Album Review: Wilco – Schmilco (2016 LP)

If someone says they’re a Wilco fan, it could really mean a lot of things. Maybe they’re wearing a chambray shirt and cowboy boots, in which case they probably mean they like Being There or AM. Or perhaps they’re high and paranoid, in which case they’re Yankee Hotel Foxtrot fans, or they’re high and loving it, which means Summerteeth is the album for them.

You get the picture – a new Wilco album will always be surprising because even though they’re accused of being lame dad-rockers, they genuinely do explore different sides of themselves with each release. Take last year’s surprise release, Star Wars. Full of buzzing guitars and psychedelic freak-outs, it represented a total stylistic makeover (although the band have always had their tongue firmly planted in their cheek, here they didn’t seem to be taking anything seriously, especially themselves). Based on the title of Schmilco (a nod to Harry Nilsson), and its cartoonish cover, you’d be forgiven for thinking their newest LP would pick up where its predecessor left off – perhaps it would be the second in a trilogy.

The first track, “Normal American Kids”, quickly dispels this idea: it’s a heartbreaking acoustic tune about being a lonely child whose interests are totally removed from those of “normal American kids”. Star Wars was pure fantasy – here, the first song appears to be biographical and rooted in real experiences.

The tone of “Normal American Kids” is carried out throughout this excellent album. Not every song is a downer, but they’re all content to allow the power of the music to shine through with not much more than a few acoustic guitars (there are of course a few avant-garde touches, as is to be expected from Wilco).

The highlight track for me is “Locator”, a strange track that somewhat resembles The Beatles’ “Come Together.” In fact, The Beatles seem to be a fairly big influence on this album – it seems to be a mixture of American roots and pop sensibilities. The album does run out of steam towards the end, but it’s never boring or bad, and they can be forgiven seeing as this is the band’s second album in as many years.

Returning briefly to the Star Wars trilogy analogy, perhaps this really is the second in a trilogy. Star Wars was all camp, something totally unexpected. The follow-up, like the second Star Wars film, is more grounded in a form of reality, with more introspection and darker themes. If this was Wilco’s intention, they have done justice to the comparison. Schmilco continues Wilco’s run of excellent form and stands up against the band’s formidable back-catalogue.

Review Score: 8.7 out of 10. AU-APPROVED

Schmilco is released September 9th.

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