“Shake it off” by Wilco is filtering its way through my computer’s speakers. For all of the disappointment conveyed by critics who seemed to think that 2007’s Sky Blue Sky was a step backward, this record was one of my favourites of the year.

Check out this clip of the band playing ‘Shake It Off’.

To view the clip, hover over the image and click the ‘play’ icon. To enlarge the viewing screen, click the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner. Alternatively, click the image directly to view the clip in a new browser window. Enjoy!

I can see why the Pitchfork set might have felt a bit let down. It’s not a noisy, off-kilter, left of centre release like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or A Ghost is Born are. It’s a record which is a bit less haunted, with more emphasis on melody, and on band dynamics (with some new members being broken in to great effect…) rather than sonic textures. And leader Jeff Tweedy, with a voice that ranges from Paul Westerberg on one end of the scale and John Lennon on the other, strays more on the Lennon side with Westerberg’s grit still making it’s presence known.

As a result, it strays on the side of rock classicism, rather than indie cool. If that works for you, and you’ve not bought the album, the question is not whether you should, but is rather: what are you waiting for? Go buy.