CD of The Week

As you probably know by now, Wilco is the latest act to release a “surprise” record on the world. Star Wars at first seemed almost like a gag, between its title (capitalizing on The Force Awakens?) and fluffy cat cover art. But Star Wars is indeed the veteran band’s ninth studio album. While this album really is unlike anything else in Wilco’s history, it’s impossible to write about without the context of their impressive catalog and the wide range of sounds and evolutions the band has gone through over two decades.

Star Wars is by far the shortest Wilco album yet, clocking in at just 34 minutes worth of seemingly off-the-cuff tunes. While the volume of the guitars are cranked up, this isn’t Wilco: The Rawk Album. It also seems to feed off of last year’s Tweedy double-record, where Wilco main man Jeff Tweedy sort of went solo in a collaboration with his son Spencer. That sprawling release was mostly low key (a la the single) and found Tweedy singing in a quieter register. He rarely raises his voice that much on the elliptical lyrics sung on Star Wars.

Tweedy and Nels Cline’s intertwining guitars are out in full force from the start with the noisy opening instrumental “EKG.” The single “Random Name Generator” is by far the catchiest song on the record, with a fuzzed-out, almost punky/glam feeling a la “Kicking Television” or “I’m A Wheel.” Many of the songs onStar Wars get by on chugging guitars more than big catchy hooks. “The Joke Explained” moves along until it hits a guitar solo freak out, while “You Satellite” (the longest song here) builds up to a classic Tweedy/Cline guitar duet straight out ofA Ghost Is Born. Elsewhere, “Taste The Ceiling,” with its hints of organ and twangy guitars, isn’t that far a leap from the earliest Wilco songs on AM.

With its shaggy Rock vibe, I also hear a bit of longtime Wilco pals The Minus 5 (but not their collaborative album Down With Wilco), so its unsurprising that Scott McCaughey pops up on Star Wars. Tweedy’s earlier experimental side project Loose Fur is also a touchstone here. All in all, Star Wars is a multiple listen album for sure, as it certainly isn’t the catchiest of Wilco records. But sonically, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise for a group that has constantly progressed and changed up its sound. Download Star Wars for free for a limited time at WilcoWorld.net.