I heard about this album a few years ago from a friend who's even farther into the frontiers of modern pop than I am. It took a little patience, but I got to like it quite a bit. The songwriting is solid with a nice country tinge, and the performance is excellent: I particularly like the piano parts, not to mention the distinctive rasp of Jeff Tweedy's voice. The album deserves classic status on the sound of the vocals alone.

But as many nice things as I have to say about it, there are flaws in YHF that bother me more the more I listen to it. It's very noisy - which would be okay, except that a lot of the noise doesn't fit. Listen to OK Computer (another noisy record) and you'll be hard-pressed to find a single sound that doesn't blend perfectly into the soundscape; on YHF, though, I sometimes have to strain to hear the actual song over a burst of static or feedback. The stretches of noise are too long and too harsh: they end up working against the music rather than with it.

Overall I really admire Wilco's work, and not just on this album. But it seems to me that some parts of YHF were a lot more fun to make than to listen to.

What if Bob Dylan joined the Beatles? That is Wilco! Jeff Tweedy is the driving force behind this group. Is Yankee Hotel Foxtrot that good? Can it rank up there with Blonde On Blonde and Sgt Pepper? You decide.

So maybe I was kind of disappointed that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot doesn't have as much country influence. This band is grouped as Alt Country, and I always thought the genre label sounded good. Well, so much for that (hey I hate classifying genres and lumping bands into a single genre, but most people who listen to it actually believe they sort of fit into the category. From what I have heard (as of sound samples and such), their double album Being There, sounds a lot more country but retains the Wilco sound I seem to be attracted to on this album.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a freaking great album. Even though there was a lack of country sometimes, it's there, and it's more than just that. Electronic, folk, well, you can't lump just one genre on it. Wilco's lyrics, by Jeff Tweedy are melancholy, yet hopeful. His voice is a bit rough at times, but I am perfectly fine with that, because his voice still is emotional and sounds great.

The music is one of the stars of this album. If you ask me, the music, while not background, will establish a mood, in ways that is pretty excellent, actually. Jesus Etc, with it's strings, fits an image of a stranded man trapped in the office of the World Trade Center, lamenting to his wife on the phone. Kamera feels light and breezy, and the song even matches when I walk. Radio Cure's somber mood makes everything a whole lot better. People who like varied music that you can't pigenhole into one genre will love the music, and the pop sensibility helps the album a _______load.

There isn't a bad song on this record. Yes, some songs are better than others, but that's going to happen. But that's not really saying much, since none of these songs are merely average. Heavy Metal Drummer is kind of a lone duck, but it's the first Wilco song I heard. This one catchy scattered with with electronic music. I am Trying To Break Your Heart, the first hit, is loaded with melancholy lush instrumentation. War On War is loaded with so much mood and irrestibility it's pretty hard not to love it. Highlights pretty much abound on this album.

So what's exactly wrong with the score? Well, I still don't exactly think this is Grade A material, but dang, that still won't change the fact that it still owns. SOme of the experimentation isn't as interseting. The guitar line that opens up the otherwise excellent I'm The Man Who Loves You, for example. Yes, Tweedy has a couple of blah signing parts, but that's a minor quirk.

Believe the hype. Don't worry about shallow alt country losers like Ryan Adams, Wilco owns. Also check out Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo while your at it.

9.0/10

I've listened to this record hundreds of times, and still manage to find new snorks and squonks. I love the fact that WB initially didn't find it "commercial" enough, but when all was said and done, they ended up buying it twice! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Buy this, and listen to it over and over again.

I must admit that when I first heard YHF back in '02 or '03, I thought it was interesting but not quite on par with Being There or SummerTeeth. I actually felt disappointed by it in a way that now seems inexplicable to me, especially since it has become my favorite Wilco CD over time. Sometimes first impressions aren't the best, and, sorry Ginsberg, first impulses aren't always right.

In pulling together the songs that would ultimately boil down to make YHF, Tweedy and company left a lot of castaways behind, including several band members and the 6 song "More Like The Moon" EP which can now be downloaded for free from their web site in 192kbs MP3 form with artwork. Working with new collaborators Jim O'Rourke and Glenn Kotche (Tweedy's Loose Fur pals), the band began honing the sonic experiments and melodic songwriting to their purest, often disquieting form. A wealthy of unreleased material exists from these sessions, and songs like "Cars Can't Escape," "Venus Stop The Train," and "Let Me Come Home" would have fit in nicely with YHF's overall vibe. Hopefully those songs and others from these sessions will get official releases in the future.

From here on out, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT will be regarded as a beautiful, haunting classic, and one that seems to deal with issues of communication, or the lack thereof. Now it's hard not to hear this album as a looming soundtrack for the post-911 world. This is essential listening!