Wilco - A Ghost Is Born (2004)

"A Ghost Is Born" is the fifth studio album by Chicago-based alternative rock band Wilco. It features singer Jeff Tweedy on lead guitar more than any previous Wilco album.
It is the Wilco album with the strongest stylistic link to its immediate predecessor, as if their new fans are being given a moment to catch up. The languid, ghostly song structures, the periodic forays into dissonance, and the pained, hesitant vocals from Jeff Tweedy that were so much a part of this album. "A Ghost Is Born" is considerably warmer and more organic; the extended instrumental breaks in several of the songs (two cuts are over ten minutes long) sound more like a group in full flight.
And while Wilco's former secret weapon, Jay Bennett, is now out of the picture, the rest of the group (especially multi-instrumentalist Leroy Bach, keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen, and guitarist/co-producer Jim O'Rourke) fill the gaps with admirable grace and strength. If "A Ghost Is Born" has a flaw, it's in the songwriting; while this album is a "grower" if there ever was one, revealing more of its unexpected complexities with each spin, there are no songs here as immediately engaging as "War on War," "Heavy Metal Drummer," or "I'm the Man Who Loves You" from YHF, and while "Hummingbirds," "Handshake Drugs," and "Wishful Thinking" are tuneful and charming, they lack the resonance and emotional impact of Tweedy's strongest work. And the album's most purely enjoyable tune, the witty "The Late Greats," closes out the disc after the 15-minute drone dirge of "Less Than You Think," dramatically blunting its effectiveness. "A Ghost Is Born" confirms what old fans and recent converts already know that Wilco is one of America's most interesting and imaginative bands and it's brave and compelling listening.

Track List

01.  At Least That's What You Said – 5:33
02.  Hell Is Chrome (Tweedy, Jorgensen) – 4:38
03.  Spiders (Kidsmoke) – 10:46
04.  Muzzle of Bees – 4:56
05.  Hummingbird – 3:11
06.  Handshake Drugs – 6:07
07.  Wishful Thinking (Tweedy, Kotche) – 4:41
08.  Company in My Back – 3:46
09.  I'm a Wheel – 2:37
10.  Theologians (Tweedy, Jorgensen, Girard) – 3:36
11.  Less Than You Think (Tweedy, Stirratt, Kotche, Jorgensen, Bach, O'Rourke) – 15:04
12.  The Late Greats – 2:31

Released:  June 22, 2004
Recorded:  November 2003–March 2004 in Manhattan, New York
Genre:  Alternative Rock
Length:  67:26
Label:  Nonesuch
Producer:  Wilco, Jim O'Rourke