Wilco's Glenn Kotche and John Stirratt were in London last night for a very special concert event with Radiohead's Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway and Crowded House front man Neil Finn. Held in the intimate space of Dingwalls in Camden, the concert was a benefit for Oxfam that stemmed from Finn's new 7 Worlds Collide album (also benefiting Oxfam), which opens with a song penned by Jeff Tweedy and Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. In fact, Wilco performed on a number of tracks for the recording at Finn's New Zealand studio early this year and decided to stay on to record their latest Nonesuch release, Wilco (the album).

NME describes the mood at last night's show as "buoyant." The Daily Telegraph gives the concert a perfect five stars. Reviewer Neil McCormick calls it "one of the warmest, most spontaneous, entertaining and inspiring gigs of the year. So enjoyable, in fact, that even Radiohead were smiling." Spinner says the night's rendition of "You Never Know," the first single off the new Wilco album, as "superb, an irresistible shuffle bedecked with angelic harmonies." And BBC 6 Music concludes that "with such an array of musicians willing to reinvent their roles and musical styles in such a relaxed way, virtually any fan of any of their constituent projects was able to find something new to absorb."
 
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Kotche recently spoke with LiveDaily's Christina Fuoco-Karasinski about recording Wilco (the album) in New Zealand and what he thinks of the end result. As he describes it: "You're getting a really nice, disparate mix of what we're capable of as a band and what we're interested in as a band." Read the interview at livedaily.com.

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The Lexington Herald-Leader's culture columnist, Rich Copley, picks "You Never Know" as a song that will forever bring him back to the summer of 2009, crediting its "wistful chorus" and its "general message to let life happen without worry and pretension. What could be more summer?"

Copley goes on to cite the other essential qualities that recommend it as an unforgettable summer favorite:

Also, in the fingertips of keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen, the song has a propulsive rhythm that could drive your car down the highway all by itself—preferably a rural highway where you don't have to take an exit to grab a pop at a country store.

After polling his Facebook and Twitter followers for feedback, Copley receives recommendations of "other fine tracks" off the album, suggesting that perhaps the album itself will be this summer's most remembered in years to come.

Read the article at kentucky.com.