Speakers speakin' speakin' speakin' speakin' in code

You know how some albums are just okay on the first play, but when you relisten to them they give you a total hard-on? That's the case with me and Summerteeth. It went from "okay," to "good," to "awesome," to "orgasmic." I actually enjoy it more than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Coming out three years prior, Summerteeth definitely has more pop sensibilities than its successor, and I really enjoy Wilco's pop side. Jeff Tweedy's stream-of-consciousness lyricism shines on She's A Jar (which might just be the greatest song ever), while other songs have cohesive themes (How to Fight Loneliness, A Shot In the Arm, We're Just Friends, et al.) Pieholden Suite is a personal favorite of mine, mainly because the first half is very melodramatic, while the second half is a cheery instrumental that sounds like something out of a Harvest Moon video game. Summer Teeth and ELT do a splendid job of show-casing Wilco's alt. country roots from Being There (and Uncle Tupelo, Tweedy's former band), but, in the same vein as the rest of album, in a much poppier sound. With autumn creeping in on us, it's the perfect time to give Summerteeth a spin.