underappreciated
- Wilco's best album
- Wilco Goes to the Next Level
- Jeff Tweedy's mind--Terrible place to live,great to visit
- hmmm
- THE Best Album of 2004.
- 5th, 6th, 7th.....times a charm!!
- Don't expect another Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
- A Legend Is Born, Or Something Cheesy Like That....
- A downer for an otherwise good band
- Wilco's AGIB: Another ditty of a "pop" gem
- Awesome
- The Sammy Sosa of the music scene
- Another release worth a listen
- Enough with the Neil Young guitar solos
- not bad
- ... and after 3 months, 5 stars
- 6 Stars
- Best of 2004: Becomes a classic with each new listen
- Also a must, sort of...
- Subtle album that creeps up on you.
- Their weakest album
- Wilcotastic
- Jeff Tweedy Channels John Lennon!
- Wilco's best
- Very good from one of the best bands around
- Listen to this album more than once
- changing their tune
- wilco did it again and did it again they did
- this recent rash of kidsmoke
- Unpleasant.
- an egg is laid
- Great album...
- Brilliant!!!
- my favorite wilco album yet
- Music 4 1...LOUD!
- Yawn
- Everything I hope for and more.
- 4 stars
- Slow, Tough Listen
- Hmmmm
- Better than expected
- b e a u t y
- Not really enhanced
- Not as good as it could have been
- Strange, but so much better than everything else out there.
- Really bad
- Not great
- Superb!
- Feedback on Feedback
- Less Than You Think
- Gets better and better with each listen
- Lets complicate the matter more!
- Why not a five?
- Not Great, but Good
- Another misunderstood project from a master
- Wilco Continues to Impress
- Wilco go trippier than ever...
- There's a reason it's called songcraft
- I'm Impressed
- experimental vs too experimental
- Fantastic!
- Get well soon, Jeff!
- If you want another YHF..thats your first problem.
- Wilco is amazing
- A great album from an immensly talented band
- A step backwards, but still a great listen
- -better- than yhf...
- Solid
- What's all the fuss about?
- lacking
- Another masterpiece
- This is a Continuation of A. Bubul's Review, Credithervotes
- a classic is born
- Still hasn't grown on me
- I Think I'm Done with Wilco
- Rocks, Rolls, Shouts, Moans...It Will Turn You
- Wilco's best so far!!!
- perfect
- Don't believe the naysayers
- Another Gem
- Wilco's best yet.
- An Album that GROWS on you
- What went wrong?
- keep listening...
- It was inevitable.
- Patient listening will be rewarded
- Buy a Wilco T-shirt Instead
- Rolling Stone told me to buy it - so I did
- Very misleading at first