What initially piqued my interest in Wilco and Yankee Hotel Foxtrotwas learning of Jim O?Rourke?s collaboration with frontman Jeff Tweedyon the production side of the disc. That and the fact that group wasnow employing the choice talents of Glenn Kotche, who also just happensto be O?Rourke?s drummer. As Loose Fur, this trio have recentlyreleased a collection of five vocal tunes and one instrumental whichhighlight the varied, yet equally brilliant songwriting andmusicianship of the two bandleaders and their sideman. "Laminated Cat"opens the disc with some laid back analog synths bubbling underneathdriving percussion and a blend of acoustic and electric guitars thatweave and mesh throughout, building into a wall of distortion and noisethat ring the tune out. From there, it doesn?t take too long to hear akind of formula that appears on some of the disc?s other songs: playthrough a great tune that?s well written, beautifully sung and nicelyarranged, then jam out on some of the changes for the next three tofour minutes with some improv/noise-type guitar embellishments and aplethora of percussion. Of course, this is also part of what makes thisdisc so appealing as the "we're here to play" attitude conveys anexcitement that can't help but be contagious. More laid back tracksbased around the acoustic guitar such as "You Were Wrong" showcase somestrong songwriting that comes across with a nice, earthy feel anddoesn't really require a whole lot of decorating thanks in part toKotche's time feel. The wry and edgy lyrics of O?Rourke?s two vocaltunes are complimented by three from Tweedy, whose imagery is evocativeand quite poetic. This strong collaboration is ripe with greatsongwriting, interesting arrangements and instrumentation (you willhear banjo) with a cohesion that shows just how much these guys aremasters of their craft. Read More
