Wilco: Sky Blue Sky
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Wilco Sky Blue SkyNonesuch Seven stars (out of ten) Strip away the ‘70s guitar noodling, the weepy slide and strings, the alt-country roots and the folksy arrangements and you’ll find what’s at the heart of Wilco’s new album Sky Blue Sky: Jeff Tweedy is sad. At least in song. I understand this is no great shock for a singer-songwriter who’s been candid in the media about his struggle with depression and anti-depressants. But in past releases, there were glimmers of optimism and bits of warm nostalgia. Sky Blue Sky is almost entirely downtrodden. “Maybe I won’t feel so afraid,†Tweedy bemoans on opener “Either Way†alongside a lullaby guitar line and desperate strings. “Maybe the sun will shine today / Maybe the clouds will roll away,†he later adds as if he’s prepared for quite the opposite – either way he’ll try to be O.K. “I must’ve let you down too many times / In the dirt and the dust,†he cries, seeming as though he’s referring to himself, on the gently galloping “You Are My Faceâ€, just before the song unexpectedly breaks into ragged riffs and frustrated kicks to the bass drum. “Happenstance has changed my plans so many times / My heart has been outgrown.†Tweedy seems less interested with the sonic experimentation and fervency of past albums, such as that on the critically-acclaimed Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, and more inclined to delve into the emotional hardship of life’s many obstacles—and, in a sense, welcome them—while a traditional blend of folk, country and rock play quietly around him. 
“I didn’t die / I should be satisfied I survived / It’s good enough for now,†Tweedy coos on the title track, his voice almost running out of air in a gasp and subtle crack as he quiets his pain, telling himself that it’s good enough for now. Between mature songwriting and smart folk-rock arrangements, Tweedy’s hurt is felt. The album is well produced, made of skilled musicianship and welcomed melodies; it’s an enjoyable, somewhat raw, soft rock listen. But for Foxtrot hopefuls, Sky Blue Sky could be a slight let down. It is what Sea Change was to Midnight Vultures, which is not to suggest it’s a bad album (nor a breakup album), it’s not. It’s just that it’s so simple and relaxed compared to its wild-haired much-loved predecessor. If Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was a big inhale, Sky Blue Sky is a long exhale and a bleary-eyed sigh – a beautiful and brooding one at that. Where the 2002 release readily took on the weight of life, Wilco’s sixth album strives to let it go, speaking less of breaking hearts and more of working to mend them – or at least accept them as is. “I should warn you when I’m not well / I can’t tell,†Tweedy confides sounding soft and weak on “Please Be Patient With Me.†“You’re going to need to be patient with me,†he warns in hopes his partner can accept the faults he too aches to be at peace with. Bemoaning is nothing new to Tweedy. He has done it since his days with Uncle Tupelo. What’s different on Sky Blue Sky is that it feels as though there is less thrust and fire but rather a proclamation—among a lovely alt-country set—of understanding and acceptance: Life is sad, life is tough but life goes on.“I’m content with being blue,†he professes on “Leave Me (Like You Found Me)â€. “Honestly,†he adds in case you didn’t believe him at first. 
“I didn’t die / I should be satisfied I survived / It’s good enough for now,†Tweedy coos on the title track, his voice almost running out of air in a gasp and subtle crack as he quiets his pain, telling himself that it’s good enough for now. Between mature songwriting and smart folk-rock arrangements, Tweedy’s hurt is felt. The album is well produced, made of skilled musicianship and welcomed melodies; it’s an enjoyable, somewhat raw, soft rock listen. But for Foxtrot hopefuls, Sky Blue Sky could be a slight let down. It is what Sea Change was to Midnight Vultures, which is not to suggest it’s a bad album (nor a breakup album), it’s not. It’s just that it’s so simple and relaxed compared to its wild-haired much-loved predecessor. If Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was a big inhale, Sky Blue Sky is a long exhale and a bleary-eyed sigh – a beautiful and brooding one at that. Where the 2002 release readily took on the weight of life, Wilco’s sixth album strives to let it go, speaking less of breaking hearts and more of working to mend them – or at least accept them as is. “I should warn you when I’m not well / I can’t tell,†Tweedy confides sounding soft and weak on “Please Be Patient With Me.†“You’re going to need to be patient with me,†he warns in hopes his partner can accept the faults he too aches to be at peace with. Bemoaning is nothing new to Tweedy. He has done it since his days with Uncle Tupelo. What’s different on Sky Blue Sky is that it feels as though there is less thrust and fire but rather a proclamation—among a lovely alt-country set—of understanding and acceptance: Life is sad, life is tough but life goes on.“I’m content with being blue,†he professes on “Leave Me (Like You Found Me)â€. “Honestly,†he adds in case you didn’t believe him at first.
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