View source for Wilco

{{short description|American alternative rock band}}
{{About|the band|}}
{{Distinguish|Wilko}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name              = Wilco
| image             = Wilco MassMoca AustinNelson.jpg
| caption           = Wilco at [[Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art]], Solid Sound Fest, 2011. Pictured left to right: Patrick Sansone, Mikael Jorgensen, Jeff Tweedy, Nels Cline, Glenn Kotche, John Stirratt
| image_size        = 250
| landscape         = yes
| background        = group_or_band
| origin            = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S.
| genre             = <!--Genres are sourced in the prose-->{{flatlist|
*[[Indie rock]]
*[[alternative rock]]
*[[alternative country]]
*[[art rock]]
*[[experimental rock]]
*[[folk rock]]
}}
| discography       = [[Wilco discography]]
| years_active      = {{start date|1994}}–present
| label             = {{hlist|[[dBpm Records|dBpm]]|[[Nonesuch Records|Nonesuch]]|[[Reprise Records|Reprise]]}}
| website           = {{URL|wilcoworld.net}}
| spinoffs          = {{flatlist| 
*[[The Autumn Defense]]
*[[Loose Fur]]
*[[Tweedy (band)|Tweedy]] }}
| spinoff_of        = [[Uncle Tupelo]]
| current_members   = *[[Jeff Tweedy]]
*[[John Stirratt]]
*[[Glenn Kotche]]
*[[Mikael Jorgensen]]
*[[Nels Cline]]
*[[Pat Sansone]]
| past_members      = *[[Ken Coomer]]
*[[Max Johnston (musician)|Max Johnston]]
*[[Brian Henneman]]
*[[Jay Bennett]]
*Bob Egan
*[[Leroy Bach]]
}}

'''Wilco''' is an American [[Rock music|rock]] band based in [[Chicago]]. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of [[alternative country]] group [[Uncle Tupelo]] after singer [[Jay Farrar]]'s departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its first decade, with only singer [[Jeff Tweedy]] and bassist [[John Stirratt]] remaining from the original incarnation. Since early 2004 the lineup has been unchanged, consisting of Tweedy, Stirratt, guitarist [[Nels Cline]], multi-instrumentalist [[Pat Sansone]], keyboard player [[Mikael Jorgensen]], and drummer [[Glenn Kotche]]. Wilco has released thirteen studio albums, a live double album, and four collaborations: three with [[Billy Bragg]] and one with [[the Minus 5]].

Wilco's music has been inspired by a wide variety of artists and styles including [[Bill Fay]], [[the Beatles]], and [[Television (band)|Television]]; in turn the band has influenced music by many modern alternative rock acts. The band continued in the [[alternative country]] style of Uncle Tupelo on its debut album ''[[A.M. (Wilco album)|A.M.]]'' (1995), but has since introduced more [[experimental music|experimental]] aspects to their music, including elements of [[alternative rock]] and classic pop. Wilco's musical style has evolved from a 1990s country rock sound to a current "eclectic [[indie rock]] collective that touches on many eras and genres".<ref>{{cite web |date=September 25, 2012 |title=Indie-Rockers Wilco Make First Appearance At The Cascade Theatre Sept 26 |url=http://anewscafe.com/2012/09/25/indie-rockers-wilco-make-first-appearance-at-the-cascade-theatre-sept-26/ |author=Press Release}}</ref>

Wilco received media attention for their fourth album, ''[[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]]'' (2001), and the controversy surrounding it. After the recording sessions were complete, [[Reprise Records]] rejected the album and dismissed Wilco from the label. As part of a buy-out deal, Reprise gave Wilco the rights to the album for free. After streaming ''Foxtrot'' on its website, Wilco sold the album to [[Nonesuch Records]] in 2002. Both record labels are subsidiaries of [[Warner Music Group]], leading a critic to say the album showed "how screwed up the music business is in the early twenty-first century."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Fricke|first=David|author-link=David Fricke|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/yankee-hotel-foxtrot-250882/|title=Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (review)|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=May 9, 2002|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070912001355/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/wilco/albums/album/322307/review/5946403/yankee_hotel_foxtrot |archive-date = September 12, 2007|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> The event was immortalized in the documentary [[I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco|''I Am Trying to Break Your Heart'']]; director [[Sam Jones (photographer)|Sam Jones]] followed the band as they wrote and produced the record. ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' is Wilco's most successful release to date, selling over 670,000 copies. Wilco won two [[Grammy Award]]s for their fifth studio album, 2004's ''[[A Ghost Is Born]]'', including [[Best Alternative Music Album]]. Wilco released their thirteenth studio album, ''[[Cousin (album)|Cousin]]'', in September 2023.

