Wilco brought its US tour to a close last night, headlining the 10,000 Lakes Festival's Thursday run, and begins its European tour at the Oya Festival in Oslo, Norway, on August 13. NPR's Fresh Air has a review of the band's recent Nonesuch release, Wilco (the album), which, says host Terry Gross, "finds the band in a confident, sometimes even playful mood."

Reviewer Ken Tucker, editor-at-large at Entertainment Weekly, finds that to be true from the start, calling the album opener, "Wilco (the song), "a sweet, whimsical way to begin an album containing many comfy, inviting songs."

Tucker notes the "Beatlesque music" on the album, citing the melody of its first single, "You Never Know." He recognizes that, despite the refrain's lyrical claim "I don't care anymore," the song says otherwise, as "the musical craft behind those words deny them, happily." Elsewhere, "attractive love songs" like the Feist duet, "You and I," offer further proof of that.

The review asserts that, rather than separate the band and its audience, as a continued succession of sonic experiments may have done, Wilco (the album) tears down any such walls, leading Tucker to praise "its very directness" as "the boldest move [Jeff] Tweedy has made on this album."

Ultimately, says Tucker, the album is about an acceptance that allows one to feel "at once humbled and emboldened." As he explains, "Acceptance, but not complacency. Jeff Tweedy is suggesting how you can make stability sound like a tough artistic challenge and a grand adventure."

Listen to the complete review with songs from album at npr.org.