Wilco

Summerteeth

Mesmerizing and Exhilarating Mini-Movies

Review Score:

(8/10)
Wilco is one of very few bands which sound like I've be listening to for the past thirty years, but I only recently discovered. Lead singer Jeff Tweedy's sing-speak delivery reminds me of the Kink's Ray Davies, and the band recalls fond memories of an obscure group, Sweet Thursday (1969), who's one and only release was a wonderful imitation of Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde. I was immediately taken with Summer Teeth: nothing abrasive enough to send the dog running for cover, and nothing laid back enough to put me to sleep. On the surface, Summer Teeth is a simple and comfortable mix of roots-rock and folk with a light touch of country: sing along or bounce along - the album is accessible and easily digestible. Hiding beneath the CD's glistening silver surface is a collection of seventeen stunning, lush and exotic compositions.

Summer Teeth displays Wilco's studio mastery: imaginative soundscapes of ambient synthesizer work, Beach Boys' harmonies and Lennon/McCartney's indelible melodies. `A Shot In The Arm' opens with a teletyped radio message, includes a tin sounding piano, swirling synthesizer from outer space, and a beautiful melody. The repeated line "Maybe Arlene needs a shoot in the arm" is curious and striking. `I'm Always In Love' overlays the dissonant rhythm of The Velvet Undergrounds' `I'm Waiting for The Man' with a cheerful "ooh ooh ooh" vocal chorus. `How To Fight Loneliness' is solemn, but has a provocative Latin samba flare. Set in the center of the somber and lonesome numbers (She's A Jar, We're Just Friends, My Darling) is the jangle country rocker `ELT' - guaranteed to have all but comatose listens jumping around the room playing air guitar.

Considering Wilco's ingenuity, it shouldn't surprise anyone that they've included three "hidden" tracks. Perhaps a Wilco fanatic can explain the twenty-three second track? For music lovers who feel jilted spending fifteen bucks for thirty five minutes of music, not to worry: Summer Teeth is a hefty sixty minutes. Seventeen mesmerizing and exhilarating mini-movies from the creative Wilco is fifteen bucks well spent.

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