==History==

===Formation, ''A.M.'', and ''Being There'' (1994–1996)===
{{Main|Uncle Tupelo}}
Wilco was formed following the breakup of the influential alternative country music group [[Uncle Tupelo]]. Singer [[Jay Farrar]] quit the band in 1994 because of a soured relationship with co-singer [[Jeff Tweedy]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Blackstock|first=Peter|url=http://www.nodepression.net/issues/nd01/sonvolt.html|title=Jay Farrar Traces a Path Away from Uncle Tupelo|work=[[No Depression (periodical)|No Depression]]|date=Fall 1995|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928002617/http://www.nodepression.net/issues/nd01/sonvolt.html |archive-date = September 28, 2007|url-status=dead}} Last accessed July 9, 2007.</ref> Both Tweedy and Farrar immediately sought to form bands after the breakup, with Farrar organizing [[Son Volt]]. Tweedy's new band included all current members of Uncle Tupelo lineup sans Farrar, including [[bassist]] John Stirratt, [[drummer]] [[Ken Coomer]], and multi-instrumentalist [[Max Johnston (musician)|Max Johnston]]. He even enlisted Uncle Tupelo guest guitarist [[Brian Henneman]] of [[the Bottle Rockets]] to perform, who appears on many of the tracks for Wilco's debut album, ''[[A.M. (Wilco album)|A.M.]]''.<ref name="undertowmusic.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.undertowmusic.com/messageboards/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=3926&p=26462#p26462|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220011754/http://www.undertowmusic.com/messageboards/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=3926&p=26462#p26462|url-status=dead|title=Undertownmusic.com|archive-date=December 20, 2008}}</ref> The group considered retaining the Uncle Tupelo name<ref>{{cite news|last=Sheridan|first=Phil|title=Roger, Wilco|work=[[Magnet (magazine)|Magnet]]|date=February 1995}}</ref> but decided to call themselves "Wilco" after the [[Military and commercial aviation radio voice acronym|military and commercial aviation radio voice abbreviation]] for "will comply",<ref name="Kot 2004">Kot 2004. p. 89</ref> a choice which Tweedy has said is "fairly ironic for a rock band to name themselves."<ref name="CBS News Sunday Morning">Cynthia Bowers (August 23, 2009). "A Summer Song", [[CBS News Sunday Morning]]</ref>

After collaborating with [[Syd Straw]] on a cover version of the [[Ernest Tubb]] song "The T.B. is Whipping Me" (released in September 1994 on the ''[[Red Hot + Country]]'' compilation produced by the [[Red Hot Organization]]), Wilco began [https://web.archive.org/web/20081220011754/http://www.undertowmusic.com/messageboards/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=3926&p=26462#p26462 recording tracks] for ''[[A.M. (Wilco album)|A.M.]]'', their first studio album, at Easley studio in June 1994.<ref name="undertowmusic.com"/><ref name="Kot 2004"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Dawne|first=Vanessa|title=Wilco (interview)|publisher=Pop Culture Press|year=1995}}</ref> A demo tape from the recordings was sent to executives at [[Reprise Records]], a subsidiary of [[Warner Brothers]], and the label signed Tweedy to a contract. Although Tweedy said that he wanted a more collaborative project than Uncle Tupelo, only his name appeared on the Reprise contract.<ref name="Kot1">Kot 2004. p. 92</ref> Tweedy requested songwriting submissions from other members, but only one submission—John Stirratt's "It's Just That Simple"—appeared on ''A.M.''. It was the last song Wilco ever released that was lyrically solely written by a member besides Tweedy.<ref name="Kot1"/>

Stylistically similar to Uncle Tupelo, the music on ''A.M.'' was considered to be straightforward alternative country rock in what Tweedy later described as "trying to tread some water with a perceived audience."<ref>{{cite news|last=Cameron|first=Keith|title=Last Twang in Town|publisher=Vox|date=May 1997}}</ref> ''A.M.'' peaked at number 27 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Top Heatseekers|Heatseekers]] chart, considerably lower than the debut album of Jay Farrar's new band, [[Son Volt]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Heatseekers|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=April 15, 1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=The ''Billboard'' 200|magazine=Billboard|date=October 7, 1995}}</ref> The album was met with modest reviews though it would rank thirty-fourth in the ''[[Village Voice]]'''s 1995 [[Pazz & Jop]] critics poll.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=George-Warren|first=Holly|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/a-m-187587/|title=Wilco: ''A.M.'' (review)|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=February 2, 1998|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071001064351/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/wilco/albums/album/230153/review/5942185/am |archive-date = October 1, 2007|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Deming |first=Mark |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=am-mw0000124792#review|pure_url=yes}} |title=''A.M.'' Review |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 15, 2024}} {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603035928/http://www.allmusic.com/album/am-mw0000124792 |title=Original review by Stephen Tomas Erlewine |date=June 3, 2012}}.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres95.php|title=The 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]}} Last accessed July 11, 2007.</ref> Critically and commercially paling in comparison to the reception of Son Volt's album, the Wilco members perceived ''A.M.'' to be a failure.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 97</ref> Shortly after the release of the album, [[multi-instrumentalist]] [[Jay Bennett]] joined the band, providing the band with a [[Keyboard instrument|keyboardist]] and another guitarist.

