493: Wilco — Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001/2002, Nonesuch)

Overall rating: 5

Level of prior familiarity: 5

How I listened: Spotify + Echo

If you ask me what my favorite Wilco album is, I’ll tell you Wilco (The Album). And you’d call me crazy. And I probably am. Because anybody with half a brain knows that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a masterpiece, and most certainly the band’s definitive statement, a clever, contemplative distillation of their previous output into a completely fresh brand of Americana, rock, and pop.

But then my favorite Beatles album is The Beatles, which also is not their best album (from a songwriting perspective, Abbey Road takes the trophy, and for pure pop perfection Revolver wins for me).

See this is the problem with objectivity in music — it sometimes misses the point. I can say with some certainty that Weezer’s first self-titled release (the Blue Album) is their finest work, but Pinkerton is the one that touched my psyche like a bullet to my teenage brain.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is perfect from start to finish. And I’ve listened to it a zillion times. “I am trying to break your heart” is a gorgeous cacophony of distortion, scraped strings, fluttering pianos, minimalistic drums, and smart lyricism. And it’s one hell of a way to start an album. And the wins just keep coming: “Kamera,” “War on war,” “Jesus, etc.,” and even the epic 7 minute closer “Reservations are all near-perfect Americana-pop gems.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is an unreserved 5 for me. It stands the test of time, and it remains one of my favorite albums of all time.

But Wilco (The Album) is still my favorite Wilco album. So sue me.