Pooping Mini-Tweedys? You Betcha!!

Wilco – A synthesis of their previously superb work. The laid-back groove of “A.M.” is present on “You Never Know” and the title track. The sonic freak-outs of “A Ghost is Born” show up in “Bull Black Nova”. Bright power-pop of “Sunny Feeling” hearkens back to “Summerteeth”. “One Wing” and “You and I” are right in step with the simplicity of “Sky Blue Sky”. No ground breaking here, just an aural holding pattern of more great songs. Nels Cline officially enters the realm of Guitar great, note the shredding on “One Wing” and “Bull Black Nova”. In the discussion for best disc of 2009. 4.5 stars


Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Astonishing in its blandness, particularly compared to “Fever to Tell”. If there’s more here than Missing Persons meets the Pet Shop Boys, it escapes me. Only “Dull Life” and “Shame and Fortune” rise above the mediocrity. Not so coincidentally, those tracks have audible guitar and real drums. Lyrically vapid, overly synthesized and mostly void of any soul. 2 stars

Dinosaur Jr. – I love the guitar work on this record, and the best parts of it remind me of Neil and Crazy Horse. It stretches out just a little too long, and it works better in a mix, but this one was a pleasant surprise. Low-fi grunge is a cool genre. 3.5 stars

Papas Fritas - The band seems to really want to show how quirky they are. However, there’s a major difference making a concerted effort to be quirky and actual quirkiness. It’s akin to the difference between being cool and trying to be cool. One comes naturally as a result of who you are, while the other is kind of pathetic and irritating. Guess which one this falls into. The result sounds like what Darla and Alfalfa would have done if they had a computer and Pro Tools when they decided to put on a show for the other kids. 1.5 stars

Richard Thompson – Don’t know why I missed the boat on RT. Everything I’ve heard from him I’ve enjoyed, and this is no exception. Lyrically, by turns he is whimsical, satirical and astute, sometimes within the same song. “Read About Love” is a perfect example of this. His guitar work is impeccable; he somehow manages the trick of being a subtle virtuoso. The strength of the songs and his playing overcomes the brutal production job that sounds totally dated. I would love to hear these songs without the incessant synth-string wash and electro-drum sound. 4 stars

Terry Kath – I’m confused. Am I reviewing the guitar work independent of the music of Chicago, or am I supposed to be taking the music as a whole? If it’s the latter, I just can’t get worked up about this disc one way or the other. The free-jazz rock sounds woefully stale and is innocuous at best. If it’s the former, Kath was an excellent guitarist who performed admirably within the context of the rather dull songs he had to work with. If I really want long jammy songs with great guitar work, I’ll cue up the Allman Brothers.