{{Listen|filename=I Must Be High.ogg|title="I Must Be High"|description=Sample from "I Must Be High", the first track from ''A.M.''. The song is an example of the straightforward alternative country music described by Tweedy as "trying to tread some water with a perceived audience."|format=[[Ogg]]}}

Wilco made its live debut on November 17, 1994 to a capacity crowd at Cicero's Basement Bar in [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]] (the band was billed for the occasion as "[[Black Shampoo]]").<ref>{{cite news|last=Kuelker|first=Michael|title=New Wilco Satisfies Tupelo Fans|publisher=St. Louis Dispatch|date=November 19, 1994}} Last accessed September 2, 2007.</ref> During the two hundred-date tour supporting ''A.M.'', Tweedy began to write songs for a second album. The lyrical theme of the songs reflected a relationship between musical artist and a listener; Tweedy chose this topic because he sought to eschew the alternative country fan base. Ken Coomer elaborated:<ref>Kot 2004. p. 110–1</ref>

<blockquote>The whole ''[[No Depression (periodical)|No Depression]]'' thing was funny to us because people seemed to forget that Jeff was a bigger punk-rock fan than a country fan. It led to things like us all switching instruments on "Misunderstood," where I'm playing guitar.</blockquote>

Wilco recorded a number of songs with this theme, including "Sunken Treasure" and "Hotel Arizona."<ref>Kot 2004. p. 112</ref> Wilco also recorded some songs in the style of ''A.M.''<ref name="ND">{{cite news|last=Blackstock|first=Peter|url=http://www.nodepression.net/issues/nd05/wilco.html|title=Being There, Doing That|publisher=No Depression|date=September 1996|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070507025218/http://www.nodepression.net/issues/nd05/wilco.html |archive-date = May 7, 2007|url-status=dead}} Last accessed July 11, 2007.</ref> Wilco named the album ''[[Being There (Wilco album)|Being There]]'' after a [[Peter Sellers]] [[Being There|film of the same name]]. The band went through some personnel changes during the recording sessions. Max Johnston left the band because he felt that his role in the band had diminished in favor of Bennett; he had also been replaced by violinist Jesse Greene on one track because the band felt that Johnston was unable to play the part. Bob Egan of [[Freakwater]] briefly joined the band in the studio, playing [[pedal steel guitar]] on "Far, Far Away" and "Dreamer in My Dreams", and then became an official member in September 1996.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 115</ref><ref>Kot 2004. p. 119</ref>

Unlike the ''A.M.'' recording sessions, the band had no desire to produce a hit song from their second effort.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 114</ref> The recording sessions produced nineteen songs, too many for a single album release. Tweedy was concerned about the high retail price that a [[double album]] would be sold for (at least $30), so he asked Reprise Records to release it as a double album at a single album price ($17.98 or less). Reprise agreed to this on the terms that they received Wilco's share of the album royalties. It was estimated in 2003 that the band lost almost $600,000 on the deal, but Tweedy was satisfied.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 116</ref> ''Being There'' was well received by critics from several major media outlets, including ''[[Rolling Stone]]''.<ref name="ND"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Deming |first=Mark |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=being-there-mw0000613155#review|pure_url=yes}} |title=''Being There'' Review |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 15, 2024}} {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110325044108/http://www.allmusic.com/album/being-there-r241294/review |title=Original review by Jason Ankeny |date=March 25, 2011}}.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Kot|first=Greg|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/being-there-203447/|title=Being There |magazine=Rolling Stone|date=October 24, 1996|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070619094452/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/wilco/albums/album/240156/review/5946124/being_there |archive-date = June 19, 2007|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> The album reached number 73 on the ''Billboard'' album charts,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The ''Billboard'' 200|magazine=Billboard|date=November 16, 1996}}</ref> a significant improvement from ''A.M.'', and placed fourteenth on the Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 1996.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres96.php|title=The 1996 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll|newspaper=The Village Voice}} Last accessed July 11, 2007.</ref> The album's single "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" became the group's first song to enter the ''Billboard'' charts, reaching number 39 on the [[Alternative Songs|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart and number 22 on the [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Mainstream Rock Tracks]] chart.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wilco Awards |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=wilco-mn0000254215#awards|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 15, 2024}}</ref>

===''Summerteeth'' and the ''Mermaid Avenue'' sessions (1997–2000)===
In November 1997, Wilco entered [[Willie Nelson]]'s recording studio in [[Spicewood]], [[Texas]] to record a third studio album.<ref name="Kot-2004">Kot 2004. p. 138</ref> The album was lyrically inspired by the marital problems of Tweedy and his wife, as well as by twentieth-century [[literature]].<ref>Kot 2004. p. 135</ref> Tweedy relied heavily on Bennett to provide music for the singer's "bold, but depressing" lyrics.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 140–1</ref> Wilco recorded several songs, including "Via Chicago" and "She's a Jar", but began working on another project before assembling the tracks into an album.<ref name="Kot-2004"/>
[[File:Woody Guthrie 2.jpg|left|thumb|The two ''Mermaid Avenue'' albums  are recordings of unreleased [[Woody Guthrie]] (''pictured'') songs]]
[[Nora Guthrie]] contacted singer-songwriter [[Billy Bragg]] in spring 1995 about recording some unreleased songs by her father, folk singer [[Woody Guthrie]]. Most of the songs were written late in Guthrie's life when he was unable to record due to the motor impairments of [[Huntington's disease]]. By the 1990s, Woody Guthrie had become a "relic" to the [[MTV generation]], and Nora sought to establish a different legacy for the musician. To Nora, Bragg was "the only singer I knew taking on the same issues as Woody." Bragg was concerned, however, that his fans would not realize that the songs were written by Guthrie when he performed them on tour, so he decided to record the album with another band.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 143</ref>

