A Wilco Winter
"Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" 2001 Wilco album cover
I think I’m in my sad girl-Wilco-sleeping in my makeup-folk-Bob Dylan-cozy sweaters-cutting my own bangs era and I’m living my best life– well, other than the looming threat of falling into a seasonal depression that lasts until April.
As the weather changes, my playlists change and I shift to a sort of alternative rock that’s also a little folk-y thing that just warms my cold Idaho winter soul. Basically it’s just Wilco. I’m in my Wilco phase.
I’m not eloquent enough– or maybe I should say self aware enough– to describe why I love Wilco. It’s just weird. Wilco is a little weird. For example, in the song “Radio Cure” on the 2001 album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” Jeff Tweedy delivers an awkward vocal performance to accompany his awkward lyrics: “Cheer up, honey, I hope you can/There is something wrong with me.” He sounds half asleep. The music is kind of moody with a heavy bass drum driving the song along as an acoustic guitar strums hard enough to hear the low strings buzz. The song turns around at the end, introducing the line, “Oh, distance has a way of making love understandable” with what sounds like a xylophone. Weird, right?
Not all of Wilco’s music is quite as moody as “Radio Cure,” but I would argue that every song has an element of weird. Whether that’s an out-of-pocket 2 minute long guitar solo, or thrown together lyrics that seem to have no meaning (they probably do, but I don’t have the brain capacity to think about it that deeply during finals week.)
I think the weirdness of Wilco complements the weirdness I feel around winter. It’s dark when I leave for school, and dark by the time I get home from school. It’s so cold outside, but as of now, there isn’t ANY snow. Rexburg has been drained of its color. It makes me feel weird. And I guess Wilco just fits the vibe for lack of a better explanation.
Anyway, I sloppily put together a playlist of the music I’ve been listening to lately. It’s a lot of Wilco, but also a little Beck, Big Thief, Bob Dylan, and Tweedy (Jeff Tweedy’s 2014 project with his son.) Hope you enjoy.
