“Alt-country” has always been kind of a loaded term, one that’s kind of rubbed me the wrong way and I can imagine might do the same for Wilco, a band long saddled with a label that never felt truly representative of their experimental spirit. Cruel Country reckons with this by delivering a double album (reminiscent of earlier masterpiece Being There) that further pushes the limits of the Country Canon. It’s a stormy affair; recorded live,  it’s the band at its most playful. The spacial elements of “Bird Without A Tail/Base of My Skull” and the title track — with lyrics like “I love my country, stupid and cruel, red, white and blue” and eerie sirens buzzing throughout — act as a counterpart to the more straightforward “Tired of Taking It Out On You” and legitimate country jam “Falling Apart (Right Now).” No matter the label, Wilco will burst through it every time.