Wilco "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (2002) - got it
YHF was a mixture of experiences for Wilco, on the one hand parting company with their
drummer, but parting with him in favour of new more versatile drummer Glen Kotche. They
were still making the "Mermaid Avenue" albums with Billy Bragg on the
side. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot ended up being rejected by their record
label and the band released it online before having the chance to
release it themselves the next year on a smaller label. Regardless of its
proliferation on the internet, it was their most successful release up
till that point... but to add to the rollercoaster, they were also sued
for the use of a sound sample used on the album.
The album title came from the phonetic alphabet used on a collection of
short-wave radio recordings that singer Jeff Tweedy had heard. There
is a bit of a short-wave radio sound and a vibe of searching the airwaves to
the opening track "I am Trying to Break Your Heart" (which features some great stop-start drumming) and moody, atmospheric closer "Reservations".
The album is mostly a continuation of their melodic alt-country,
but the are a few different sounds, like the rocking "I'm the Man Who
Loves You" with it's brass that almost has a bit of a Beatles vibe to
it. "Poor Places" is mostly Tweedy singing over a radio frequency-like
drones but guitar and piano parts develop over them, building to a
crescendo of song and drone.
Another album that my wife owns and that I was more than happy to listen to.
