Wilco’s newest album is nothing too out of the ordinary for the band, just a little tamer, both instrumentally and vocally, than previous albums.

The awkward entrance to the first song on the album, “Art of Almost,” nearly makes listeners double-check to make sure nothing else is playing in the background. Its rough sound opens up the album with a sound that immediately captures listeners’ attention. The trickling sound that plays through most of the song ignites an image of almost reaching something that is always just a tiny bit out of your reach.

This is one of the strongest tracks on the album and a great opener. The keyboard and guitar throughout this song works to make an abstract yet beautiful sound, which converges with Jeff Tweedy lingering and dragged out lyrics. Although the song is lacking in words, Tweedy makes up for the smaller amount of singing by wowing audiences with his voice.

The second song on the album, “I Might,” is great. The songs catchy tune resembles the kind of music that plays at during a spinning carnival ride. The keyboarding in this song is outrageously fun and makes this a great song to listen to on a beautiful day. Imagine this song blasting on the radio while driving with friends. Fans of The Doors will love this song as their influence is seen throughout the song.

“Dawned On Me” has a steady beat with a strong guitar sound to the song. This is a favorite on the album with its catchy drumbeat and smart lyrics. The song’s mix of keyboard, guitar and drumming make for a delightful twist and twirl for listeners.

“Borne Alone” is another admirable song on the album. With intricate drumming throughout the song the mix of how the music quiet’s when Tweedy is singing then picks up the second he stops creates a engaging listening experience. Each time listeners hear the song they will discover something new.

The weakest songs on the album are “Rising Red Lung” and “Black Moon.” The orchestration of “Rising Red Lung” is drawn out in a tiring way and drowns Tweedy’s vocals. “Black Moon” seems to have the same problem. For some reason the instrumentation on this track seems as if it were played in a pool of Jell-O. The lyrics were almost a step behind the music itself throughout the song.

The CD is pretty good overall and many fans of Wilco will relate it most to their 2002 album, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” With mixed influences from bands of previous eras such as the Beatles as well as influences from more recent acts this CD offers a diverse but cohesive track list. Would definitely suggest paying a few extra dollars for the deluxe version of this album because it has some pretty awesome bonus songs.

 Chanel Saidi can be reached at [email protected].