SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: WILCO – HOT SUN COOL SHROUD

WILCO
HOT SUN COOL SHROUD
DBPM RECORDS

Less than a year after Wilco’s most recent release, Cousin, we can say “welcome back Wilco”, with the upcoming release of their EP, Hot Sun Cool Shroud. This EP has been described by Wilco frontman, Jeff Tweedy, as having a “summertime-after-dark kind of feeling”, and that is the perfect description for it.

The opening track for this warm and multifaceted release, “Hot Sun”, perfectly encapsulates the breezy feeling of a summer afternoon. The track is hazy, and for lack of a better word, warm, and made for the perfect opening. Followed by this is the instrumental track of “Livid”, which although is in stark contrast to the chill and groovy “Hot Sun”, complements the EP superbly. “Livid” has an upbeat tempo that seems to come out of nowhere and genuinely encompasses the unpredictability of a night out, going from one extreme to another, without feeling out of place on the record. “Ice Cream” is a change of pace compared to its predecessors by doing what “Ice Cream” does, that being, cools you down. Personally, the song is hit or miss, but without the track, the EP would be missing an integral part of the story. The pace picks back up after the lull of “Ice Cream” with “Annihilation”, although the song does not contain the same amount of energy as the opening track, it does symbolise the small spike of energy one gets late at night. “Annihilation” is yet again, another key storytelling element to the EP, as the instrumental on this track is fulfilling and easy, like how the approaching end of night feels. “Into The Bell Bones”, personally is anxiety inducing and mimics those “why am I still here?” thoughts many of us get after long hours of socialising. Finally, “Say I Love You” would make for the perfect “end credits” song, which one can assume Tweedy was trying to achieve with the EP’s closer.

Cleverly enough, the titles of the tracks also create a linear experience;  going from the “Hot Sun” and feeling “Livid” about the heat, to having “Ice Cream” to refresh yourself, to having feelings of total “Annihilation” or vasodilation after the sun, and then to feeling the exhaustion straight “Into The Bell Bones”, and finally with all that exhaustion moving into the brain, asking your love to “Say You Love Me”.

The EP tells the story of a summer’s night from track to track, as we progress through the work, and feels as if we are at a house party with the protagonist, watching his every move and emotion unfold. The theatrical EP is a much welcome addition to this summer’s releases, and can offer some warmth in the southern hemisphere as well. Keep a lookout for Hot Sun Cool Shroud.

Artist Links