“What Light” is the first I’ve heard from Wilco’s upcoming “Sky Blue Sky” album, which is due out in May. After two albums in a row of restless experimentation, the song’s straight-ahead country rock vibe comes as a bit of a surprise, albeit a comfortable, melodic one. Wouldn’t it be great if the rest of the album followed “What Light’s” template? As good as they were, I thought parts of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and “A Ghost Is Born” got bogged down in electronic experimentation. Gussying up a good song doesn’t always make it better — and the simple, airy treatment given to “What Light” makes it easy to tell just how good a song it is.
— David Marchese
