- In recent years, Wilco have taken to puerility when titling their albums. This is evidenced in their last two records, humorously titled, Star Wars and Schmilco. However, they've gone in the opposite direction with their latest, Ode to Joy, which shares the name of Beethoven’s well-known classic. Perhaps unfitting of the aforementioned releases, Ode to Joy’s grandiose title, in a perverse way, is more apt to the work at hand. Wilco’s eleventh studio album is a sparse, subtle offering from a band that seems to be revelling in the adage that less is more.
Off the bat, the drums and percussion stand out. Although this is usually the case with adroit drummer Glenn Kotche, the percussion on Ode to Joy is particularly captivating due to its restraint. Despite Kotche’s penchant for complex rhythms, here he's uncharacteristically simple and deploying a sound almost bereft of cymbals to boot. This is the case on opener Bright Leaves which begins with a salient beat that sounds like it should accompany a litany of spiritual chants. There is a similar approach on the following number Before Us which serves as a pensive reflection on the past and present: “I remember when wars would end / Now when something dies, we try to kill it again.” Third track, One & A Half Stars is a quintessential Wilco song. Beginning with lo-fi shuffling overheard by a sensitive mic, it gently crescendos into a panoply of fluttering sounds that showcase the restricted intricacy of a band with nothing to prove.
Along with One & A Half Stars, songs such as White Wooden Cross and Love Is Everywhere are beautiful in a way that fans will no doubt adore. Elsewhere, Quiet Amplifier and We Were Lucky, allow the band to lean more heavily on their creative side, relying less on song structure and pop-hooks and more on subtle atmospherics. Unfortunately, among these highlights, sit mediocre songs like, Everyone Hides and the arduous, Citizens which repeats a jejune chorus of “White lies”, which comes across as an unsophisticated dig at political subterfuge. In the end, Ode to Joy finishes gently but triumphantly with Empty Corner — a soft ballad filled with coalescing acoustic guitars. Putting the lie to its joyous moniker, this album is thoroughly melancholic. However, it manages to end on a hopeful note, with final lyrics, “Don’t believe you don’t care / You’ve got family out there”. Wilco never needed to release another record, no further proof was needed of their long-acknowledged, legendary status. Despite that, Ode to Joy is further evidence that Wilco are still at the peak of their powers and yes, they care quite a lot.
- Jon Cloumassis.