Wilco
A.M.
»
Wilco
A.M.
Reprise, 1995
RiYL: The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Golden Smog |
Nowadays, Tweedy seems to be working just as hard to separate himself from the alt-country genre as he did when he and Tupelo bandmate Jay Farrar tried to establish it. Wilco's critically-acclaimed double follow-up Being There runs the gamut from country to Stones-y, and a listen to the band's third album Summer Teeth indicates Tweedy may have left country music altogether. But with A.M., he offers 13 songs which revel in the territory he plowed many times over with Uncle Tupelo.
The incredibly catchy "I Must Be High," and following songs such as the rollicking "Casino Queen" and the hokey "That's Not the Issue" do nothing to bury Tweedy's No Depression past. In fact, in its most defining moment, A.M. seems to beg more comparisons to pop-country more than any of the albums released by ex-partner Jay Farrar's Son Volt. "You're gonna make me spill my beer," Tweedy croons in "Passenger Side," "if you don't learn how to steer."
Most of the other songs on the album more or less flow in that same vein: catchy, ut with pretty corny lyrics. Tweedy never proclaimed he was the spokesman of any generation while in Uncle Tupelo, and he certainly makes no effort to do so here (although he does address the demise of Uncle Tupelo in the album's closer "Too Far Apart," -- though he'd probably never admit it: "When I really needed you / you were gone... so long," Tweedy sings).
While A.M. never pretends to hide its pop-rock leanings, Tweedy does offer an astute listener a preview of Being There to experiment out of the entrapment of country music. "Dash 7" is the album's most daring, yet probably most simple, track. Based mainly on a slow, plodding guitar riff, it finds Tweedy's vocals cascading over the surreal tempo and for the first time, he delves into the darker side of his mind: "Dash 7 / in the air / Captain's announcement / doesn't make a sound."
Essentially, A.M. is really an Uncle Tupelo record with a bunch more Jeff Tweedy songs. However, a few cuts do offer a slight preview into Tweedy's future musings with experimental, dark pop rock.
RODEO ROB | An expert on all things "alt," Rob spends his days covering the energy industry and his nights covering the DC-area bars. Raise yer glass especially high to this man, for he has contributed to this site constantly since its creation four years ago.