Editorial Reviews Music Review:
Music Review
King Oedipus (After Sophocles)
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Piano Pieces, Volume III
Only Rock 'N Roll 1990-1994: 20 Pop Hits
Keur Moussa: Sacred Chant & African Rhythms from Senegal
Jazz Legends: Saxophone [Import]
Jazz Music: 1939 Transcriptions, Vol. 2
Amazon.com
The infectious twang and pop hooks of Wilco's former efforts may be fading fast, but A Ghost Is Born is still a rewarding effort that demands repeated listening. The group's fifth album extends upon the experimentalism of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot with angular, blues-soaked guitar riffs ("At Least That's What You Said," "Hell Is Chrome"), a handful of sparse, yet catchy tunes (smack dab in the middle of the disc) that will surely keep college radio stations smiling, and a lengthy track that descends into mere static ("Less Than You Think"). Frontman Jeff Tweedy's songwriting continues to evolve: "Hummingbird" is a dreamy Randy Newman-styled love song; "The Late Greats" is a sly ode to the world of pop tacked onto the end of the album (as if using such a fun song on this understated disc was an afterthought). Meanwhile, producer extraordinaire Jim O'Rourke manages to make the most complicated arrangements here sound minimalist and laid-back. All told, it's another great addition to the Wilco canon. --Jason Verlinde