Artist: Wilco

Album: “Sky Blue Sky”

Release Date: May 15

Label: Nonesuch

Availability: CD, iTunes

Wilco is settling into their skin with their sixth studio release, “Sky Blue Sky.”

The new album demonstrates how the band continues to increase in maturity as musician,s compared to their less-focused previous album “A Ghost is Born.” As singer Jeff Tweedy masters his ability to pour his pain out in his simple yet piercingly true lyrics and sometimes unsure-sounding vocals, the rest of the band discovers how to emanate Tweedy’s artistic ethos with their full sonic sound. The hopeful tapping drum beat of the opening track “Either Way” mirrors Tweedy’s optimistic lyrics, while keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen lays down a simple organ melody that wouldn’t be out of place on Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited.”

The sometimes fluid, sometimes contrasting erratic and staccato guitar lines allow the guitarists to showcase more of their skills as they tie songs up with a neat little bow over Tweedy’s creative and constant strumming. As the band comes together more musically than ever, Tweedy’s insightful and heartbreaking lyrics stand out above his previous songs. The alliterations and clever phrasing of songs like “You are My Face” don’t convey a specific anecdote or setting, but lead the listener to a new emotional location. Other gems like “Side with the Seeds,” “What Light,” and closing song “On and On and On,” are powerful and empowering anthems for a generation that is unsure of who they are and where they are going.

This album takes Tweedy and the rest of Wilco to new heights as they find their place among art rock bands, as well as discover the power of their Americana roots. Each song is a journey to a new place – sometimes abstract, and sometimes lucid.