Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

she fell in love with the drummer

I've heard of Wilco before from a hipster music professor I had back in college. They're considered one of the more influential indie rock bands out there, with this album standing out due to its troubled release history, which you're welcome to look into.

I will say I enjoyed the album as a whole. It was an easy listen, with some light motifs on songs like "Karema", "War on War", and "Jesus, Etc." that stood out. It does overstay its welcome a bit on the closing track, "Reservations", and some songs do run together. Still, overall, it was a solid album to have going in the background while keeping the vibes interesting.

Update 4/6/2026: Over 400 albums later, including checking out Being There, I revisited Yankee Hotel Foxtrot with a greater appreciation for Wilco.

Where I used to think some of these songs ran together, I now better acknowledge how distinct these tracks are in the artistic indie styling the band utilized on this record. The rhythm section is strong throughout, the acoustic guitar textures are soft yet crisp in the sound, and Jeff Tweedy's raspy delivery is pleasant to listen to. Credit to Jeff and Jay Bennett for such intriguing compositions that complement the lyrics that seek answers and comfort in such strange and turbulent times. Probably the most poignant to me were "Radio Cures" as music is used to quell the confusion and detached feelings stemming from being away from loved ones, "Jesus, Etc." for trying to make sense of those existential questions that can't be easily answered, "Heavy Metal Drummer" in its yearning for lost innocence, "Pot Kettle Back" in the acknowledgment of cultural biases, and "I'm the Man Who Loves You" in working up the courage to share personal feelings for someone, despite the shortcomings.

I admittedly still feel that "Reservations" goes on for longer than it should, as does "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" if I'm being honest. But overall, my outlook on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot has significantly improved to the point where I'd be down to revisit this album down the line.

Pretty interesting album a little too pop sounding for me but definitely not BORING come on

Very meh in ways I can't describe. I'm ok with moaning on a guitar, but this ain't it. 2*
I was glad when I got to the last song, then realized I had the album on shuffle so I have no idea what I did/didn't listen to, so I went back to the top. Bahhumbug.

Very “meh” on this one. It wasn’t necessary bad, I just didn’t really care for it. There were some interesting parts, but most of it just didn’t click with me. 2.5/5

I liked the first song "I am Trying to Break Your Heart". The rest just kind of blended together. Except "I'm the Man Who Loves You" and "Poor Places" which had a bunch of grating noises at the end.

Someone described Wilco as American Radiohead, and that is a very accurate representation of what's going on on this record. Super weird indie rock. Nothing of note happens on this album. It's all horribly beige. It took me 2 days to finish the album simply because it is so fucking boring. I hate Radiohead, and have similar feelings towards Wilco.

Favourite songs: "Jesus, Etc.", Kamera, I'm The Man Who Loves You

Least favourite songs: I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, Radio Cure, Poor Places, Reservations

2/5

This record is a solid "throw it on when you're feeling a little melancholy but don't want to sink down too far" vibe. I feel like this is better listened to all the way through rather than just picking a song here and there - it stands up better as a whole instead of in pieces. I really enjoyed this one but not sure I'd call it a superb album worthy of 5 stars. Solid 4, maybe 4.25.

Eh

Definitely has some decent tunes, and others that seem like they might take more time to reveal themselves to me. Good album overall.

The use of sound and noise in this album is great. Textbook indie rock in my opinion. I found the second half to be better than the first.

Catching up on missed albums. Having just listened to Wilco's other album on the list (Being There), I thought I best get this one out the way too. Ripping the plaster off, so to speak.

I'm sure in a different life, I may have enjoyed Wilco, but unfortunately today they bore the tits off me!

The only interesting thing I found was that this album was released a week after 9/11, and it's got two towers on the artwork.

1.5

I literally listened to this only one day before writing this, and I don't remember it at all. Slid directly off my brain.

This is my favorite Wilco album and it's great. I listened to this album a ton when it came out and it's stayed in heavy rotation since then.

It's got a great blend of diferrent musical styles. Simple yet compelling, and great studio work. This is just a great album.

Masterpiece

Goed. Ik klaag dus over een dubbel-cd van Wilco. En ik krijg de volgende dag nog een cd van Wilco....F#ck Karma!

En ook deze cd begint met een verschrikkelijk nummer. Waarom toch?

De rest is iets minder degelijk dan het vorige album. Daar gaat het mis. Deze band is gespecialiseerd in degelijkheid. Als ze rare geluiden gebruiken of uit de band springen, klinkt het nergens naar.
2.5 ster.

It's very obvious this album is meant to be listened to with a sound system where you can hear all of the instruments and sounds blend together. The issue is that as an album, it's usually preferential to build an album out of that, but still make it good without that necessity. This album, without that help, is boring. It is not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, and I could understand liking these songs when you know them well, but nothing sticks. I wiuld struggle to tell you one thing about any of these songs once they're over. They usually have a good hook that never goes far enough to be catchy or interesting on a casual listen. Obviously an album can just be intended as a high art form where you listen from start to end with the best equipment, and that's the only way to listen, but that's hard to expect on a casual level. Again though, I did not HATE this album, there were parts I enjoyed, it just feels like something that went in one ear and out the other. I feel as though I'm being more aggressive than I am feeling, so it's gonna go right in the middle at three stars to show it is the perfect "this exists and is alright" album.

“Radio Cure” is so fucking sad, and the fact that the song is trying to cheer someone up makes it even sadder because of its utter failure to do so. For some reason, this song reminds me of something Radiohead would do. It also reminds me, ironically, of a line of Shakespearean poetry:

“My love is as a fever, longing still
For that which longer nurseth the disease,
Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill.”

Basically, listening to music like this to help yourself feel better is a vicious circle. Don’t worry. The ambient outro will help you decompress (co-depress?).

I feel like this album is a very good example of manic depression, because some of the songs are really sad and other songs have this rollicking alt-country vibe that's faking like everything's okay.

Love Wilco and this album is considered their magnum opus for good reason. It's truly iconic. One of the first country-ish albums I ever connected with so it'll always have a special place in my heart.

Very good, but not quite great. Even though I was 17 when this (first) came out, I had never heard any of these songs, probably because September 2001 had more important events happen the week before. I will definitely come back to this though, and explore their other albums when I get a chance.