On their newest album, “Cousin,” legendary indie-rock band Wilco brought in outside producer Cate Le Bon to shake up the band’s process, an exciting headline after years of middling albums. However, the new tracks feel more like a false promise.
“Cousin” comes just a year after the band released “Cruel Country” (2022), a double-album that harkened back to the group’s alt-country beginnings. The new album — the band’s first with an outside producer since 2009 — felt like it might bring the band back to the experimental roots of 2002’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” which is undoubtedly their most widely-celebrated album, having earned the band the coveted score of 10 out of 10 on Pitchfork.
However, “Cousin” fails to live up to the expectations of a step in a new direction for the band. It feels like Wilco are playing it safe, adding in a few flourishes to make it seem like what they’re doing is exciting. The intro track “Infinite Surprise” begins with multiple guitars playing randomly panned hard-right or hard-left in the mix, but then it quickly reverts back to a quiet, by-the-books track. The song is indicative of the album as a whole, giving the listener hope for something new, then reverting right back to where Wilco is most comfortable.
While some of the new tracks play it too safe, they are still solid songs. Wilco’s worst music is still passable; it’s just a tough pill to swallow when the band is clearly capable of reaching much higher peaks. Songs like “Levee” and “Evicted” are certainly listenable and display a great deal of musical prowess, but they just don’t push the band into any new creative direction.
“Sunlight Ends” and “A Bowl and A Pudding” are both placed directly in the middle of the album, bringing it to quite a lull. The tracks have beautiful, lush instrumentation, but the songs have no sense of propulsion or forward momentum. They’re just too plodding and repetitive to keep the listener engaged and excited throughout.
Slow songs can still feel propulsive, though. On the band’s 2002 album, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” songs like “Radio Cure” or “Ashes of American Flags” feel much more inspired than those on “Cousin.” Though slower, these older tracks have a feeling of building and growth because of their experimental touches, like static droning sounds or bright keys that stand out in the mix. However, whatever experimental aspects “Cousin” has hardly feel like enough to keep the listener invested in the album.
The song “Pittsburgh,” which comes towards the end of the record, is the most confounding track on the album. It starts out with some hope: Guitars bounce between gentle melodies and loud distortions that have some real life to them, but Wilco quickly abandons that sound and moves again into a quieter, more boring, paint-by-numbers song. Then, at the bridge, the guitars gain a really interesting, almost revolving and psychedelic quality, only to drop out once again in favor of a lackluster outro. Wilco feels like they’re on the cusp of something really great, but they just fail to fully commit to it.
Despite being comprised of songs that show some promise but ultimately don’t deliver, “Cousin” closes on a high note. “Meant To Be,” the album’s final track, is a true return to Wilco at their best. Driving guitars, lively drums and soft-yet-attention-grabbing vocals from Tweedy all make the song feel like a triumphant end to “Cousin.” The rest of the album doesn’t live up to this closing track; it feels closer to one of the band’s classic albums, rather than this middling record.
“Cousin” is certainly a disappointing album from Wilco, but there’s no denying the band’s talent. There are moments on it that feel like the band are in command of all their skills, but the record doesn’t display enough commitment or cohesion to make those moments impactful.
Maybe we’re just expecting too much of Wilco, though. “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and their early catalog of work are exceptional, so perhaps they’ve just run out of gas or new ideas. The band has been together for nearly 30 years, after all. It is disappointing that Wilco haven’t reached those same heights in so many years. Their reputation will long be a positive one, nonetheless.