Bragg contacted Tweedy and Bennett about co-recording the album while Wilco was on the European segment of their ''Being There'' tour. Bragg was particularly fond of ''Being There'' because their influences extended farther back than the 1950s. Although Tweedy was indifferent to the offer, Bennett was enthused about recording songs with one of his idols—Bennett's previous band Titanic Love Affair was named after a Billy Bragg lyric. A recording contract between Bragg and Wilco was signed after a show at [[Shepherd's Bush Empire]]. Bragg mostly recorded the politically charged lyrics, while Tweedy preferred to record lyrics that showcased Guthrie as a "freak weirdo." The recording of ''[[Mermaid Avenue]]'' began on December 12, 1997, and was the topic of [[BBC]]'s ''[[Man in the Sand]]'' documentary film.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 144–5</ref>

Tempers flared between Bragg and Wilco after the album was completed. Bennett believed that Bragg was overproducing his songs, a sharp contrast to Wilco's sparser contributions. Bennett called Bragg about the possibility of remixing Bragg's songs, to which Bragg responded "you make your record, and I'll make mine..." Eventually Bragg sent copies of his recordings to Chicago for Bennett to remix, but Bragg refused to use the new mixes on the album. The two parties were unable to establish a promotional tour and quarreled over royalties and guest musician fees.

Despite these conflicts, the album was released on June 23, 1998, and sold over 277,000 copies.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 151–3</ref> The album received rave reviews from Robert Christgau and ''Rolling Stone'', and was nominated for a [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Marcus|first=Greil|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/kicking-television-live-in-chicago-249386/|title=Mermaid Avenue |magazine=Rolling Stone|date=June 1, 1998|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071002102709/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/wilco/albums/album/225606/review/6213088/mermaid_avenue |archive-date = October 2, 2007|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=2579&name=Billy+Bragg+%26+Wilco|title=CG: Billy Bragg & Wilco|publisher=robertchristgau.com}} Last accessed July 14, 2007.</ref> It also placed fourth on the Pazz & Jop critics poll for 1998.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres98.php|title=The 1998 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll|newspaper=The Village Voice}} Last accessed July 14, 2007.</ref> After the album was released, Bob Egan was replaced by multi-instrumentalist [[Leroy Bach]].<ref>Kot 2004. p. 169</ref>

After the completion of the ''Mermaid Avenue'' sessions, Wilco returned to Spicewood to complete their third studio album, ''[[Summerteeth]]''. Unlike previous Wilco and Uncle Tupelo recordings, the album featured a lot of overdubbing with [[Pro Tools]].<ref>Kot 2004. p. 154–5</ref> Stirratt and Coomer were concerned with the production, since it reduced their involvement in the music. According to Stirratt:<ref>Kot 2004. p. 158</ref>

<blockquote>The story of ''Summerteeth'' is Jay bought a [[Mellotron]] and he was going to use it, no matter what. It was lovely, but it was overdone. Once they got going on the overdubs, they didn't stop. And nobody in the band stepped up to stop the madness&nbsp;... It reminds me of ''[[Heart of Darkness]]'', where you knowingly extend the creative process for the purpose of exploration or redemption, or whatever it is you're looking for.</blockquote>

During 1999, Warner Brothers was looking to help repay a $16 billion debt acquired during the recent merger of parent company Warner Communications with [[Time Inc.]]<ref>Kot 2004. p. 161</ref> As a result, Warner's [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]]s were under pressure to produce musical acts that would yield hit records. The head of Reprise, [[Howie Klein]], who had previously authorized the release of ''Being There'' as a double album, was willing to let Wilco produce ''Summerteeth'' without label input. When Klein played the album for Reprise's A&R department, however, they demanded a radio single for the album. Wilco agreed to do this "once and once only" and recorded a radio-friendly version of "Can't Stand It" at the request of [[David Kahne]], the head of the A&R department.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 162–5</ref> The single version of "Can't Stand It" failed to cross over from [[Adult album alternative|Triple-A]] radio to alternative rock stations. The album sold only 200,000 copies, significantly less than ''Being There''<ref>Kot 2004. p. 167</ref> despite critical acclaim; the album placed eighth on the Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 1999.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres99.php|title=The 1999 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll|newspaper=The Village Voice}} Last accessed July 15, 2007.</ref>

After the release of ''[[Summerteeth]]'', the band resumed the ''Mermaid Avenue'' sessions. Although they had recorded enough material for a second release in 1998, Wilco recorded a few new songs for ''[[Mermaid Avenue Vol. II]]''. "Someday Some Morning Sometime," featuring a [[vibraphone]] filtered through a [[space echo]], was identified by Tweedy as being the "piece to the puzzle" towards the creation of their fourth studio album. The album was released on May 30, 2000, and was the last release from the sessions.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 175</ref> The remainder of the sessions were released in 2012 as ''[[Mermaid Avenue Vol. III]]'', also part of ''[[Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions]]''.

