Schmilco is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on September 9, 2016, by dBpm Records. 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.
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 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 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 album Nilsson Schmilsson. The artwork was created by illustrator Joan Cornellà in collaboration with Stefania Lusini.
On the album, Tweedy tells stories of himself, his family, and his history.
Critical reception
Accolades +Accolades for Schmilco Publication Accolade Year Rank Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2016 2016 16 Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016 36 Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016 26 Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016 41
Track listing
Personnel Wilco Nels Cline – guitar Mikael Jorgensen – keyboard Glenn Kotche – drums Pat Sansone – guitar, keyboard John Stirratt – bass guitar Jeff Tweedy – lead vocals, guitar, production
Additional personnel Joan Cornellà – cover art Mark Greenberg – engineering Bob Ludwig – mastering Tom Schick – production Spencer Tweedy – drums
Charts
Weekly charts +Weekly sales chart performance for Schmilco Chart (2016) Peak position
Year-end charts +Annual sales chart performance for Schmilco Chart (2016) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) 200 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) 71
References
External links