Wilco

Summerteeth

Signposts to the future...

Review Score:

(8/10)
Jeff Tweedy has proven he's rock's hidden genius on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but its predecesor has almost as much deftness and catchiness as that pop masterpiece. While it's not nearly as cohesive, there are moments here that shine through brightly and point the way towards greater things. The leadoff "Can't Stand It" is probably the record's most affecting moment, with almost funky strumming backing an intense Tweedy vocal in the chorus. It segues perfectly into "She's A Jar" with mornful lyrics imparting desperation and frustration with a relationship. Think Wallflowers, but much more affecting than anything they've ever done. This makes a nice lull before the album's conceptual peak, "A Shot in the Arm," where it builds up to a swelling climax with strings and distortion being slung back and forth wildly. Magnificent.

Towards the end the record falters a bit with slower, less coherent songs, but nevertheless Tweedy is virtually capable of tossing off one heart-wrenching masterpiece after another, especially "Via Chicago," with a mornful lyric that is answered by a painful, crying guitar solo towards the end. Swift rockers such as "ELT" and "Nothingsevergonnastandinmywayagain" (yes, that's how they print the title) prove the capability of the rest of the band, with a great rhytm section and companion musician in Jay Bennet.

As I mentioned above, it's a bit heavy on the slower numbers, although they are the conceptual forebarers of YHF. You can sense this on the two standouts "How to Fight Loneliness" and "In A Future Age," which have nice ambient effects around gentle wordplay in a found-sound sort of fashion like YHF. Overall, this is an impressive, catchy effort that really boded well for their future. Even if they continue to make work of this caliber, you're still looking at a future great of American rock.

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