Wilco (The Irresistible Journalistic Construct)

noah | July 1, 2009 12:00 pm

Yesterday Wilco’s new album was made available for purchase, and the double-whammy of it being titled Wilco (The Album) and having its first single be called “Wilco (The Song)” proved to be too much for some writers out there to resist. After the jump, a selection of Wilco (The Parenthetically Assisted Reactions) that have appeared over the past few days, rated on a scale of zero to two camel humps in honor of the album’s cover: Dorothy Hernandez, Red Eye: “For those who want lunch, they can try Wilco the sandwich. It’s not typical Denny’s fare but how about a prosciutto sandwich for the alt-country band? Get it? Prosciutto is an alternative to the typical ham. Hahahaha, I slay me.” If only forgetting the parentheses was this non-joke’s biggest problem. ZERO HUMPS. Relix: “Wilco (The Sit-In).” Sadly, it’s about a Feist guest appearance, not a Jeff Tweedy-led protest. HALF A HUMP. Anonymous copyeditor at the Associated Press: “Wilco (the article): Jeff Tweedy and co. celebrate rock with self-aware Wilco (The Album)” Obvious, but I’ll be nice because the story’s lede is actually not as cheesetastic as the headline. ONE HUMP. Simmy Richman, The Independent: “So what, then, is Wilco (The Verdict)?” Have to be honest: I probably would have said something similar, appositive “then” and all. ONE HUMP. Michael Saba, Paste: “Wilco (The Gas Station).” Sample line: “Wilco (The Gas Station) runs on a series of clumsily executed pop-philosophy clichés that reflect the sensibilities of a once-great truck-stop empire in its twilight, struggling for relevance in a world it no longer understands.” Made me want to read more cultural criticism of roadside service stations by this guy, which is saying something. TWO HUMPS AND AN EXTRA CANTEEN.

Tags: