Wilco Has A New Tour Too

With a surprise album from Wilco that just hit the internet a few days ago – for free! – what else could you want from the band? How about some new tour dates? The band announced a round of September gigs in the U.S., on Monday, along with a stop in Montreal.

Photo: Chris McKay / GettyImages.com

Shaky Knees Music Festival, Central Park, Atlanta, Ga.

The 11-track Star Wars is available as a free download on WilcoWorld.net, iTunes, Amazon and Google Play now through Aug. 13. You can also stream the new album on Spotify, Apple Music and Rdio.

“Why release an album this way and why make it free?” Jeff Tweedy posted on Facebook July 16. “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?”

Tweedy describes the surprise release as “a jolt of joy” – and the A.V. Club had to agree.

“Although words such as ‘fun,’ ‘joy,’ and (on recent albums) ‘surprise’ aren’t sentiments generally equated with the band’s music, his description is dead on: Star Wars is loose, dense, and deeply weird in unexpected, delightful ways,” A.V. Club writes in its review. “Starting with the short, discordant instrumental opener ‘EKG,’ which recalls Sonic Youth’s maelstroms, the album doesn’t sandpaper Wilco’s coarser instincts or tendencies. Although concise, Star Wars’ songs are jammed full of ideas, and feature murky vocals, frayed acoustic riffs, fuzzed-out choppy guitars, and smudged distortion.”

Wilco celebrated the release by playing Star Wars in its entirety at Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday. Here are the latest dates, giving you more chances to hear the new tunes live:

Sept. 16 – Kalamazoo, Mich., The Kalamazoo State Theatre
Sept. 17 – Cleveland, Ohio, Masonic Auditorium
Sept. 21 – Montreal, Quebec, Metropolis
Sept. 23 – Ithaca, N.Y., State Theatre
Sept. 24 – Ann Arbor, Mich., Hill Auditorium
Sept. 25 – Bloomington, Ind., Indiana University Auditorium
Sept. 28 – New Orleans, La., Orpheum Theater
Sept. 29 – Austin, Texas, Stubb’s Bar-B-Q / Waller Creek Amph.
Sept. 30 – Austin, Texas, Stubb’s Bar-B-Q / Waller Creek Amph.

A presale begins Wednesday, July 22. The general onsale is scheduled Friday, July 24.

Fans who’d like to hold a copy Star Wars in their hands can pre-order a physical version now. The CD is due out Aug. 21, followed by the vinyl release Nov. 27. Visit WilcoWorld.net for more information.