It was time for a breath of fresh air. After more than twenty years, the American roots band Wilco no longer wanted to be complicated. The ninth album Star Wars was such a break in style that fans and critics doubted whether it was meant seriously. The weird title and the cat picture on the front contributed to this. Was this a joke? No, but Star Wars was meant to mislead us. The album contains
… short, repetitive songs that sound a lot less neat than we are used to from the five. Less inventive solos, less exciting electronics and noticeably less dashing vocals from leader . Fun comes in its place. It can be clearly heard that the craftsmen did not want to be difficult and wanted to let off steam with simple rockers. Since 1994, the Chicago band has created many skilled pieces, including (2002) and (2011). That is why the bar is always high at Wilco, but sometimes it is also nice to make music without much pretense. (JE)more
