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 “California Stars” (with Billy Bragg) from Mermaid Avenue, the contemporary folk project based on lyrics by Woody Guthrie; the wistfully sad “Jesus, Etc.” from the multi-layered, genre hopping masterwork Yankee Hotel Foxtrot; and the gorgeous “You and I” (with Leslie Feist) from 2009’s Wilco (The Album). Examine Wilco’s sturdy foundations, in Next Steps.

Now that you’ve tasted the most beloved fruits of singer/lynchpin Jeff Tweedy’s labor, 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 “Monday.” Other early highlights include the wry boozer’s ballad, “Passenger Side,” and “Misunderstood,” which negotiates the seldom-walked path between crushing melancholy and powered-up psychedelia. By the time we get to the title-track on the third album, “Summer Teeth,” the blinds have been lifted and the sun comes flooding in. The band pulls off more 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 catalog, 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 Warner/Reprise label ties for good — but the outfit’s crossover talent shines through left-field foot-tappers like “I’m the Man Who Loves You.” Outstanding concert album Kicking Television – Live In Chicago (recorded in May 2005) yields a stunning version of the dark but lovely “Via Chicago,” while “Just A Kid” is the band’s chuggin’ addition to the SpongeBob SquarePants movie soundtrack.

Chicago’s Wilco has slowly but surely evolved into something . . . phenomenal. Over the course of seven groundbreaking studio albums, and a fistful of fascinating collaborations — notably the two-part Mermaid Avenue Woody Guthrie project with Billy Bragg — the traditional styles of music favored by frontman Jeff Tweedy have been opened up to all manner of experimental influences, and the resultant mixture has revealed a sublime and radical musical genius. Sure, the band relishes sending sonic mutations on some or other unexpected tangent, but at the heart of it all is an affinity for soul-lifting melody and a pure love of rock’s infinite possibilities. And there lies the key to Wilco: unlocking universes that are still being explored to this day.