Loose Fur
Born Again in the USA
Drag City

Wilco, in all its disguises, can't seem to put out a bad record this decade. The trio known as Loose Fur (Wilco's frontman Jeff Tweedy, Drummer Glenn Kotche, and Producer Jim O'Rourke) make their sophomore effort is their best yet: a subtle collage of impressionistic fuzz-guitar rock, tasteful folk, and the occasional piano ballad out-take from either Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or A Ghost is Born. That said, the less they sound like Wilco the better they get; jumping from Beatles-y country on "The Ruling Class" to math punk on "Apostolic" make for Born Again's best moments. Crashing like Crazy Horse via the Minutemen and crooning like Leonard Cohen, bipolar fantasy rock won't get better this year.

Copyright © 2006 Matthew DeMello