speed of dark

The album that sounds the least like the rest of the Wilco catalogue, A.M. remains caught in the crossroads between Jeff Tweedy's former band, Uncle Tupelo, and the emerging experimental rock band that Wilco was to become. Almost the entire group from Uncle Tupelo are present on A.M., with the exception of Jay Farrar, whose well-publicized "break-up" with Tweedy formed both Wilco and Son Volt.

The songs are simple and straight foward, much like one would expect from a new band still finding their voice. All but one of the tracks were written by Tweedy, who focused on love and loss of that love in each of the songs. It's a nice, sweet listen, and it shows just how much Wilco has grown and changed in the last ten years.

My least favorite track is definitely "Casino Queen", which I skip every time I listen to the album. Other than that, I often play the album from start to finish. I have a memory of listening to "Passenger Side", a lighthearted, funny song, while driving around L.A. with alt-gramma. All of the other songs are unembellished sweet songs that could be found on any other country-rock album. It's nice sometimes to look back at a band who is commonly referred to as one of the best bands making music today and see their humble beginnings.

Enjoy these tracks from Wilco's first album:

wilco: passenger side
wilco: shouldn't be ashamed

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