Judging a Cover By Its Cover: Wilco “Sky Blue Sky”

February 27, 2008 by John Foster  Send to a Friend

John Foster takes music packaging very seriously. He has deconstructed the design of the recording industry through his personal work and his books, Maximum Page Design (HOW), New Masters of Poster Design (Rockport) and the upcoming For Sale: Innovative Solutions in Packaging Design (HOW) as well as a monograph of Sub Pop’s Art Director, Jeff Kleinsmith, slated for publication by the label in 2008.

He will be poking and prodding various albums on a weekly basis so please be sure to keep an eye out!

This week’s victims:

Wilco “Sky Blue Sky”

Is it worth listening to no matter what it looks like? I am a huge Uncle Tupelo fan and when Jeff Tweedy formed Wilco, my expectations were high. Amazingly, with the release of “Summerteeth” they were realized as I wore the disc thin and annoyed the beejeezus out of my boss by playing it 5 or 6 times a day for 2 months straight (it was even worse when I introduced the studio to Neutral Milk Hotel and we continued the pattern - making the poor guy full blown insane on the other side of our office.) When they debuted “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” I, like many others, were stunned to see the level of song writing remain so stellar and find it accompanied by sonic experimentation that thrilled at nearly every turn. I missed the lyrical intimacy of “Summerteeth” that seemed to be an adult continuation of his Tupelo high point “Gun,” but it seemed an even trade at the time. I was eagerly awaiting, “A Ghost is Born,” but what arrived was a disc more informed by long stretches of playing live than anything of a personal nature. I could never really get in to it despite a handful of keepers in the mix. When “What Light” signaled the impending release of “Sky Blue Sky” I was less than impressed but that didn’t suppress my hope for a return to form.

What I ended up being presented with was a dire question: How many of my favorite songwriters were going to be ruined by listening to the Grateful Dead, Little Feat and similar shufflers and noodlers from the 60s and 70s? Ryan Adams is long past saving and it is a true shame (seriously - go back and listen to the first solo and the last Whiskeytown) and now Tweedy’s rowboat was taking on bong water. I should have seen this coming. Incorporating Nels Cline into the group may yield some exciting moments in a live setting (this record definitely has a jammy feel in parts) but when you hear that first excruciating solo in the middle of “Either Way” you know he is going to mow over any sublime qualities the songs may hold. Its only when he is held in check and the disc more closely resembles Tweedy’s solo acoustic tour that things are bearable, such as the title track and the catchy (but lyrically messy) “Impossible Germany.” Unfortunately, these songs have to fight it out with “Hate it Here” and quite possibly the worst lyrics of all time - no metaphor available for “I even learned how to use the washing machine?” This is the same guy that wrote “She’s A Jar” right? I am sure he is taking different meds now but should it change his capabilities to that extent? When the piano intro of “Dixie Chicken” b-side “Walken” kicks in I am ready to jump overboard. Where was Jim O’Rourke to save this mess? I had to check the credits to see if percussionmeister Glenn Kotche was still in the band as I couldn’t tell the difference between his playing here and Kenny Aronoff’s work for John Cougar. Actually I take that back. Aronoff’s work had a little more bite.

I expect folks to disagree with my analysis but think of it this way - if Train released this very same album it would have been 1 star in Rolling Stone and people sure as hell wouldn’t line up to see them peddle this live. I hope the two nights at 9:30 are heavy on the back catalog.

Credit: “Graphic Design: Jeff Tweedy and Lawrence Azerrad, at LADdesign, Los Angeles, CA, Cover photo: “Sky Chase” by Manuel Presti, Photography: Frank Ockenfels, Illustrations: Nathaniel Murphy”

Any signs of creative interference in the design process by the artist? Tweedy listed himself first didn’t he?

Does the look fit the sound? Wilco has done a nice job with a minimalist look on its last few albums. Sticking solely to black and white imagery with the exception of the tired Hockney inspired band portrait on the center spread of the booklet, the record holds together and Presti’s evocative portrait of a peregrine falcon coming towards a darting blur of starlings mixes beautifully with Murphy’s wonderful line art. The cropping of the falcon alone on the actual cover of the booklet is simple and beautiful in it’s own right. I do wish the abrupt cut of the photo on the rear tray served a purpose or had been handled with more care but it is not a party ruining issue. Holding the disc in my hands I can’t help but shake my head in dismay.

The purpose of this recording seems stated here in the sense of confusion and collective peril and being alone yet having a group close in on you in the photograph. Any of the simple yet exquisitely detailed drawings could have served as an interesting cover. The lack of outward typography (a dare somewhat embraced by the band over the course of their career) only serves to highlight a somberness and contemplative state where it seems to be all or nothing yet you stand pat. What could have been is here for you to see. I only wish Cline had the restraint shown in the design and Tweedy applied the meticulous detail running through the illustrations. If the affection given to the exterior design had been matched on the interior recordings we could have been enjoying the third great Wilco record as opposed to the second worst.

Final score (out of 10): 7.0 (3.0 for the music)

You can catch the second night of Wilco’s stand at the 9:30 tonight if you managed to snatch up tickets long long ago.

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