Categories : Music Reviews.
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Rating: 3/5 Released: March 21, 2006 Reviewer: David Coats |
Loose Fur is basically a Wilco side project; all three Loose Fur members have deep connections to the famed alt-country band (singer/guitarist Jeff Tweedy, drummer Glenn Kotche, and longtime collaborator Jim O’Rourke). Largely a result of being a three-piece, Born Again In The USA is a minimalist effort, with songs not as involved as more conventional Wilco, but which contain considerable space and artistic freedom.
Unfortunately, that space is generally not used as well as it could be, making Born Again less impacting than their regular band. Opening with the catchy alt-country grunge of ‘Hey Chicken’, the record’s best song is ‘The Ruling Class’; musically a tribute to early ’70s country-rock, the song examines one of the underlying themes of the record, namely a send-up of the idea that the rich and powerful are such on the basis of God’s will (“He’s having supper with the upper management of a new regime / He’s in a new jacket, tax bracket, sandals and a dark pair of jeans / He’s got deductions right on down the line / Dependent claims on all of mankind”). ‘Answers To Your Questions’ is a moving O’Rourke ballad, but unfortunately, the record’s middle portion is largely inconsequential, with weak, muddy melodies that fail to provide much of an atmosphere, even with some dynamic structural maneuvers. Things get better towars the end, as ‘Thou Shalt Wilt’ examines the Ten Commandments, and how as long as we fail to agree on the commandment “You shall have no other God but meâ€, the others won’t count for much.
The record’s only real atmosphere comes on the ambient ‘Wreckroom’, probably the most creative song here, while ‘Wanted’ could have fit nicely on A Ghost Is Born. Born Again In The USA has its bright spots, but ultimately it’s greatest achievement will be hopefully helping to keep Wilco fresh.
