Wilco’s eighth album, the first on their own dBpm label, is bookended by two mammoth aural exercises that could be misunderstood as attempts to confound the listener – or perhaps, rather, to remind us not to presume when it comes to a long-player from Tweedy et al.
The opening gambit is the lengthy, experimental, multigenre ‘Art Of Almost’, to which the 12-minute meditation ‘One Sunday Morning’ is a sombre rejoinder. These tracks stretch not only conventional timings but also structures and tonalities. But they do it in such a compelling way that they could only be executed successfully by a group of musicians with abundant aptitude and flair.
Sandwiched in between are sundry gems of a typical Wilco ilk including new single ‘I Might’ whose impeccable pop sensibilities and stand-out keyboard riff plant themselves firmly in the grey matter.
Elsewhere the quiet country shimmer of ‘Black Moon’, delicate melodic canter of ‘Born Alone’ and rousing post-punk-tinged bluster of ‘Standing O’ are evidence of a fertile creativity at work. Thematically, the long-player spans an assortment of subjects, including falling in love again, on the effervescent and joyous ‘Dawned On Me’ and the pitfalls of urban dwelling on the playful ‘Capitol City’ – over which the figure of Randy Newman looms large.
With a mind-boggling array of talent on display to isolate players might seem unfair, but undoubtedly guitarist Nels Cline (who also has responsibility for overall sonic textures) and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone are two stand-out talents amongst a group of heavyweights.
Whether or not their independent status has conferred a newfound freedom, The Whole Love has a sense of adventure absent on previous outings. Get ready to take a trip...