Cousin | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 29, 2023 | |||
Recorded | January 2019 – May 2023 [1] | |||
Studio | The Loft, Chicago, Illinois, United States [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:54 | |||
Label | dBpm | |||
Producer | Cate Le Bon | |||
Wilco chronology | ||||
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"There aren't a whole lot of white male rock groups that feel vibrant in any way to me. I don't know what they're singing about. I don't know what they're angry about. I don't know what they care about other than maintaining and protecting their status, and I don't want that to be the way Wilco looks at itself. It felt really right to ask a woman to produce a record for us because it was an honest way to surrender some of those assumptions."
Contents
Cousin is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on September 29, 2023, by dBpm Records. The album was produced by Cate Le Bon, representing the first time the band used an outside producer in over a decade since 2009's Wilco (The Album) , and was preceded by two singles: "Evicted" [1] and the title track. [6] The album has received positive reviews from critics.
Recording for Cousin came at a time of particular productivity for Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy. [7] Cate Le Bon encouraged the band against live in-studio recording and instead recorded instruments individually, growing from 2019 demos recorded by Tweedy. [8] Band members would play together and then split up to focus on their individual instruments, [7] for instance, Le Bon worked with multi-instrumentalist Nels Cline for two days recording solo parts. [9] Tweedy asked her to produce the album after the two met at a live performance, in spite of having no intention of bringing in an outside producer. [10] Once she agreed, the duo discussed over the phone what the sound would be for the album and traded digital files of several dozen songs before going into the studio. [11] Out of thirtysomething tracks, Le Bon narrowed it down to 14 to work on, with "Ten Dead" additionally written during the recording sessions. [12] During recording, Le Bon had extensive thoughts on how each instrument and musician should sound and the band members were deferential to her preferences. [13] Wilco also recorded and released Cruel Country in 2022 in order to take more time to finish the music on Cousin. [14] Additionally, Le Bon's band recorded in Wilco's Loft studio and she formed a friendship with Tweedy. [15]
Editors at AnyDecentMusic? aggregated 14 reviews to score this release a 7.8 out of 10. [16] According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Cousin received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 from 14 critic scores. [17]
Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Mark Deming writing "Cousin represents a genuine shift for the band as they've ceded some control over their recording process for a change", resulting in "a powerful, affecting work that once again shows how many great things Wilco can do". [18] Scott Bauer of the Associated Press called this "a deeply layered, musically rich record" where "the soundscape is so thick it feels like an aural impressionist painting, with layer upon layer of music melded together to create a sonic image". [19] In the Indie Basement column at BrooklynVegan , Bill Pearis chose this as one of the best albums of the week, telling readers who have not listened to Wilco in years that this is a reason to check in on their new work. [20] Exclaim! ' Clay Geddert rated this album an 8 out of 10 for showing "a fresh perspective on what their sound could be". [21] Ryan Dillon of Glide Magazine praised this music for "Wilco's most complex and evocative album in years" and blending artsy or avant-garde tendencies with accessible songwriting [22] and he chose "Sunlight Ends" as one of the best songs of the week, calling it "a moody example of the band's experimentation, an electronic drum pattern sets the tone for dancing guitar strings and sinfully sweet vocals". [23]
The Guardian 's Alexis Petridis proclaimed Cousin album of the week and gave it 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "no one comes to a Wilco album looking for carefree emotional uplift, but the anxieties expressed here feel different, very much the product of a writer 20 years older than the author of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot ". [24] In Hot Press , John Walshe gave this album an 8 out of 10, noting that this period of the band's sound "eschews the punkier elements of their DNA in favour of a more laid-back, countrified tone" and this mid-tempo tone results in "another stellar album from a band who seem permanently at the peak of their powers.". [25] Ed Power of Irish Examiner gave Cousin 4 out of 5 stars, characterizing the music: "it's catchy and often very warm but full of the avant-garde wrinkles that have led critics to herald the Chicago outfit America's answer to Radiohead". [26] Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times gave the same score, calling it "Wilco's most progressive album in years, dappled with a sumptuous melancholic hue that drapes itself over songs such as Ten Dead and the sombre, minor chord swoon of Levee". [27] A feature from Louder Sound saw Sam Walton calling this the best Wilco album since 2004's A Ghost Is Born and the choice to enlist Le Bon "the most elegant producer-led transformation of the past 25 years". [28]
