A coworker who shall remain nameless is fond of mocking me for my love of Wilco. Her theory is that Wilco’s fan base is overwhelmingly dominated by “whiny white guys in their early 30s.” I’m afraid I fall squarely in that demographic, and though Wilco does have broad appeal … the theory is not entirely fanciful.
So anyway, this one’s for my peeps. Whiny early-30s whities in the house, yo! Word to your post-ironic selves.
I suppose the true Wilco hardcores are supposed to pick a favorite phase, choosing between the straight-up alt-country of A.M. and Being There, the exultant Beatles-y pop of Summerteeth, the experimental noise skronk of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born, and the pure, clean, timeless tunesmithery of this year’s Sky Blue Sky.
I guess I’m a Summerteeth guy in the end. I do love me some Beatles-y pop, having imprinted that stuff on my brain, via my dad’s LPs, at an early age. But Sky Blue Sky is in the running. It seems that, post-rehab, Jeff Tweedy has stripped out everything but what’s necessary, leaving only fantastic tunes, pure, sweet vocals, and some righteous guitar freak-outs.
This song, “Walken,” more or less fits the SBS template: starts out with a catchy tune, and evolves into guitar madness. I can’t get enough of it.
Enjoy.
