Late this afternoon and to everybody’s surprise, Wilco released a brand new album titled Star Wars literally out of nowhere with absolutely no teasers, no hype, no lead single, no nothing. It’s their ninth studio album, and the first release of brand new music since 2011’s wonderful ‘The Whole Love’ (via its own dBpm records). Even better? They’re giving it away for free. Yes, you read that correctly… they’re giving it away for free (albeit for a “limited time,” with an additional quick input of your email address).
“Why release an album this way and why make it free?” Tweedy states on the official Wilco Facebook page. “Well, the biggest reason, and I’m not sure we even need any others, is that it felt like it would be fun. What’s more fun than a surprise?”
Just when we think we’ve seen it all with surprise releases, Wilco decides to take it one step further by giving the album away for free. Was this a way to bypass leaks? Maybe. Is it a statement in regards to the current state of streaming music? Possibly. Is Wilco making a point about the music industry’s new Friday release day which started last week? Who knows! It’s clear that no matter the way you look at it, when you’ve been a band for 20+ years, why not shake things up a little bit?
Wilco at The Capitol Theater, October 2014
As its been done ever since 2001’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Tweedy & co. usually debut’s their new album via a free stream that lives directly on their own website for 24hrs only, then it’ll disappear from the site until the physical release. Because of this, you could assume that the free download link on their homepage of their website will only be live for 24 hours or less so if you want to download it, do it before the link disappears. Better yet, whenever the physical or digital copies are released for purchase, go support the band and buy a copy of it as it truly is a fantastic album. As of right now the release date is TBD, but you know it’ll be available sooner rather than later.
Star Wars tracklisting:
1. EKG
2. More…
3. Random Name Generator
4. The Joke Explained
5. You Satellite
6. Taste the Ceiling
7. Pickled Ginger
8. Where Do I Begin
9. Cold Slope
10. King Of You
11. Magnetized
Join the conversation