Sky Blue Sky
by Wilco

From buzzdainer TOP 100 COMMENTER 11/12/2016 19:54 | #178333 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Sky Blue Sky was the soundtrack for a long drive through the Nevada desert on the way back from a somewhat challenging journey to climb Middle Sister, one of Nevada's seventeen county highpoints. We got lost several times trying to find the trailhead, had to ford several fairly significant creeks in my Nissan Pathfinder, and had to bushwhack most of way to the summit and down to the county line marker. A long and challenging, but really fun, day. It was such a joy to listen to this album with friends--we were all tired and out of words for conversation, so we just hummed along the highway at twilight with the music turned up loud, and it was such a great way to appreciate the subtle beauty of "Impossible Germany," an understated song that builds toward a remarkably warm and intense guitar solo toward the end. As much as I love the album version, hearing the band play it live back in August of 2016 made me appreciate it even more, as the performance by their current lineup really showcases the amazing and unique guitar talents of Nels Cline.

Some (many... most?) albums need to be listened to several times before you will notice them imprinting themselves onto your being. Sky Blue Sky certainly has done that, but it didn't happen on my first listen. really a powerful album if you give it a chance.

The guitar work is great and the songwriting is great but it sounds like a Steely Dan and Bob Dylan collaboration album or something. I miss the old Wilco. I miss the revolutionary, experimental, country, folk, alternative, rock, etc. (you get the idea) Wilco. This album is nice I guess... But its nowhere near Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Summerteeth. This is just Wilco making something easy because they can at this point in their career. Sky Blue Sky is an easy and peaceful listen but its way overrated. I give it a good but nowhere near great rating.

From paladisiac TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/14/2011 15:24 | #32934 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Speaking of Wilco, here's an album that harkens back to "A.M." and "Being There"; and in comparison to the continually increasing experimentation from "Summerteeth" through "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" into "A Ghost Is Born", feels quite normal and safe. "A Ghost Is Born" went a little too far in its experimentation with near-10 minute long stretches of guitar feedback. "Sky Blue Sky" seems like the polar opposite. It's a standard alt-rock album with typical song structures, layered guitars and guitar solos. Maybe it's the influence of Nels Cline. Maybe it's the logical next step. It feels like a safe step back.

A real disappointment after the brilliance of YHF and A Ghost Is Born, but still a solid album, and better than their self-titled album that followed.