Save for a brief moment in the spotlight when Yankee Hotel Foxtrot became a David-and-Goliath-style fable for the music business, Wilco have quietly gone about establishing a deep and impressive catalog of American pop songs that run the gamut from seedy-motel alt-country to post-modern art rock. For most bands, a double live album would represent either a corporate money grab or a vanity exercise, but for Jeff Tweedy and Co., Kicking Television: Live in Chicago plays like a welcome necessity.
Five proper albums plus two full-length collaborations with Billy Bragg on the Woody Guthrie-resurrecting Mermaid Avenue series provide the band with more than enough ammo to take a shot at the trickiest proposition in rock music.
Drawing heavily from their last two releases, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born, Wilco infuse this 23-song-collection with panache while toeing the delicate balance between three-minute pop songs and extended-jam explorations. The production, always an unknown variable with even the biggest bands (see the nearly unlistenable Oasis live album, Familiar To Millions), is simply incredible. Veteran engineer Jim Scott keeps the mix visceral and smooth, forgoing heavy effects while simultaneously injecting more life into some of the overly muted tracks from Ghost ("Handshake Drugs," "Company In My Back").
At times, Tweedy and the latest incarnation of the band reach sublime, melodic heights, then descend into gnarled white noise within seconds. There are moments on Kicking Television that threaten to out-shrill even the heaviest crustcore in terms of pure chaos. The band walks a fine line between pretension and mass appeal, yet Tweedy always knows when to rein it in and let the noise resolve into traditional songwriter fare. Certain moments illustrate this ethic perfectly. "Misunderstood" opens the proceedings in all its beautiful, lurching, epic glory, and when the band loops the refrain "nothing at all" for what seems like ages, the audience never backs away from the sing-along.
At times, Tweedy and the latest incarnation of the band reach sublime, melodic heights, then descend into gnarled white noise within seconds. There are moments on Kicking Television that threaten to out-shrill even the heaviest crustcore in terms of pure chaos. The band walks a fine line between pretension and mass appeal, yet Tweedy always knows when to rein it in and let the noise resolve into traditional songwriter fare. Certain moments illustrate this ethic perfectly. "Misunderstood" opens the proceedings in all its beautiful, lurching, epic glory, and when the band loops the refrain "nothing at all" for what seems like ages, the audience never backs away from the sing-along.
"Heavy Metal Drummer" and "Hummingbird" get upbeat, radio-friendly treatments, while the pensive "Via Chicago" and the deep cut "A Shot In The Arm" illuminate the darker side of Tweedy's psyche. Few tracks follow their
studio arrangements, the exception being a phenomenal and restrained "Jesus, Etc." that achieves maximum lift off.
True, there are some bona fide classics missing from Kicking Television, but this is not a singles or best-of set. It is, however, proof positive that midway through their career, Wilco are turning the corner enroute to rock 'n' roll immortality.
studio arrangements, the exception being a phenomenal and restrained "Jesus, Etc." that achieves maximum lift off.
True, there are some bona fide classics missing from Kicking Television, but this is not a singles or best-of set. It is, however, proof positive that midway through their career, Wilco are turning the corner enroute to rock 'n' roll immortality.