===Departure from Reprise Records and ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' (2001–2002)===
[[File:Marina City, Chicago, Illinois, Estados Unidos, 2012-10-20, DD 01.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Marina City|Marina Towers]] in [[Chicago, IL|Chicago]] are depicted on the cover of ''[[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]]''.]]
{{Listen|filename=I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.ogg|title="I Am Trying to Break Your Heart"|description=The first track from ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'', this song featured an intro on bells composed by Glenn Kotche.|format=[[Ogg]]}}
Shortly after the recording sessions for ''Mermaid Avenue Vol. II'', Wilco purchased a studio on Irving Park Road in Chicago, which they named the Wilco Loft.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 168</ref> The band recorded tracks in the studio in early 2000 for a fourth studio album. In May 2000, Jeff Tweedy requested to perform with [[Jim O'Rourke (musician)|Jim O'Rourke]] at a festival in Chicago; Tweedy was a fan of O'Rourke's ''[[Bad Timing (album)|Bad Timing]]''. O'Rourke introduced Tweedy to drummer [[Glenn Kotche]], and the trio enjoyed working together so much that they decided to record an album as a side project named [[Loose Fur]].<ref>Kot 2004. p. 177–9</ref> Wilco had recorded an entire album of music at this point, but Tweedy was unhappy with the drum parts. He enjoyed Kotche's contributions to Loose Fur so much that Tweedy brought him into the studio to re-record some demos. Some believe that Tweedy sought to make Wilco sound like Loose Fur after officially replacing Ken Coomer with Kotche in January 2001.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 186–8</ref>

Although Bennett sought to be the mixer and engineer for ''[[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]]'', Tweedy was unsure of Bennett's abilities compared to O'Rourke. Tweedy and Bennett frequently argued over whether the album should be accessible to a general listener, or attempt to cover new musical ground.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 195–6</ref> Unbeknownst to Bennett, Tweedy invited O'Rourke to remix "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart", and the results impressed the other band members—even Bennett. Tensions grew between Bennett and O'Rourke because Bennett wanted to mix every song on the album. O'Rourke cut the contributions of other members on several of the songs; some songs, such as "Poor Places", only featured the Loose Fur trio.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 198–9</ref> O'Rourke would later claim he replaced no parts, though he does admit to recording additional "bridge" sections with the trio in order to accommodate his and Tweedy's arrangement tweaks done to the tracks during the mixing process. He specifically mentioned "Poor Places" as the most affected song on the album, though he only credits the final section as the work of Loose Fur, excluding the noise which he credits to Bennett.<ref>{{cite video|title=Somewhere Sound #23 Jim O'Rourke|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eY11L-uov4|date=November 2024}}</ref> The album was completed in 2001, and Bennett was dismissed from the band immediately afterwards.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Fricke|first=David|title=In from the Cold|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|date=May 2002}}</ref> The recording of the album was documented by [[Sam Jones (filmmaker)|Sam Jones]] and released in 2002 as the film ''[[I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco]]''.

Time Warner, which owned Warner Bros. Records, merged with [[America Online]] in 2001, leading to more pressure on Warner's record labels to cut costs. Over 600 employees of Warner Music Group were fired, including Howie Klein, the president of Reprise Records.

David Kahne became the interim head of Reprise.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 201</ref> Kahne assigned Mio Vukovic to monitor the progress of ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' and to offer suggestions. Music journalist Greg Kot claims that Vukovic disliked the album and was unhappy that Wilco ignored his suggestions.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 202</ref> He brought the album to Kahne, who felt that there was no single on the album. In June 2001, the [[album]] was rejected by Reprise and Wilco was asked to leave the label.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 203</ref>

Wilco managed to negotiate a buy-out from Reprise. [[Music journalist]] Greg Kot claims that instead of financial compensation, the band agreed to leave the label with the master tapes of ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot''.<ref>Kot 2004, p. 207</ref> The label was already receiving bad publicity for its treatment of the band and were willing to accommodate Wilco's request.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0108150038aug15.story?coll=chi-leisure-hed|title=Wilco's Shot in the Arm|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=August 15, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010826133635/http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0108150038aug15.story?coll=chi-leisure-hed|archive-date=August 26, 2001}} Last accessed via the [[Digital time capsule|Wayback Machine]] on July 15, 2007.</ref> However, AllMusic claims "Warner/[[Reprise Records|Reprise]] agreed to sell them the masters for a reported $50,000" after Wilco was "unwilling to change the album to make it more 'commercially viable'." In a last-minute decision, the label freed Wilco from their contract and gave them the album at no charge.<ref name="AllMusic biography">{{cite web |last=Deming |first=Mark |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=wilco-mn0000254215#biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=Wilco Biography |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 15, 2024}}</ref> Curbing the negative publicity, Warner Music Group began to invest more in bands including [[The Flaming Lips]]. Lead singer [[Wayne Coyne]] remarked:<ref>Kot 2004. p. 209</ref>

<blockquote>We are benefiting from the label's regret over Wilco. We are living in the golden age of that being such a public mistake. The people on Warners said, "we'll never have a band like Wilco feel we don't believe in them again." They'd tell me that it would never happen to us. And what a great day for me!</blockquote>

