Down with Wilco
Down with Wilco, while a stellar album in its own right, also sounds like a creative counterpart to Wilco's warped and wonderfulYankee Hotel Foxtrot. It makes sense, since all four current members ofWilcocontribute, andDown with Wilcowas recorded around the same time (and was met with the same resistance from the music industry) asFoxtrot. This one is tighter and more conventional, as songs like "Where Will You Go?" and "The Family Gardener" threaten to fly off into space but never actually do. Of course, it also features Scott McCaughey (ofYoung Fresh Fellows) andR.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and the playful feel of past Minus 5 efforts such asOld Liquidator. The group's strange yet familiar cacophonies borrow the best parts ofBeach BoysandBeatles. Credit Minus 5 with another lovely genre-bending collection.--Matthew Cooke