“In a lot of ways, Sky Blue Sky is our first record,” says Jeff Tweedy. “This line-up of the band is probably the closest to ideal I’ve ever been lucky enough to experience.”

It’s been more than twelve years since guitarist and songwriter Jeff Tweedy formed the Chicago-based Wilco, but Tweedy has never felt better about it. “I think that everyone was a little more relaxed going into this record,” he says, referring to the band’s sixth proper studio album. “There wasn’t this feeling that we were tugging all these old records behind us. There was no clear beginning or ending. But in terms of touring and recording – the two activities that we’re engaged in and truly enjoy – this record came into being around the time this line-up came together. Once we started to demo songs, everything felt a lot better than I ever thought it could.

“The live record [Kicking Television: Live in Chicago], which came out last year,” he says, “was a good way to create a clear line between the past the future. It was a way to cleanse our palette before we went into the studio to make our first record together.”

In the spring of 2004 – just before the release A ghost is born (the two time Grammy-Award-winner) – experimental rock and jazz guitarist Nels Cline and guitarist and keyboardist Pat Sansone joined Wilco full time, adding to the existing quartet of Tweedy, longtime bassist John Stirratt, percussionist Glenn Kotche and keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen. Cline was brought in for his guitar skills, Sansone as a multi-instrumentalist. You can distinctly hear both of their arrangements as ensemble players the first time you hear Sky Blue Sky.