''Schmilco'' is the tenth studio album by
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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-based
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
and was released on September 9, 2016. Wilco announced the album on July 19, 2016, and released two songs, "Locator" and "If I Ever Was a Child". The album's announcement came a little more than a year after their previous studio album, ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
''.
Background and release
In February 2016, Jeff Tweedy first mentioned in an interview that Wilco would be releasing an album in 2016, though did not go into detail. During his solo benefit shows in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
later in May, Tweedy said they had finished the new record, but the band wasn't sure they wanted to release it yet. In July 2016, Wilco released "Locator" from the album to commemorate the one-year anniversary of ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' and then announced ''Schmilco'' several days later, in addition to releasing "If I Ever Was a Child" and "Someone to Lose".
In September several days before the release, Wilco had "I Heard ''Schmilco''" events at
record stores to promote the album across the country where people could listen to the album and then buy it on vinyl.
The album's name is a nod to the
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...
album ''
Nilsson Schmilsson
''Nilsson Schmilsson'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Harry Nilsson, released by RCA Records in November 1971. It was Nilsson's most commercially successful work, producing three of his best-known songs. Among these was the numbe ...
''. The artwork was created by illustrator
Joan Cornellà
Joan Cornellà Vázquez ( , ; born 11 January 1981) is a Spanish cartoonist and illustrator, famous for his unsettling, surreal humor and black humor comic strips as well as artwork.
Biography
Joan Cornellà Vázquez was born in Barcelona, S ...
in collaboration with Stefania Lusini.
On the album, Tweedy tells stories of himself, his family, and his history.
Critical reception
Accolades
Track listing
Personnel
Wilco
*
Nels Cline
Nels Courtney Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. He has been the guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004.
In the 1980s he played jazz, often in collaboration with his twin brother Alex Cline, Alex, a percussionis ...
– guitar
*
Mikael Jorgensen
Mikael Jorgensen (born June 4, 1972) is an American musician known as the pianist and keyboardist for the band Wilco as well as a member of the bands Pronto and Quindar.
Career
Prior to his days in Chicago and with Wilco, Mikael honed his musical ...
– keyboard
*
Glenn Kotche
Glenn Kotche (born December 31, 1970 in Roselle, Illinois, United States) is an American drummer and composer, best known for his involvement in the band Wilco. He was named the 40th greatest drummer of all time by Gigwise in 2008.
Prior to w ...
– drums
*
Pat Sansone
Patrick Anthony "Pat" Sansone (born June 21, 1969) is an American multi-instrumentalist in the rock bands Wilco and The Autumn Defense.
Early bands
Sansone was born in Meridian, Mississippi. Upon entering college at The University of South ...
– guitar, keyboard
*
John Stirratt
John Chadwick Stirratt is an American bassist and multi-instrumentalist for Wilco and The Autumn Defense.
Early career
Stirratt grew up in Mandeville, Louisiana. He attended Mandeville High School and the University of Mississippi, and is a ...
– bass guitar
*
Jeff Tweedy – lead vocals, guitar,
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
Additional personnel
*
Joan Cornellà
Joan Cornellà Vázquez ( , ; born 11 January 1981) is a Spanish cartoonist and illustrator, famous for his unsettling, surreal humor and black humor comic strips as well as artwork.
Biography
Joan Cornellà Vázquez was born in Barcelona, S ...
– cover art
* Mark Greenberg –
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
*
Bob Ludwig
Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...
–
mastering
*Tom Schick – production
* Spencer Tweedy – drums
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
2016 albums
Wilco albums
Albums produced by Jeff Tweedy
DBpm Records albums