Wilco’s 2002 breakthrough release,Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, became a cause clbre in the music press thanks to the band being unceremoniously dropped by Reprise Records (who deemed it unlistenable), and then signed by Nonesuch after the band began streaming it through their website, a novel strategy at the time. The critical and commercial success ofYHFcame with a reappraisal of Wilco — they no longer seemed like that alt-country band of the other guy inUncle Tupelo. 2004’s A Ghost Is Born saw Wilco taking the experiments ofYankee Hotel Foxtrotto the next level, while applying the lessons in new ways. A Ghost Is Born is a considerably warmer and more organic listening experience, and the extended instrumental breaks in several of the songs (two cuts are over ten minutes long) sound more like a group in full flight than the Pro Tools-assembled structures ofYHF.Jim O’Rourke, whose post-production work onYHFplayed a huge role in crafting its sonic personality, produced and played guitar on A Ghost Is Born, and he encouragedJeff Tweedyand his bandmates to explore the dynamics of their songs and refine their instrumental interplay, which had experienced an audible shift following the departure of guitarist, keyboardist, and secret weaponJay Bennettand the addition of multi-instrumentalistLeroy Bachand keyboardistMikael Jorgensen.

IfYankee Hotel Foxtrotboldly announced Wilco’s sonic innovations, A Ghost Is Born feels more subtle, though no less adventurous and more sure on its feet. It was also more of a “grower” than Wilco’s previous efforts, requiring more attention from the listener to appreciate its qualities, though “Hummingbirds,” “Handshake Drugs,” “Hell Is Chrome,” and “Wishful Thinking” would all become fan favorites, and for good reasons. At the time of the album’s release, the full extent ofTweedy‘s struggles with drug dependence and mental health during the making of the LP were not widely known, and they’ve since provided a subtext for the frequently haunted effect of the lyrics andTweedy‘s vocals, as well as the long drone passage that closes “Less Than You Think.” (The closer, “The Late Greats,” rallies to close the set on an upbeat note.)Yankee Hotel Foxtrotwas seen as an out-of-the-box masterpiece, but that can’t be said of A Ghost Is Born. In retrospect, though, it was the first salvo in Wilco’s evolution into one of America’s best and most adventurous indie bands, and paved the way for the steady stream of great albums that would follow. via AllMusic

Label: Nonesuch
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo
Reissued: 2025 / Original Release: 2004
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Folk Rock, Indie Rock

File under: School of Rock