A&E

Wilco’s 13th studio album “Cousin” is an alt-rock gift to dad-rock lovers who just want to stroll through fall foliage with some mystical tunes that will make them put their thinking cap — or hipster beanie — on.

Chicago-made Wilco has longevity down to a tee, with almost three decades of success in the music industry. Wilco has delivered hit after hit since 1994, so expectations were high for this Sept. 29 release with themes of mortality, introspection and love.

Wilco made a return to mainstream conversations with four songs on Hulu’s “The Bear” soundtrack. Some fans even took to X, formerly known as Twitter, when the album was announced with some very entertaining memes.

To be clear: this album is not the best thing since sliced bread, or in other words, Wilco’s 2002 album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” “Cousin” is a mix of classic Wilco sound — acoustic guitar, Jeff Tweedy’s raspy talk-sing hybrid, random noises that just go with the vibe — and experimental beats.

I liked listening to “Cousin,” and I’ll probably continue listening to it for a few more months until I get bored of it, but there’s no one song that changed the temporary trajectory of my life. And I was kind of hoping that would happen.

Let’s get into the tracks. The album starts strong with one of its best tracks, “Infinite Surprise,” which had a similar feel to past Wilco classics. The simple repetition of lyrics like “staring eye to eye” brings an introspective tone to the 10-track album and explores relationship dynamics in a world where so much is out of our control.

My two least favorite tracks of the album are clumped together, which could be due to poor sequencing considering they are in the first stretch of the album. Lyrically, the songs “Ten Dead” and “Levee” leave more to be desired and are fairly monotonous.

Despite these few misses, the rest of the album is an enjoyable listen. “Evicted,” title track “Cousin” and “Meant to Be” have the most commercially successful sounds and are almost hypnotizing. “Meant to Be” is a fantastic closing track about unrequited love, a trope that never gets old.

Other standouts included “A Bowl and A Pudding” and “Pittsburgh.” I must admit, each song requires a few listens to fully appreciate, but it’s worth the time.

“A Bowl and A Pudding,” another less hopeful story of unrequited love, tugged on my heartstrings like no other. The chorus — “How long this night is going to be / And the one / You love / Is not me” — paints a painfully relatable picture of failed romance.

From the band that brought you “I am an American aquarium drinker / I assassin down the avenue” off its 2002 track, “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” comes “I love the rain / And how the rain can turn / Sh*t into a rose.” I can’t say I hate it. It’s the endearing bluntness that makes Wilco great, and this specific track on time and growing up feels genuine.

In a statement, frontman Tweedy said “[he’s] a cousin to the world,” a sentiment that ties all the themes of this album together. We’re all human, and that makes us fundamentally similar, even if circumstances and specifics make us feel different. We experience tragedy, confusion, hardships of being in love or out of love, difficulty accepting the passing of time — the list goes on. Wilco did wonders in channeling these deep messages into a work of lasting art that brings people together.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @lexipgoldstein

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