I just don't get Wilco

Posted on | February 7, 2010 | 1 Comment

The media has such a big boner for Wilco. The blogs, the critics, the magazines… They’ve won five Grammies! (Not that this means shit, but still…I’d take a Grammy, well one of the good ones anyway…I might use the “Best Album Notes” as a dog food bowl).

I’ve tried and tried to find something to like in Wilco’s music. I’ve listened to old stuff and new stuff at length (thank you Lala.com). So far I’ve found only one song worth more than a single listen: Heavy Metal Drummer.

I certainly appreciate the musicianship, their consistency, their proficiency in songwriting, Jeff Tweedy’s tenacity through the years, and their help in creating this new genre (which I think is now called Americana, but that may have changed in the last twenty or so minutes). And maybe that’s all it takes to be thought of as a good band. They are solid, if uninspiring.

But Tweedy’s singing just always seems so unspirited, and come to think of it, so does the guitar playing. The lyrics are okay but basically inoffensive and bland.

And I struggle to chalk this up to taste. For example, I don’t really like The Flaming Lips, but I totally see the appeal of this music.

Is there something wrong with me? I want to like Wilco. But I just don’t get it. In fact, I’ve talked to others about this and everybody seems to feel the same way. Can anyone tell me what’s so great about them? I’m serious. I want to know. I feel left out.

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One Response to “I just don't get Wilco”

  1. David
    December 2nd, 2014 @ 9:04 pm

    You are not alone. I’m a 30+ year musician and it just seems lifeless and dreary to me. The music scene/biz has been dead for some time this is the kind of thing that’s left. Wilco and bands like the Foo Fighters that basically just recycle the same album endlessly.