Wilco

A Ghost Is Born

Gets better and better with each listen

Review Score:

(10/10)
I was happy with their previous release, and eagerly awaited Ghost is born. Hey, it came with a free t-shirt and heavily packed booklet... Darn thing is so thick its impossible to put back in its cover. But Ghost is born is nothing like its 'christmas' packaging. Its not heavily packaged... its light, stretched and disordered. Is that a good thing... what are you looking for?

As lawless as Wilco seem to be, the album is actually quite formulated. 'The rules are... their ain't no rules!'
Build up the tempo but never hit that peak, draw out the intro, play a chorus once, dilute the solo, structure it backwards, play the high notes softly.

But in the middle of all this hustle and bustle there lies catchy pop music. And there lies this formula. To hide its sound... camouflaged, waiting not to be heard rather captured. And once you catch it... you are rewarded. A few weeks ago it made no sense but today your singing 'he was chrome' like its a new pop single.

Unfortunately its a flawed formula... An early track stretched into a 10 minute thumping... A 15 minute track that includes 'no frequency' like fuzz. Album cohesion is broken and it becomes fragmented and disjointed. Some rules are not meant to be broken folks. Have your remote control close by!

If you like that jaded, drawn out, inconsistent track at the end of your rock albums... then GHOST IS BORN is your album.

More Reviews: