‘Star Wars’ Cements Wilco’s Legacy as One of the Greatest American Bands
The surprise new album proves why Jeff Tweedy’s gang are referred to as “the American Radiohead”
Yesterday, American rock band Wilco released their ninth studio album Star Wars as a surprise free download for fans. “Why release an album this way and why make it free? Well, the biggest reason, and I’m not sure we even need any others, is that it felt like it would be fun,” Jeff Tweedy wrote on Wilco’s Instagram. “What’s more fun than a surprise?”
Star Wars is Wilco’s first album since 2011's The Whole Love, and marks another landmark achievement in their storied career. Wilco started out as a straight-forward rock band with an alt-country flair on their debut A.M and its follow up, Being There. But as their career marched on, they proved to be so much more. In 2002, they released their experimental masterpiece, the ambitious and moving Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Despite the band being unceremoniously dropped from their label before its release, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot turned out to be Wilco’s most commercially successful album, and earned intensely rave reviews from critics. It earned a rare 10/10 perfect rating from Pitchfork, and is still considered to be one of the greatest and most influential records of all time. Wilco followed up this classic in 2004 with yet another masterpiece, the alternately sparse and frenetic A Ghost Is Born.
Wilco saw even more success with albums like Sky Blue Sky and The Whole Love, which contained accessible tunes that blended rock, folk, and pop, as well as some experimental fare. At this point, Wilco had nothing to prove. They were, and are, a beloved and successful band, with a huge influence on the modern day music scene. But as the sudden release of Star Wars proves, Wilco isn’t content with resting on their laurels. Their newest album is yet another excellent chapter in a long and brilliant career. Star Wars is one of Wilco’s tightest, most focused records to date. Unlike the glitchy back-beats that populated Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, or the mellow, Bob Dylan influenced folk rock of Sky Blue Sky, Star Wars is a mostly rock album, with static-y electric guitar cutting through the songs at random points. Catchy melodies can be found here on songs like “Taste The Ceiling”, “The Joke Explained” and “Random Name Generator”, while tracks like “You Satellite” explode into furiously noisy electric guitar jams. This album sounds like a band unafraid to try new things and keep the listener on their toes. “Where Do I Begin” starts out as a quietly strummed ballad, only to explode into a squall of backwards drumming near the end of the track. Star Wars is an album that contains multiple layers of excellence to be discovered upon each new listen.
There’s a reason that Wilco has been called “The American Radiohead.” Their willingness to experiment with their sound and be completely honest with their songwriting has rocketed them to the forefront of American music today. Countless bands from genres as disparate as folk, rock, alternative, country, indie, pop, and more look to Wilco as influences. Their seamless transformation over the years is evident, as songs like “Box Full Of Letters” sound nothing like “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”, or “Heavy Metal Drummer”, or “Theologians”, or “Born Alone”, or “More…” Wilco has never feared reinvention or change, and that makes them an inspiration to all musicians and fans of music everywhere. Now, more than ever, they deserve their spot as one of the greatest American bands of all time.
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