Wilco

Steeped in the deepest traditions of roots rock, Wilco blended country textures with an incredible array of disparate musical genres — from airy psychedelia to hot-buttered soul — fashioning a sound both revolutionary and sublime. Cut your (summer) teeth on these supreme examples of what make Wilco work, including the stormin' Woody Guthrie cover "All You Fascists," featuring Billy Bragg. Examine Wilco's sturdy foundations, in Next Steps.

Now that you've tasted the most beloved fruits of Jeff Tweedy's labour, it's time to move deeper into Wilco's world. Their debut album, A.M., laid down a solid foundation of country rock (including the spit-and-sawdust honky-tonk blues of "Casino Queen"), which receives elaboration on the fabulous 1996 follow-up, Being There, featuring the punchy "I Got You (At the End of the Century)." The band pays homage to Big Star, and pulls off stunning creative coups, in Deep Cuts.

Some of Wilco's best songs have gone relatively unnoticed, which is why we're digging deep into their catalogue, bringing to the surface some of the group's most brilliant, if overlooked, cuts. Experimental fourth album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot refuses to play to the gallery, which actually fractured their Reprise Records ties for good — but the outfit's crossover brilliance shines through left-field foot-tappers like "War on War."

Wilco has slowly but surely evolved into something phenomenal. The traditional styles of music favoured by frontman Jeff Tweedy opened their arms to a vast stable of curious onlookers, the resultant mixture a sublime stroke of radical musical genius responsible for a series of pop masterpieces. Insane sonic mutations and soaring orchestras became part of the Wilco experience, rubbing shoulders with that initial country love — and unlocking universes that are still being explored to this day.