Following the huge success of the alternative/indie band Wilco, frontman Jeff Tweedy released his first solo project in 2017 Together At Last. An amalgamation of folk, rock, and alternative influences which Tweedy seamlessly weaves between. While most of these songs have previously been recorded by Wilco, Tweedy rerecorded his old work simplifying his old compositions relying on his raspy voice and minimalistic guitar style. Tweedy’s combination of his old and new works resulted in one of the best albums of 2017.

The album strongly starts with his song “Via Chicago”, originally on Wilco’s 1999 album Seventeenth, stripping the song down to the bare minimum. Opening with the line “I dreamt about killing you again last night and it felt alright to me”, the song immediately hooks you in. While the message is unclear, the emotions are clearly presented as Tweedy repeats “I’m coming home, I’m coming home, via Chicago.” It seems this song was written for only Tweedy to understand as the lyrics speak of unknown parts of his life. Continuing the album with the track “Laminated Cat”, Tweedy sings of how his seasonal depression is not so seasonal. Singing of the seasons changing around him, he describes his constant depression, “Hiding from your close friends, weeding out your weekends”. While many of the songs on this album are top tier, some are lacking the same vibrancy including “Lost Love.” Although this song has adequate lyricism, the somewhat upbeat guitar strumming seems out of place with the sad nature of the song. Nonetheless, the song is still beautiful as Tweedy sings “Broken hearts all around me, but I don’t feel a thing” while he mourns his lost love. 

Tweedy proves that he is truly a poet on the fifth song “Ashes Of American Flags”. With Dylanesque lyricism he describes his dislike for capitalism and how America has been corrupted by it, singing “I would like to salute the ashes of American flags, And all the fallen leaves filling up shopping bags.” This song elicits a dream-like state as you digest the lyrics and allow yourself to consider how American consumerism has affected your own life. Skipping ahead even further to the eighth track, “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” tells of his issues with alcohol and how that affected his relationship. This song is tragic and beautiful as it shows how alcoholism can affect not only you but those who love you. His complicated metaphors and embedded emotion make this song one you have to dissect thoroughly, as Tweedy opens the song with the line, “I am an American aquarium drinker I assassin down the avenue” referring to the sheer amount he drinks, zig-zagging down the avenue. While the entirety of this album tells of Tweedy’s struggles involving love and addiction, he concludes the album with the hopeful track “Sky Blue Sky”. While this song still tells of Tweedy’s troubles, he acknowledges that he survived, “With a sky blue sky this rotten time, wouldn’t seem so bad to me now. “Oh if I didn’t die, I should be satisfied, I survived, it’s good enough for now”. This song is painfully beautiful and fills the listener with hope throughout the hard times.

Tweedy’s strong lyricism and excellent production make him one of the greatest artists of our generation. Referencing self-destruction and self reflection, Tweedy is able to fill his music with raw emotion that you just don’t hear anymore, making this album a 9/10.