Wilco

Being There

The best of the so-called "unheard" albums of the nineties.

Review Score:

(8/10)
This is one of those "sprawling" double-disc records upon first listen, perhaps upon first glance, at the shots of a weary-looking Wilco in studio. Of course it sprawls, as any lengthy recording should. The very unique thing about "Being There" is that it sprawls amd twists in very numerous, exciting directions. The band, despite the many clichéd reviews saying the same thing as I am, really grows with the record, exploring several different styles of 20th century pop and otherwise that can only be categorized as American. The two disc's openers "Misunderstood" and "Sunken Treasure" are lengthy, fractured anthems that wouldn't fit anywhere else but on this record, and the same goes with every other track on the album, albeit to a much lesser extent. The finger-snapping and hand-clapping verses and chorus of "Monday" sound like the Rolling Stones led by John Mellencamp. There is a very good difference betwixt the two included versions of "Outta Mind (Outta Sight)", one an arena-rocker, the other a Sesame Street soundalike, both equally fantastic, but the general structure and lyrics of the song is one of the finest I've heard in a long while. "Why Would You Wanna Live" is a very haunting song in music and words, and Jeff Tweedy's voice sounds his absolute best on it. All in all, it's one of my favorite albums, and, I believe Wilco's absolute zenith so far, album-wise. The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is the middle of disc two, the songs "Kingpin" and "(Was I) In Your Dreams". They just don't sit well with me, I plainly do not like them altogether. You may. And that's your decision. Positively a sound buy Tweedy and his band definitely know how to lay down a very fun, heartfelt record like no other band in recent memory.

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