For my money, I still find Wilco's 2002 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot to be the seminal release of this decade, just a smidge over Radiohead's Kid A. The way they melded experimental noise with their established Alt-Country/Pop-Rock sound just astounded me and I'm still astonished by it every single time I listen to it. 2004's A Ghost Is Born and the two Loose Fur side project records were good, but I just found the experimentation too self-indulgent for my tastes. I was really starting to miss the Wilco that gave us Being There and Summerteeth - then ironically like a bolt from the blue, comes Sky Blue Sky - Wilco's most straight forward record of the decade - hearkening back to their pop-slanted alt/country salad days.

No doubt Sky Blue Sky is going to please some and alienate others. If you hopped on board the Wilco gravy train with Yankee because you dug what Jim O'Rourke brought to the noisy production table you may be slightly miffed with what Jeff Tweedy and company have brought to the forefront this go around. Some critics have even gone as far as to call Sky Blue Sky "Dad Rock" and I think that's completely unfair. You're gonna tell me that someone like Hootie & The Blowfish or Blues Traveler have an album like this in them? Puh-lease! Don't make me laugh! Without a doubt what makes this Wilco album stand out is the addition of touring guitarst and Experimental-Jazz guitar virtuoso in his own right Nels Cline as a full-fledged member. His guitar work on tracks such as "You Are My Face," "Impossible Germany" and "Side With the Seeds" are an absolute marvel to behold. Not to mention that Tweedy hasn't sounded this comfortable in his own skin in years. You can tell that he's been listening to a lot of Beatles, Byrds, The Band and other assorted "B" bands to come up with this easy going flow for Sky Blue Sky. Even a track like "Walken" feels more like ZZ Top than Zappa and what's wrong with getting your Classic-Rock jones on once in a while? (Not a single fucking thing, in case you hadn't made up your mind.) I think quite a few music snobs out there are feeling guilty for liking an album this simple but why should you? Sometimes cuttin' loose and enjoying something you can sing along to at the top of your lungs can be refreshing and Sky Blue Sky rewards listeners with more and more repeated listens. Sky Blue Sky isn't breaking any new ground in music (or for Wilco) that's for sure, but sometimes there's sheer pleasure and considerable comfort in the simple and the familiar.