John Mulvey of Mojo rated Cousin 4 out of 5 stars, praising Le Bon as "a trusted interloper who can unlock new dimensions for this most reliable but restless of contemporary American bands". [29] In The New Zealand Herald , Graham Reid called Cousin "a gently deft approach to the experimentation that they've explored". [30] Writing for No Depression , Kyle Peterson calling this release not "a return to the grand statements of the late 1990s and early 2000s so much as a distinctive entry that still fits comfortably in the band's latter-day output". [31] In Paste , Eric R. Danton expressed disappointment with this album, calling it "underwhelming" in spite of select tracks that are success. [32] Writing for Pitchfork , Zach Schonfeld scored Cousin a 7.1 out of 10 for recalling the earlier experimental period of the band's history and writes that it and previous album Cruel Country "both peer out at a country infected with hypocrisy and moral rot"; [33] editors at the site shortlisted this as one of the best albums of the week. [34] At PopMatters , John Garratt expressed that the band both experimented but also "played it too safe" on Cousin, stating that, "when Wilco does get around to the surprising elements in Cousin, they pull them off with so much subtlety that you might miss them entirely". [35]
Rolling Stone featured a favorable review from Will Hermes, where the critic praised the production and how "part of Wilco's magic is its mutability... and how artfully it always cleaves to Tweedy's narrative voice, one of the most companionable in modern song, even when he's channeling flawed characters, which he frequently is". [4] In Slant Magazine , Thomas Bedenbaugh credited Le Bon for this album having a more experimental style than previous Wilco releases and rated Cousin 3.5 out of 5 stars. [36] Michael Gallucci of Ultimate Classic Rock called this work an "aural tour de force", continuing that "the music, drifting among the avant-pop playground Wilco has spent the past two decades traversing, suits the occasionally despairing, often hopeful mood". [37] In Uncut , Tom Pinnock scored Cousin 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising the production and writing that this music is "deliciously weird and intoxicatingly angular, but it still sounds like a Wilco album, not a Le Bon collaboration". [3] Michael James Hall of Under the Radar scored this work an 8.5 out of 10, calling it "a complex and clever album". [38] In the Wall Street Journal , Mark Richardson emphasized the continuity this album has with Wilco's previous work, writing that the production "seems to lend a welcome tint rather than change Wilco's palette" and calls this the best album by the band since "at least 2015's Star Wars ". [39]
Outlet | Listing | Rank |
---|---|---|
AllMusic [40] | Favorite Alternative & Indie Albums | — |
Irish Independent [41] | The best international albums of 2023 | 11 |
Mojo [42] | Mojo's Top 75 Albums of 2023 | 11 |
El País [43] | The best music albums of 2023 | 11 |
Rolling Stone [44] | The 100 Best Albums of 2023 | 73 |
Rolling Stone [45] | The 40 Best Indie-Rock Albums of 2023 | — |
Uncut [46] | Uncut's Top 75 Albums of 2023 | 3 |
Under the Radar [47] | Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2023 | 15 |
Ultimate Classic Rock named "Evicted" the 18th best rock song of the year. [48] Uncut editor Michael Bonner included this album on his list of the best of the year. [49]
A 2024 ranking of all of Wilco's studio albums by Spin placed Cousin at 10 out of 15 and Al Shipley wrote that it "may have the most empty space of any Wilco album, pulling even further back from the restraint of Ode to Joy. [50]
All songs written by Jeff Tweedy
Wilco
Additional personnel
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [51] | 60 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [52] | 60 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [53] | 25 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [54] | 77 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [55] | 36 |
French Albums (SNEP) [56] | 189 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [57] | 21 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [58] | 51 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [59] | 11 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [60] | 21 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [61] | 18 |
UK Albums (OCC) [62] | 65 |
US Billboard 200 [63] | 65 |
Wilco is an American rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its first decade, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation. Since early 2004 the lineup has been unchanged, consisting of Tweedy, Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen, and drummer Glenn Kotche. Wilco has released thirteen studio albums, a live double album, and four collaborations: three with Billy Bragg and one with the Minus 5.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on April 23, 2002. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2000. These sessions, which were documented for the film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, were marred by conflicts including a switch in drummers and disagreements among the band members and engineers about songs. Despite this, the album would be mostly completed in early 2001. The album showcased a more atmospheric and experimental sound than the band's previous work, and has been described as art rock and indie rock by music critics. It was the band's first album with drummer Glenn Kotche, and last with multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jay Bennett.
A Ghost Is Born is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on June 22, 2004, by Nonesuch Records. It features singer Jeff Tweedy on lead guitar more than any previous Wilco album. The band streamed the album online free, and offered a five-song EP to purchasers.