As the band searched for a new label to release the album, they decided to stream it on their official website to discourage illegal trading of low-quality [[MP3]]s.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 225–6</ref> The band signed with [[Nonesuch Records]], another [[Time Warner]] subsidiary, and the album was released in the spring of 2002. When it was released, ''[[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]]'' reached number 13 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], Wilco's highest chart position to that date.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The ''Billboard'' 200|magazine=Billboard|date=May 11, 2002}}</ref> ''[[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]]'' sold over 590,000 copies, and to date remains Wilco's best-selling album.<ref name="Cohen">{{cite magazine|last=Cohen|first=Jonathan|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/wilco-in-the-comfort-zone-1052800/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519155816/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1052800/wilco-in-the-comfort-zone|archive-date=May 19, 2007|title=Wilco: In the Comfort Zone|magazine=Billboard|date=April 13, 2007|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' was met with extensive critical acclaim: it topped 2002's Pazz & Jop critics' poll and was named one of the 100 greatest albums of all time by ''[[Q Magazine]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/pazznjop/02/ |title=Pazz & Jop 2002 |newspaper=The Village Voice |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030220134654/http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/pazznjop/02/ |archive-date=February 20, 2003 }} Last accessed July 15, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=2006 Q Magazine Readers' 100 Greatest Albums Ever|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=February 2006}}</ref><ref>Levy 2005. p. 216</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' rated it at number 493 of their 500 Greatest Albums of all Time, in May 2012.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=May 31, 2012|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> In the 2020 reboot of the list, its ranking was raised to number 225.

In September 2022 the band released a variety of reissues of the album, including an 11-LP "Super Deluxe" version. The reissue won a [[65th Annual Grammy Awards|Grammy]] for Best Historical Album.

===''Down with Wilco'', ''A Ghost Is Born'', and ''Kicking Television'' (2003–2005)===
While waiting for the commercial release of ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'', Wilco agreed to support [[R.E.M.]] collaborator [[Scott McCaughey]] for an album release by [[The Minus 5]]. They scheduled a recording session for September 11, 2001, but were distraught about the [[9/11]] terrorist attacks that day.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 220</ref> Later that day, Wilco and McCaughey agreed to "create something good in the world right now" and record some material.<ref name="Two">Kot 2004. p. 221</ref> Influenced by [[Bill Fay]]'s ''[[Time of the Last Persecution]]'', The Minus 5's ''[[Down with Wilco]]'' was released in 2003.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 222</ref> Keyboardist [[Mikael Jorgensen]], who had engineered ''Down with Wilco'', joined Wilco in 2002 as they toured in support of ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot''.
[[File:Wired Wilco.jpg|thumb|left|Wilco at the [[Wired (magazine)|Wired Rave]] Awards in 2003]]
In November 2003, Wilco traveled to New York City to record their fifth album. The album was produced by Jim O'Rourke, who mixed ''Foxtrot'' and was a member of Wilco side project Loose Fur. Unlike ''Summerteeth'' and ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'', ''[[A Ghost Is Born]]'' featured songs that were created with Pro Tools before ever performing them live.<ref name="Kot3">Kot 2004. p. 240–1</ref> The album featured the song "Less Than You Think", which included a fifteen-minute track of electronic noises and synthesizers, which Tweedy called "the track that everyone will hate". Tweedy justified the inclusion of the song:<ref name="Kot3"/>

{{blockquote|I know ninety-nine percent of our fans won't like that song, they'll say it's a ridiculous indulgence. Even I don't want to listen to it every time I play through the album. But the times I do calm myself down and pay attention to it, I think it's valuable and moving and cathartic. I wouldn't have put it on the record if I didn't think it was great&nbsp;... I wanted to make an album about identity, and within that is the idea of a higher power, the idea of randomness, and that anything can happen, and that we can't control it.}}

Leroy Bach left the band immediately after the album's completion to join a music theatre operation in Chicago.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pouncey|first=Edwin|title=Free the Spirit|work=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|date=August 2004}}</ref> Like ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'', Wilco streamed the album online before its commercial release. Instead of using their own web page, the band streamed it in [[MPEG-4]] form on [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s website.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Jardin|first=Xeni|url=https://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2004/11/65688|title=Music Is Not a Loaf of Bread|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|date=November 15, 2004}} Last accessed July 23, 2007.</ref> Wilco decided to substantially change their lineup after Bach's departure adding [[Pat Sansone]] of [[The Autumn Defense]], and [[avant-garde music|avant-garde]] guitarist [[Nels Cline]] to the lineup.<ref name="Two"/><ref>Kot 2004. p. 243</ref> Just as the band was about to tour to promote the album, Tweedy checked himself into a [[Drug rehabilitation|rehabilitation]] clinic in Chicago for an addiction to [[opioid]]s. As a result, tour plans for Europe were canceled, and the release date for the album was set back several weeks.<ref>Kot 2004. p. 244</ref> ''A Ghost Is Born'' was released on June 22, 2004, and became Wilco's first top ten album in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|last=D'Angelo|first=Joe|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1489256/20040707/story.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040803042041/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1489256/20040707/story.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 3, 2004|title=Lloyd Banks' Hunger Debuts at No. 1; Brandy Settles for No. 3|publisher=[[MTV News]]|date=July 7, 2004}} Last accessed July 16, 2007.</ref> The album earned Wilco [[Grammy Awards]] for [[Best Alternative Music Album]] and [[Best Recording Package]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2005-grammy-award-winners/|title=2005 Grammy Award Winners: Complete List of 47th Annual Grammy Awards Winners|agency=Associated Press|date=February 13, 2005|work=CBS News|access-date=July 16, 2007|archive-date=June 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620131904/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/14/in_depth_showbiz/main673822.shtml|url-status=live}} Last accessed July 16, 2007.</ref> It also placed thirteenth on 2004's Pazz & Jop Critics Poll.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/pazznjop/04/albums_winners1.php |title=The 2004 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll |newspaper=The Village Voice |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050210035404/http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/pazznjop/04/albums_winners1.php |archive-date=February 10, 2005 }} Last accessed July 16, 2007.</ref>

