Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

By Myke Atkinson

I actually didn’t want to choose this as my album of the year. It’s had so much acclaim already, has topped so many top ten lists; it seemed almost redundant. But no matter how many times I looked through my CD collection, I just couldn’t find anything to put above it. From the opening drums of “I am trying to break your heart” to the guitar skronk of “I’m the man who loves you” and the pained love of “Reservations,” there isn’t a weak track in the bunch. More than that, it works beautifully as an album, and the production has enough quirks that, cliche as it may be, you can really hear something new every time you listen. Call it alt-country, call it the new OK Computer, call it whatever you want–Jeff Tweedy has created a masterpiece. This is the pop-rock record of the year, even if you don’t want to admit it.

1- …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Source Tags and Codes (Interscope)

2- Lorrie Matheson, You Should Know By Now (Indie)

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