Tweedy – Sukierae

I am always intrigued when a bandleader like Jeff Tweedy of Wilco feels the need to make a solo album.  What does he need to say solo that he can’t say through his band?  Is Wilco really a band and not Jeff Tweedy and the Wilcos?

In the past Jeff Tweedy has toured solo where he typically plays acoustic music – just the man and his guitar.  Tweedy is something else.  Most tracks include Jeff’s son, 18-year-old Spencer, on drums and a couple of vocalists (Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius). Guitarist Scott McCaughey (Minus 5) is sprinkled on a few tracks.  Jeff Tweedy is calling this a band and not a solo effort: Tweedy. Jeff Tweedy’s voice and vision are clearly dominant, but it does sound like something more than Jeff multi-tracked with back up musicians – there is a band feel here.

Some tracks sound like Wilco (more Being There than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot), others sound like the folky side of Beck and others have a George Harrison feel (a dominant influence in Wilco music in my opinion).  All of the album has a casual demo aesthetic.  This demo aesthetic doesn’t sound lazy as much as intimate.  It is mostly a subtle album – a quite album – it sneaks up on you.  As a long time Wilco fan this is treat – another side of Jeff Tweedy.

A special shout out to Tweedy for taking care of the audiophile fan with the vinyl edition: 180 gram black vinyl and a CD for the digital version.  I am so sick of novelty vinyl that emphasizes the visual over the audio.  And crappy companion MP3 digital downloads are a crime against humanity.  Thank you Tweedy for providing some value at $30.

PS – the “Low Key” video is a hoot!