In 2004, the band released ''[[The Wilco Book]]'', a picture book detailing the creation of ''A Ghost Is Born''. The book also contains writings and drawings from band members, as well as a CD with demos from the ''A Ghost Is Born'' recording sessions.<ref>{{cite web|last=Tangari |first=Joe |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8681-the-wilco-book/ |title=Wilco: The Wilco Book |publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]] |date=November 1, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115182017/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/23182-the-wilco-book?artist_title=23182-the-wilco-book |archive-date=January 15, 2008|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> Also that year, ''Chicago Tribune'' music critic [[Greg Kot]] released a biography of the band entitled ''[[Wilco: Learning How to Die]]''. The new six-piece Wilco lineup, which has remained intact ever since, debuted on ''[[Kicking Television: Live in Chicago]]'', a two disc live album recorded at [[The Vic Theater]] in Chicago. Released on November 15, 2005, the album received high accolades from ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'', ''Billboard'', and ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/wilco/kickingtelevision|title=Wilco: Kicking Television: Live in Chicago (2005)|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=July 16, 2007|archive-date=September 23, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923024507/http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/wilco/kickingtelevision|url-status=dead}} Last accessed July 16, 2007.</ref> As of 2007 it has sold over 114,000 copies.<ref name="Cohen"/>

===''Sky Blue Sky'' (2006–2008)===
[[File:Wilco Matters.ogg|thumb|right|[[John Stirratt]] discussing making ''[[Sky Blue Sky]]'' in 2007]]
Wilco returned to their loft in Chicago to record a sixth studio album in 2006. Influenced by [[The Byrds]] and [[Fairport Convention]], the band considered ''[[Sky Blue Sky]]'' to be less experimental than previous releases.<ref name="Cohen"/> Also unlike on previous albums, the songs were created as collaborations.
[[File:Wilco - Roskilde Festival 2007.jpg|thumb|right|Wilco performing at the [[Roskilde Festival]] in 2007]]
Wilco streamed the album online on March 3, 2007, and offered the song "What Light" as a free MP3 download.<ref>{{cite web|last=Crock |first=Jason |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/6602-wilco/ |title=Wilco |publisher=Pitchfork Media |date=May 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608173247/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/42415-interview-wilco |archive-date=June 8, 2007|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> Further publicizing the album, Wilco licensed several songs from the ''Sky Blue Sky'' recording sessions for use in a [[Volkswagen]] advertising campaign. The move was criticized by both critics and fans; Wilco responded by noting that they had previously done advertising campaigns with [[Apple Inc.]] and [[movistar|Telefónica Móviles (Movistar)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wilcoworld.net/news/index.php|title=Wilco–News|date=February 3, 2023 |publisher=wilcoworld.net}} Last accessed July 16, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Cohen|first=Jonathan|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/wilco-takes-a-spin-with-volkswagen-for-tv-ads-1051724/|title=Wilco Takes a Spin with Volkswagen for TV Ads|magazine=Billboard|date=June 5, 2007}}\</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Caro|first=Mark|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-06-10-0706080716-story.html|title=Does VW Deal Make Wilco a Sellout?|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=June 10, 2007|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> The album was released on May 15, 2007, and was a commercial success: it sold over 87,000 copies in its first week and peaked in the top five in the U.S. album charts.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hasty|first=Katie|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/linkin-park-scores-years-best-debut-with-midnight-1051972/|title=Linkin Park Scores Year's Best Debut with 'Midnight'|magazine=Billboard|date=May 23, 2007|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> It was a top forty hit in seven other countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://acharts.us/album/26043|title=Wilco–''Sky Blue Sky''–Music Charts|publisher=acharts.com}} Last accessed July 16, 2007.</ref>

