Wilco – Star Wars
Jeff Tweedy’s men channel the force as they release their ninth studio album, complete with inscrutable title.
WHETHER YOU TAKE your Wilco ruminative or raucous, there’s plenty to soak in here. In fact, the two strands often intertwine, as when the melody behind More… pulses like an ambulance siren but somehow still soothes. Star Wars confirms that Wilco now fully own a unique American noise wherein nothing is wholly traditional or wholly experimental. But if the band’s own sense of self is stalwart, the characters they detail are consistently unmoored.
Have your pick of lyrics: “I change my name every once in a while” (Random Name Generator); “From where we end, to where do I begin” (Where Do I Begin); “I know why you don’t really know me” (Taste The Ceiling). These are cold-sweat obsessions to shake you in the dark.
The fever breaks with the closing Magnetized, but nighttime is as close the next touch of the play button.
Listen to the album in full...
