Wilco understands Young's eccentrically expressive ways with vacuum-tube reality

Wilco review continue to roll in. Another Wilco review this time from The Village Voice by James Hunter.

"The new Wilco focus dulls the place of Brian Wilson's music in Wilco's.

This is excellent, because the rinky-dink Americana/alt-country apprehension of Wilson -- the delusional idea that classic Beach Boys had less to do with a genius instance of Hollywood glamour than some sort of fanciful homey suburban folk -- has always been plainly wrong, and Wilco have been chief offenders in perpetrating the hoax. Loads better for them to proceed, as they do on A Ghost Is Born, as though they can't get enough Neil Young. Wilco understand his eccentrically expressive ways with vacuum-tube reality. They don't willfully imagine Young as Bing Crosby, as much of Americana/alt-country has viewed Wilson as Hank Williams with arpeggios. Moreover, on the several creeping ballads such as 'At Least That's What You Said' and 'Theologians' that Tweedy almost mumbles, Wilco also exhibit a decent grip on Sister Lovers - period Alex Chilton. Their version can't communicate the Big Star protagonist's pharmaceutical nightmares, yet it still sears. "

And this review in New York Daily News by Jim Farber (along with Sonic Youth review and an interesting comparison with Wilco):

" 'A Ghost Is Born,' produced by O'Rourke, doesn't sound much like its predecessor. But it takes up 'Foxtrot's' sense of abstraction and sends it in a new direction. Now the noise is utterly in-your-face. The result sounds like Crazy Horse, with ragged, jagged guitar solos ruling the day.

Wilco leader and axman Jeff Tweedy isn't exactly Neil Young. But his budding attempts at strangulated guitar lines have a certain freedom to them, and they reflect the album's troubled lyrical themes."

More on Jeff Tweedy and Neil Young.

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