Wilco: Cousin (LP)

Distantly related Somewhat surprisingly, Wilco have announced their new album "Cousin" for the end of September. The band led by Jeff Tweedy only released the acclaimed "Cruel Country" last year. On this album, the sextet focused more strongly on the alternative country sound of the band's early phase. This detour was well received by fans and critics alike and the album landed in various best of 2022 lists. Even back then, Jeff Tweedy said in several interviews that during the songwriting sessions in the band's own studio The Loft, a "pile" of country songs and one with more colorful, experimental tracks were created. so "Cousin" might actually be the somewhat strange, distant relative of its more traditional predecessor. The ten new songs were penned by band leader Jeff Tweedy and are accompanied by the longstanding core line-up of Nels Cline, Mikael Jorgensen, Glenn Kotche, John Stirratt, Pat Sansone and, of course, Tweedy on vocals. The latter's unique songwriting voice is on full display, with lyrics that cover a variety of topics. The first single "Evicted" captivates with breezy psychedelic flourishes and is a great relationship story from the point of view of the abandoned. A unique and new element in the recording process was the involvement of Welsh singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon as producer - the first time in over ten years that an outsider has been actively involved in a Wilco recording session.