After more than 30 years in music and having fronted one of the more influential alt and indie bands of a generation for most of that time, Jeff Tweedy has yet to release a solo record - until now. It makes sense then, that it he recruited his first born to help him out. Spencer Tweedy (18 and just graduated high school) wasn’t actually alive when Dad’s band, Wilco, formed in 1994 but it’s safe to assume his musical upbringing was shaped heavily by the group’s sound. What better session drummer to help you make a solo record then, than your own flesh and blood?
It turns out Tweedy junior is far more than a session musician though. Throughout the majority of Sukierae (Mrs. Tweedy’s nickname), Spencer’s drumming maintains a noticeable presence. His use of inventive fills and offbeat timings add a youthful drive to a lot of the record, turning good songs into great songs (‘Diamond Light’) and keeping Dad’s balladry tendencies in check with purposeful timekeeping (‘Wait For Love’ is a great example of this).
Though it can feel at times like an arduous listen at more than 70 minutes, Wilco fans are going to find a lot of gold amongst the 20-odd tracks. The semi-joyful ‘Low Key’ positively reeks of the band’s trademark alt-country sound, and Tweedy senior’s songwriting ability hasn’t been diminished or scaled back at all. Sukierae is (despite being the first) a "classic Tweedy" record and hopefully not the last we see of young Spencer. I hear there’s a younger son as well.
