Wilco Enters a Quieter, More Downbeat Era at the Schnitz

Not so long ago—last year, actually—it seemed Jeff Tweedy was satisfied with Wilco. After a decade of shifting sounds from the weather-beaten alt-country of A.M. to the fractured pop of Summerteeth, his band settled into a jammy groove with A Ghost Is Born, a mood that only intensified after guitarist Nels Cline joined the band.

Related: "Local Dad Ranks Every Wilco Album."

That's Old Wilco now. Schmilco, the band's new record, is downbeat and acoustic—as was Sept. 4's show at the Schnitz, which included one song from each of the four records directly preceding Schmilco. Aside from an extended solo on "Impossible Germany," which drew a standing ovation, Cline stood inconspicuously on the starboard side of the stage, strumming the simple chords of "Should've Been in Love" like a Ferrari rolling by a Wendy's drive-thru.

The stage itself, in fact, was just as much of a centerpiece—a dark and lush forest that recalled a Maurice Sendak illustration. The sparse, new material did highlight Tweedy's remarkably well-preserved voice. His extraordinary ability to whisper and yell-sing on the same song without popping out of perfect pitch was especially obvious on "Pot Kettle Black." Personally, I miss the old Wilco—the half-jazz Wilco, the spaz-on-the-Ghost Wilco. But if Tweedy has shown us anything in the past two decades, it's that he's never going to stick with any sound for long.

All photos by Thomas Teal.

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