Album of the Week #24: "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" by Wilco

John

Sorry yet again for the delay in putting up a new album of the week. This week is the great album that nearly never was by Wilco.

Attractive Nun

I am quite a fan of this album, by some distance the best I've heard from Wilco. Certainly wouldn't agree with Pitchfork's 10.0 rating - 'tis not an album I listen to all that often, I find it's better to just come back to it now and again - but it's a great record nonetheless. 'Ashes of American Flags', 'Jesus, Etc.' and 'Pot Kettle Black' are favourites of mine.

Just looked up the wiki entry there to see what you were on about with the "nearly never was" business (I knew nothing of the album's history), and it's fairly odd the connection YHF has to September 11th. 'Ashes of American Flags', the cover (below) and the fact that its original release date was September 11th.



Good choice for album of the week.

lordgoat

Attractive Nun wrote:

I am quite a fan of this album, by some distance the best I've heard from Wilco. Certainly wouldn't agree with Pitchfork's 10.0 rating - 'tis not an album I listen to all that often, I find it's better to just come back to it now and again - but it's a great record nonetheless. 'Ashes of American Flags', 'Jesus, Etc.' and 'Pot Kettle Black' are favourites of mine.

Just looked up the wiki entry there to see what you were on about with the "nearly never was" business (I knew nothing of the album's history), and it's fairly odd the connection YHF has to September 11th. 'Ashes of American Flags', the cover (below) and the fact that its original release date was September 11th.



Good choice for album of the week.

This is one of the greatest albums ever. Listen to it or songs from it every day. It deserves a 10 from pitchfork and anyone else. It is truly a specacular album in my opinion. You find the songs you like least at the begining quickly become the ones you look forward to most. I think its Wilco's best album but only just about. Its definitely the best album of the week so far! (Has REM Monster been done yet??)

What i love about these guys is that every album develops and is 'more' than the previous. You're not guarenteed to like each release but in my opinion musical progression is a quality lacking in 90% of modern day bands.


The sept 11 connection is a little weird alright. You could have mentioned the chorus from Jesus, Etc. "Tall building shake, voices escape, singing sad sad songs, Tuned to Chords"

This is an album for any music fan, who knows that for a truly great album sometimes you have "to sit with it"

Mr Marenghi

An awesome album.
The opening lines of "I'm Trying to Break Your Heart "

"I am an American aquarium drinker
I assassin down the avenue
I'm hiding out in the big city blinking
What was I thinking when I let go of you"
- brilliant.

I also agree with previous post saying the songs you like least when hearing it first become favourites, theres not a bad song on it but Jesus Etc, Pot Kettle Black, Poor Places and I'm Trying to Break Your Heart are favourites. The live album is also awesome.

Tower are selling this for about €10 if anybody is interested in getting it, its about €23 everywhere else, Wilco albums are always expensive for some strange reason.

The doc about this is a must see for anybody interested in music whether you like Wilco or not. It contains a band going through the process of recording an album and as a result you get to see versions of songs that sound quite different on the finished album (Kamera). Theres also arguments, people fired from the band, record company dropping the band, Jeff Tweedy solo gigs and some vomiting.

Its 20 something euro for 2 disc edition in town and 16 for 1 disc edition in Tower.

http://www.amazon.ca/Wilco-Am-Trying-Break-You/dp/B00008J2RN