The return of Wilco

For Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, the band's foray to New Zealand next week represents something of a round trip.

Much of the work on the Chicago-based band's 2009 album Wilco (the album) was done at Auckland's Roundhead Studios after four of the sextet were involved in studio owner's Neil Finn's 7 Worlds Collide album and concert series.

The crossover between the two projects can be heard on the song You Never Know which appeared both on the band's album and the 7WC double set. It would seem as far as their NZ following goes, they are making up for lost time. Since forming in 1994 the group only stretched to one Big Day Out appearance in the early noughties. But their forthcoming shows represent a third annual excursion since playing shows here in 2008.

"We love being there and obviously we have a deeper connection to it now that we have actually created some music there," says Tweedy on the line from the Windy City. "It will be fun to play those songs in their fully realised form."

The 7WC recording and concert he says certainly acted like a good warm-up for their own album.

"It was a once in a lifetime experience. Musically I think everybody was on their toes. We were all learning four or five songs a day and working on arrangements and working on other people's music - it was just like boot camp or something."

And the shows also delivered on the band's sometime description as "the American Radiohead" - that is an influential independent band of equal parts art and heart. Backed by some members of the British band, Tweedy took the microphone for a cover of their anthem Fake Plastic Trees, quipping that taking over from Thom Yorke was a bit like "Paul Rodgers fronting Queen".

"With all due respect to Paul Rodgers of course," laughs Tweedy when reminded his reference to the Free/Bad Company howler and Freddy Mercury ring-in. "I just meant those were tough shoes to fill."

The release of Wilco (the album) marked the second for the current band line-up, and the first to have lasted two albums.

But even its release was haunted by the group's past ups and downs - former member Jay Bennett, who had earlier announced his intent to sue Tweedy for unpaid royalties, died from an accidental overdose.

But Wilco itself has never been in better heart, says Tweedy.

"People seem to be disappointed when a band is relatively healthy and functional as opposed to dysfunctional. I can't remember another time where we've been as unified and everybody is having such a good time.

"It's a really good job and we are really excited about the future and things that we are planning on doing and feeling more and comfortable with our past and all kinds of things. As a band I think we could be described as happy."

Some of the six-piece have projects outside the band framework. Guitarist Nels Cline keeps one one foot in his avant-garde career, likewise drummer Glenn Kotche is a composer-percussionist who has recorded his own albums and worked with the Kronos Quartet and has played with Tweedy and producer Jim O'Rourke in sideline supergroup Loose Fur, while bassist John Stirratt and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone have released three albums of 60s-kissed pop as The Autumn defence.

"One of the things that unifies everybody in the band is we have never made a lot of distinctions between highbrow and lowbrow culture and I think that is a really intellectually honest way of looking at things.

"I like a lot of stuff. I wouldn't know about Nels Cline or Glenn Kotche if it wasn't for my interest in musics other than pop and rock. It has been beneficial to us to not be obsessed with what constitutes a viable artform."

On its most recent American tour, however, the band have gone back to basics with an acoustic set which would seem to connect with their Americana alt-country roots.

Tweedy isn't sure whether that will be part of the New Zealand shows. Their local fanclub would probably be quite happy for them to just play the astounding set they played at the Bruce Mason Centre in 2008, again.

"We probably won't do that," laughs Tweedy, "but we'll do our best. I think we'll play a bunch of different songs form the last time we played and hopefully some of the ones everyone wants to hear from the last time too." Wilco knows a lot of songs right now. And they have plenty of brackets to put them in - Wilco (the album) with its title track Wilco (the song) has sparked many a "Wilco (insert something here)" reference.

"Yeah, I know - I am sorry about that. I guess it's irresistible - Wilco (the review), Wilco (the concert), Wilco (the fan) ... it's like grammar nerds have their revenge."

LOWDOWN

Who: Wilco, great American rock left-fielders
Line-up: Jeff Tweedy (vocals, guitar), John Stirratt (bass), Nels Cline (guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums), Pat Sansone (multi-instrumentalist), Mikael Jorgensen (piano).
Albums: A.M. (1995), Being There (1996), Summerteeth (1999), Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002), A Ghost is Born (2004), Kicking
Television: Live in Chicago (2005), Sky Blue Sky (2007), Wilco (the album) (2009).
Playing: Civic Auckland, Tuesday and Wellington Town Hall, Wednesday. Supported by Justin Townes Earle.