The new Wilco record has become such a little cultural event, that event being "The New Wilco Record," possibly because Wilco has shuffled and country/western'd and subtly rocked their way into becoming the most important American band in recent memory. With that said, it's hard to think that this career path, the difficult and rarely pulled off path of the Rolling Stones, doesn't find it's way into the songwriting process of Jeff Tweedy and the the rest of the band. And this record, more so than any other Wilco album ever, is clear evidence of this possible long sighted career goal, because son, this ain't your grandaddy's Wilco.

The only 2 remaining members of the original band are singer/songwriter/big kahuna Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt, and the various session players who have come in and out of the Wilco sphere have had a huge impact on the way that the band sounds and how they make their records. I think any Wilco fan would say that their career defining album would be Being There, a collection of records which bear two indelible stamps, that of the total independence of Jeff Tweedy from his Uncle Tupelo past, and the incredible musicianship of Jay Bennett. My favorite Wilco album thusfar, SummerTeeth, benefits so much from Jay Bennett's production that you could say it's a Jay Bennett record being performed by Wilco. The band has shifted and twitched with the sound and the incorporation of new members (and loss of old ones), but these new members are not exactly amateurs, and didn't come into the band without a heady set of tones & sounds, and incredible ability to match, and this influence is supremely evident on Sky Blue Sky. Guitarist Nils Cline is not Jeff Tweedy, or Jay Bennett, he's on an entirely different level, and I think in many ways this album belongs to him, because for the first time ever, there is a Wilco album that is predicated on guitar solos.

Rambling, AM Gold quality melodies and grooves, Sky Blue Sky demonstrates a solid band at the height of it's powers, who sound like they feel like they can just toss off a classic, because they probably can. "Side With The Seeds" is Nils Cline improbably and effortlessly channeling Brian May, and the song begins with just some light drumming (the subtle drumming on the entire album by Glenn Kotchke is, frankly, remarkable) and a melodic but slightly melancholy piano. The song takes a totally unexpected turn with the guitar at the bridge which lingers and lingers and jams. "You Are My Face" is an exercise in the Jeff Tweedy Nonsense that makes Sense school of lyricism (nothing as strong as "I am an American aquarium drinker, I assassain down the avenue" here), and fits in nicely to an album as a whole that sounds like an album. While this is not the band that can do no wrong (see album letdown "Hate it Here"), they do sound like a band who can take Jeff Tweedy's table scraps and make them into Filet Mignon. However, these songs aren't from the doggy bag plate, and Sky Blue Sky stands to fit as a large piece in the Wilco discography. So, if you see me and eddy p. discussing music out, it's probably about who is the most important American band of the last 20 years. It's gotta be Wilco, either them or these guys. And, barring some unforseen circumstance in their career, i.e. Jeff Tweedy dies, "The New Wilco Album" is always going to be something that folks are going to assume is a classic before it's released.