Jeffrey Scot Tweedy is an American musician, singer songwriter, author, and record producer best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Wilco. Tweedy, originally from Belleville, Illinois, began his music career in high school with his band The Plebes along with Jay Farrar, also in the band. It became the alternative country band Uncle Tupelo.
Summerteeth is the third studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on March 9, 1999, by Reprise Records. The album was heavily influenced lyrically by 20th century literature, as well as singer Jeff Tweedy's marital problems. Unlike previous albums, Summerteeth was heavily overdubbed in the studio with Pro Tools. Tweedy and Jay Bennett wrote most of the album in the studio, a contrast to the band's previous albums, which were often recorded live by the entire band with minimal overdubs.
Being There is the second studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on October 29, 1996, by Reprise Records. Despite its release as a double album, Being There was sold at a single album price as a result of a deal between lead singer Jeff Tweedy and the band's label Reprise Records. Compared to their debut album A.M. (1995), the album was an improvement for the band in both sales and critical reception. Taking its name from the 1979 film of the same name, the self-produced album featured more surrealistic and introspective writing than on A.M. This was due in part to several significant changes in Tweedy's life, including the birth of his first child. Musically, it juxtaposed the alternative country styles songs reminiscent of Uncle Tupelo with psychedelic, surreal songs. It was the only Wilco album with steel guitarist Bob Egan, their first with multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett and their last with multi-instrumentalist Max Johnston.
A.M. is the debut studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on March 28, 1995, by Sire Records and Reprise Records. The album was released only months after the breakup of Uncle Tupelo, an alternative country band that was the predecessor of Wilco. Prior to its release, there was debate about whether the album would be better than the debut album of Son Volt, the new band of former Uncle Tupelo lead singer Jay Farrar.
Kicking Television: Live in Chicago is a live album by Chicago alternative rock band Wilco, released on November 15, 2005, by Nonesuch Records. The album consists of material from four live shows at Chicago's Vic Theater recorded May 4, 2005 to May 7, 2005. Although the band filmed the concerts, they decided not to release the footage as a DVD. It was the band's first album with an expanded lineup featuring Nels Cline and Pat Sansone.
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco is a 2002 black-and-white documentary film by director/photographer Sam Jones, following the American alt-country rock band Wilco through the creation and distribution of their fourth studio album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The film, distributed to theaters in the United States through Cowboy Pictures, was released on July 26, 2002, three months after the album's retail release.
Sky Blue Sky is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on May 15, 2007 by Nonesuch Records. Originally announced on January 17, 2007 at a show in Nashville, Tennessee, it was the band's first studio album with guitarist Nels Cline and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone. Before its release, the band streamed the entire album on its official website and offered a free download of "What Light".
Cate Le Bon is a Welsh musician, songwriter and record producer. She sings in both English and Welsh. She has released six solo studio albums, to date, and is one half of the experimental music duo DRINKS with her partner Tim Presley. Her stage name is a tribute to English musician Simon Le Bon.
Wilco (The Album) is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on June 30, 2009, by Nonesuch Records. Prior to release, Wilco streamed the album on their website. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.
The Whole Love is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on September 27, 2011. It is the first Wilco album that was released on their own label dBpm. Attendees at Wilco's 2011 Solid Sound Festival at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art from June 24 to 26 could purchase the first single from the album, "I Might". The entire album was streamed live on Wilco's official website for 24 hours between September 3 and 4, 2011, and later streamed on National Public Radio. The album packaging and cover art are pieces by Joanne Greenbaum. On November 30, 2011, the album received a nomination in the 54th Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album.
dBpm Records is an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois, and founded in 2011 by Grammy Award winning, alternative rock band Wilco. The label has released all of Wilco's albums since The Whole Love in 2011. It was aided by ADA for distribution, until the label had a new distribution agreement with Sony Music Entertainment in 2023; Cousin was the first release under the new distribution agreement. The label has also released Don't Lose This by Pop Staples; Sukierae, an album created by Jeff Tweedy and his son Spencer Tweedy; a set of solo albums by Jeff Tweedy called WARM + WARMER; and most recently, the final live album by the late Daniel Johnston, Chicago 2017.
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Cruel Country is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on May 27, 2022, by dBpm Records. A double album, Cruel Country sees the band fully embracing their country music leanings. It was supported with the release of two singles: "Falling Apart " and "Tired of Taking It Out on You". On release, the album received critical acclaim and debuted at number 190 on the US Billboard 200.
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