>I find _Summerteeth_ to be a mixed bag. I appreciate the growth of the
>band and think their departure from alt-country is perfectly appropriate.
>It's a sonically stimulating record for me and it joins a collection
>ofother discs that I enjopy for the very same reason. Enjoyable, but I
>can't say it's going to make my "best of" list.
Since I got Summerteeth I've been trying to find the right
time and place to make a comment and this might be the
best spot yet. I really have no problem with Wilco moving
away from alt-country. I really came to this alt-country thing
relatively recently so there is a lot of stuff way outside the
boundaries I like. However, the key is that I have to like it.
For me, Summerteeth just sort of lays there. When I have
it on in the office, I oftentimes go for a long period of time
after it has finished before I notice that there is nothing playing.
It is, perhaps, the perfect background music - it stays in the
background. While it's true that there are many interesting
things going on, those things are only good if you really,
really listen for them. For me, the best music sort of grabs
you by the throat and holds you down, whether we're talking
about Metallica or a Julie Miller song. This one just sort
of lies in the corner. Doesn't mean it's bad, rather just
that I don't care for it.
Tom Baker
