The Whole Love Album Cover
A daring and largely brilliant album, The Whole Love assuredly deserves a spot in the highest echelon of Wilco releases.
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Record Label: dBpm
Rating: 100
After constant dogging of the band for their new “dad rock” ways (a point that has been debated over and over again by fans and critics alike), it appears that Jeff Tweedy and company have dared to expand their boundaries once again in a fashion that made albums such as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot possible. The opening “Art of Almost” is easily one of the finer songs Wilco has ever crafted, with Tweedy’s fantastic lyrics paired with a gritty, noise-filled sonic background. While it calls to mind Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born, the guitar solo by Nels Cline at the end of the song is certainly one of the biggest rock-out moments ever recorded by the band. While the rest of The Whole Love is a mostly straight-laced affair, it calls to mind Summerteeth and Being There moreso than their more recent albums that have been unfortunately largely derided as “dad rock.”
Perhaps it is for that reason that The Whole Love is all the more impressive upon first listen. While the band has never exactly appeared bored, they were staunchly centered in the Americana rock camp, and the surprises became fewer and farther between. Not so here, as there is an active involvement from the entire band that is apparent on this album and while it doesn’t necessarily sound unfamiliar, this is a side of Wilco that hasn’t reared its head in a while.
The Whole Love is a sublimely dynamic and frequently brilliant album. It’s largely fun, rocks when it wants to, and also carries a hefty emotional weight when it desires as well. From the catchy single “I Might” to the sunshine pop of “Dawned on Me” to the stunning and somber closer “One Sunday Morning,” The Whole Love deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Summerteeth as one of the finest albums in Wilco’s illustrious career.
Wilco – “Art of Almost”
Wilco – “Dawned on Me”
Wilco – “I Might”
Tags: Art of Almost, Dawned on Me, featured, I Might, Jeff Tweedy, Music, Nels Cline, Reviews, The Whole Love, Whole Love, Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
fuzzythoughts
2 Responses to “Wilco – The Whole Love”