I don’t know if any band in my collection has had as extreme a swing in my estimation as Wilco. Once upon a time they were firing on all cylinders to such a degree that I numbered them among my very favorite bands. But that lasted for three albums. Now, three more albums later, I’m largely indifferent about them. I’ve been tempted a couple of times to check out their latest release, Wilco (the Album), but never enough to do anything about it.
I imagine this is what it’s like when you fall out of love with a woman. She goes from inhabiting your every thought to not stirring any emotion in you whatsoever. As Fiona Apple puts it in her beautiful song ‘Love Ridden’: “No, not ‘baby’ anymore, if I need you I’ll just use your simple name… only kisses on the cheek from now on, and in a little while we’ll only have to wave.”