Wheat
Hope and Adams (Sugar Free)
by Tim Den
Some have called Wheat “Wilco sieved through Pavement.” I can see some validity in that statement – all three are lo-fi (to a certain extent), play minimal-yet-full-sounding indie rock, and are members of the “guitar as an element of the song, not the focus” school of songwriting. However, these more recognizable attributes aside, what makes Wheat different from other lo-fi rockers is that they are the least willing to actually rock.
At the center of Wheat is the understood fact that not rocking out is the best trick up their sleeves. They understand that they deliver the most potent substances in their most relaxed, quiet, and reflective moods. Why, they even confess this fact in one of the first tracks (“Slow Fade”) by declaring “No one likes it slow/and we take our time… and no one seemed to notice when we disappeared… we’re only trying to do our thing.” In the end, that “thing” – as they so humbly call it – is what makes Wheat stand apart. If this is the method to their madness (or, rather, composedness [?]), and these are the kinds of quality songs it produces, then I hope they never rock out.
(PO Box 14166 Chicago, IL 60614)