Loose Fur
Born Again In The U.S.A.

Jeff Tweedy from Wilco and Jim O'Rourke together for a very well accomplished work, as often happens with so-called side projects. No worries, no front-page stress, no rockstar antics. Simple artists coming together to make music without keeping an eye on the clock and the agent's schedule. The result is seamless and unnecessary drag-free fluid music. Sober and sophisticated rock music, well-structured and, of course, well played.

"Hey Chicken" starts off briskly with that slightly honky tonk piano and a lively rhythm section; "The Ruling Class" slows down the pace and the rustic country touch of Tweedy and O’Rourke brings us back to the sounds of a sweet summer daze; with "Answer To Your Question" the bucolic trip continues but the level of melancholy rises; the remarkable and powerful "Apostolic" awakens us and strikes with interesting changes and an oriental-tinged interplay between guitars and bass, barely three minutes before "Stupid As The Sun" kicks in, somehow reminiscent of the best Foo Fighters; "Pretty Sparks" plays entirely on sudden accelerations and stops; "An Ecumenical Matter" is an instrumental that doesn’t bore with its beautiful spotlight on the steel guitar; "Thou Shalt Wilt" is a perfect melody interlocking sequenced rhythms, pauses, and restarts; with the delightfully gentle "Wreckroom" we return to calm before "Wanted," a final ballad that doesn’t diverge a millimeter from the high quality of the entire project.

In conclusion, a solid and no-frills album and, in my opinion, exceptionally arranged. An album of 10 tracks perfectly cooked without flaws. An album that sounds classic yet never predictable, truly very well played on rhythm changes and the perfect harmony between distinguished musicians.