By: Alex Wood
With recent releases The Whole Love and Star Wars, Wilco moved increasingly further from their classic sound, utilizing ambience and electronics in the former and raw guitar work and noise in the latter.
Following the release of Star Wars, Wilco sent email subscribers a list of recommended records based on the band’s taste, the suggestions shedding light on how and why the group’s sound has changed as it has.
The list was notably eclectic, featuring everything from older rockers Ned Doheny and Game Theory to folk-rockers Steve Gunn and William Tyler to lesser-known indie names like Adron and Girlpool. Perhaps most surprising was the inclusion of metal collaboration Full Of Hell & Merzbow and the absurdly dark collaboration between Sun O))) and Scott Walker, Soused.
Yet within the list of records lies a few obvious choices, such as Invisible Familiars, a band which Nels Cline helped record, and Luluc, with whom Tweedy recently guested.
The raw sound of Star Wars comes through in the inclusion of bands like Chicago underground veterans Eleventh Day Dream and Parquet Courts, while their electronic interests can be seen in Landlady and Cibo Matto.
Below is an hour-long playlist combining songs from Wilco’s favorite artists, meant to give listeners an idea of the band’s tastes during a pivotal moment in their career.
As Wilco said in the email, “there’s a lot of great music out there, lets all try to support it.”
Wilco's full list of recommended albums:
Adron- Organismo
Cibo Matto- Hotel Valentine
Empyrean Atlas- Inner Circle
Eleventh Day Dream- Works For Tomorrow
Full Of Hell, Merzbow- Full Of Hell & Merzbow
Game Theory- Real Nighttime
Girlpool- Before The World Was Big
Invisible Familiars- Disturbing Wildlife
Landlady- Upright Behavior
Luluc- Passerby
Ned Doheny- Hard Candy
Parquet Courts- Content Nausea
Richard Julian- Fleur de Lis
Scott Walker & Sun O)))- Soused
Speedy Ortiz- Foil Deer
Steve Gunn- Way Out Weather
William Tyler- Deseret Canyon
