1. "The Art of Almost" - It's got a modern Peter Gabriel feel to it that's for sure--proggy, earthy, innovative, symphonic, drony, but constantly groovy. It's long at over 7 minutes, but you get lost in it somewhere. The raunchy guitar solo work is on another planet. This song is saying, "There's a lot of others songs to come, but you gotta get through this one first." It's like an initiation.
2. "I Might" is a classic Wilco sound. Constant snare keeps it going. Deep thick bass and low guitar play a riff with the verses. Then the chorus opens up louder in a minor seventh. The organ and xylophone join in. Back to the verse. Ooh that low piano on every second bar mimicking the bass riff just rips! This song is all about that riff and instruments and voices come and go taking you on a journey where people get on and off. Almost like a subway with the speed of the song.
3. "Sunloathe" continues from the last song with no break but it's in a different key and slowed right down with ambience and a wavy piano arpeggio. Not really sure where this song is going. Seems like a contrast filler experimental. Very Beatlesesque, especially those vocal harmonies and the drumming is so Ringo it's ridiculous.
4. "Dawned On Me" returns to the classic Wilco sound that we just heard on "I Might". This seems like a better continuation of it. Constant snare again in parts and low fuzzy e-string that builds with instruments and sounds hopping on and off. Ooh, I like the bridge that opens up into the wacked. out. solo. short. Now he's whistling. I can't keep up with everything that's going on. This one will grow on me. The chorus has a memorable melody. Basslines are very McCartney-sounding.
5. "Black Moon" is a dark low picked acoustic guitar drone tone with Jeff and his smokey low voice. I love this kind of music... Sheryl Crow has done stuff like this before. The dojo steel rings and rounds out the whole song and the cellos take over really giving it an earthy feel. I can certainly see me driving through the mountains on this one. The orchestral work is brilliant, subtle, and necessary. The chord arrangements are bang on--kind of Blue Rodeoish at times. A very delicate but strong song.
6. "Born Alone" is a stripped down classic Wilco sounding song. But then the distant electric guitar takes off for a short time and stops. It almost reminds me of Sheryl Crow's "Everyday is a Winding Road"--the verse melodies and two chord timings. Almost. Then it's noisy with everyone joining in into a long one minute fade out.
7. "Open Mind" is a slowed down 6/8 timed countryish waltz. I love the tone of the electric guitar--definitely a Fender Strat and definitely the best part of this song.
8. "Capitol City" is a simple sounding ditty. Almost a British 1920's carnival sound. This song would fit on a soundtrack, with its pulsating strum and back and forth bass line.
9. "Standing O" is an anthemic rocker sounding like it was released by Elvis Costello in '78 with the wanky organ punches. The verses alternate between major and minor and the song rarely has a chance to breathe.
10. "Rising Red Lung" is another quiet acoustic picked tune with Jeff's low voice. It takes it's time to build up, but you get there and finally join. Melodies don't allow you to join in on any singing. It's more like an instrumental. Beautiful though.
11. "Whole Love" starts with a basic guitar riff for four bars then drums and Rhodes piano join in with lyrics and the song continues in a head bobbing riff with acoustic guitar strumming matching the drums.
12. "One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)" is a very acoustically driving song with guitars, piano, and snare brushes skipping along the rhythm. And there's the xylophone accent again! The song could almost be on Blue Rodeo's epic "Five Days In July" (1993) album. The piano work is perfect. Wait, it reminds me more of the Barenaked Ladies version of Bruce Cockburn's "Lovers In A Dangerous Time"--one of their first videos where they're on the back of a truck in the Toronto cold driving around. Yeah, that's more like it. Whoa! The song's over 12 minutes! Ok, let's see where it goes after the five minute mark... ... ... Ok, we're at 11 minutes now... it's still going... just humming and droning. Excellent background music.
Now onto the Bonus Tracks!
13. "I Love My Label" is a pretty basic rock song with the metaphor of a girlfriend as a record label. I've heard this type of song a million times.
14. "Message From Mid-bar" is another earthy tune with a cool acoustic guitar riff and dojo ringing in the back. Kind of a depressing song, but intentionally convoluted.
15. "Speak Into The Rose" has a reverbed low electric joined by an old polyphonic synth. This sounds very much like "Kidsmoke"... drony as hell. Drum beat is a weird off-timed thingy then crescendo to the climax and fade out. Blah.
16. "Black Moon (Alternate Version)". Alternate version? Sounds the same so far.
17. "Sometimes It Happens" starts off with the lyrics right away. The title words are memorable. Much simpler and less produced, which is what I'm preferring here. I like this tune. The orchestra coupled with organ coming in is a nice touch to take you to the third verse. A very mature song and one of the best of the bunch.
Overall, I think this album is overproduced. Too many things going on at times and the song gets lost in the noise. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the Wilco noise as a stark contrast to the quiet groove the underlies it, but there's little of that. There are very few chances to sing along to anything. Jeff never really belts it out, almost like he's holding back compared to other albums. Perhaps it's more mature. I love the xylophone accents as always. What really dominates is the low rhythm guitars. The symphonic overlay is well done. I can really see Wilco playing this whole album live with an orchestra. I like about half the songs. It's not that I don't like the other half, but would probably skip them to get to the good stuff.
Hatrock gives Wilco's "The Whole Love" 3 fists out of 5. Not their best work but not terrible either.
