Wilco – Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch)

I do my best not to write too much about art than will have no doubt gather its fair share of mainstream press. I try to pimp the small stuff, little gems shared by a secret society of seekers looking for diamonds. But as a lifelong Wilco/Uncle Tupelo fanatic, I feel compelled to say a few words about “Sky Blue Sky.” This is an Americana classic rock record built for sunny summer days and stony starry nights. There is something so organic going on here that it feels as if the CD should be stickered with a circle reading “there were no computers used in the making of this record.”
This is largely a guitar based rock record, lead by the earnest vocals of Jeff Tweedy and his band of rock historians who are able to graft sections of perfection from the forty years that have elapsed since that fateful summer of 1967. A song like “Side With the Seeds” is a beautiful love song but without the sappy preciousness that tends to scald similar sentiments. In the end after a record after record of raising the bar, the simplicity and straightforwardness of “Sky Blue Sky” just kind of stuck with me, as I’m sure it will for you.