It’s been a good week for music, as Silversun Pickups, CHVRCHES, and Battles have all announced albums for later this year. However, it seems that Wilco may have just trumped the whole lot by not just announcing their new album, but also releasing it for free on their website.
The album is called Star Wars–that’s the cover above–and it is their first record since 2011’s underrated The Whole Love. It was recorded at The Loft in the band’s native Chicago, and was produced by frontman Tweedy and his frequent collaborator Tim Schick.
The album is available from their website, and comes in a zip file with its eleven tracks encoded in 256kpbs MP3.
Tweedy is quoted in a brief statement on the band’s Facebook page about the surprise release of Star Wars. “Why release an album this way and why make it free?” the statement reads. “Well, the biggest reason, and I’m not sure we even need any others, is that it felt like it would be fun. What’s more fun than a surprise?”
Star Wars will also see a physical release on August 21 through ANTI- Records and the band’s own dBpm label. It is available for pre-order in CD, vinyl and digital formats from the band’s online store.
According to the band’s YouTube page – where the record is also available for streaming if that’s your bag – the album will only be available for free until August 13.
Check out the tracklist below, and download the album from wilcoworld.net.
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Star Wars
1. EKG
2. More…
3. Random Name Generator
4. The Joke Explained
5. You Satellite
6. Taste the Ceiling
7. Pickled Ginger
8. Where Do I Begin
9. Cold Slope
10. King of You
11. Magnetized
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