Reviewer James Brubaker says that Wilco "shine[s] on a handful of the songs" on ''Sky Blue Sky'', such as the "light, and straightforward" songs. While he calls it a "great traditional rock and folk album at times,...the rest of the record comes off at times as dull, and forced."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.30music.com/rev.php?mode=revrec&rev=2030 |title="Sky Blue Sky" (CD) |last=Brubaker |first=James |date=May 15, 2007 |work=30music.com }}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Last accessed February 28, 2008.</ref> A review in ''allaboutjazz'' also had mixed comments. While praising the album as "deceptively insinuating, almost intoxicating to listen to" and noting its "impeccable sound quality," the review said that "''Sky Blue Sky'' becomes the first Wilco album that sounds too careful for its own good."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sky-blue-sky-wilco-nonesuch-records-review-by-doug-collette |title= Sky Blue Sky |last=Collette |first=Doug |date=June 9, 2007 |work=Allaboutjazz.com }} Last accessed February 28, 2008.</ref>

Pabs Hernandez, a reviewer for ''Lost at Sea'', praised the album's "breezy atmosphere and pacing," and noted that it is not "easily judged upon first listen." Overall, Hernandez mentioned that it "may be no masterpiece, but at worst it's a more than worthy entry into Wilco's laudable catalogue."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lostatsea.net/review.phtml?id=12361925304652f9100a2f1 |title=Sky Blue Sky |last=Hernandez |first=Pablo |date=May 22, 2007 |work=Lost at Sea Magazine |access-date=February 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021064512/http://lostatsea.net/review.phtml?id=12361925304652f9100a2f1 |archive-date=October 21, 2007 |url-status=dead }} Last accessed February 28, 2008.</ref> Reviewer Greg Locke praised the record as "one of the best albums of the year," calling it a "timeless record, full of sweet, hopeful sophistication and class" and "a lean, mean, soulful album." Like Hernandez, Locke acknowledged that the album could not be properly judged just on the first listening.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whatzup.com/Music/cd070507b.html |title=Sky Blue Sky Wilco |last=Locke |first=Greg |year=2007 |work=WhatzUp |publisher=Ad Media Inc. |access-date=February 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113092023/http://www.whatzup.com/Music/cd070507b.html |archive-date=January 13, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} Last accessed February 28, 2008.</ref> The NPR review also had a positive take on the record. While the NPR reviewer stated that the recording "isn't groundbreaking," they praised its "coherent musical expression" and emphasis on "solid songcraft without pretense" which created a "satisfying and melodically sound album."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17174915 |title=The Best Albums of the Year, from KUT |last=Brown |first=David |author-link=David Brown (radio host) |date=December 14, 2007 |work=[[National Public Radio]] }} Last accessed February 28, 2008.</ref>

In anticipation of the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 US presidential election]], Wilco released a downloadable version of [[Bob Dylan]]'s "[[I Shall Be Released]]" that they performed with [[Fleet Foxes]]. The MP3 was available as a free download from the band's website in exchange for a promise to vote in the election.<ref>{{cite web|last=Solarski |first=Matthew |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/33557-plan-to-vote-get-wilcofleet-foxes-dylan-cover-mp3/ |title=Plan to Vote? Get Wilco/Fleet Foxes' Dylan Cover MP3 |publisher=Pitchfork Media |date=September 23, 2008 |access-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026090749/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/145869-plan-to-vote-get-wilco-fleet-foxes-dylan-cover-mp3 |archive-date=October 26, 2008 |df=mdy }}</ref> The band also made an appearance on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' to support presidential candidate [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cc.com/video/ugfx1s/the-colbert-report-wilco-interview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413190207/https://www.cc.com/video/ugfx1s/the-colbert-report-wilco-interview|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 13, 2021|title=Wilco Interview - The Colbert Report|date=October 31, 2008|publisher=Comedy Central|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> Wilco released a live performance DVD, ''[[Ashes of American Flags]]'', on April 18, 2009, to celebrate [[Record Store Day]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ashesofamericanmovie.com/ |title=Ashesofamericanmovie.com |publisher=Ashesofamericanmovie.com |access-date=October 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822084036/http://ashesofamericanmovie.com/ |archive-date=August 22, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In December 2008, Jeff Tweedy, Pat Sansone, Glenn Kotche, and John Stirratt traveled to [[Auckland]], New Zealand to participate in [[Neil Finn]]'s [[7 Worlds Collide]] sequel project, [[The Sun Came Out]], joined by [[Ed O'Brien]], [[Phil Selway]], [[Johnny Marr]], [[KT Tunstall]], [[Liam Finn]], and [[Lisa Germano]]. They wrote and recorded several new tracks for the [[Oxfam]]-benefiting album including "You Never Know," "What Could Have Been," "Over and Done," and "Don't Forget Me." Jeff Tweedy co-wrote "Too Blue" with Johnny Marr, and Glenn, John, and Pat play on most tracks on the album.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-finn-recruits-wilco-radiohead-members-for-7-worlds-collide-115602/|title=Neil Finn Recruits Wilco, Radiohead Members For 7 Worlds Collide |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091206063037/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/29/neil-finn-recruits-wilco-radiohead-members-for-7-worlds-collides-the-sun-came-out/ |archive-date=December 6, 2009 }}</ref>

The band stayed in Auckland through January recording for their next album at Finn's own [[Roundhead Studios]]. Jim Scott, who was the engineer and mixer for the Neil Finn project, stayed on in the same capacity for the Wilco sessions. Nels Cline and Mikael Jorgensen later added overdubs to the tracks at the band's Chicago Loft.

===''Wilco (The Album)'', founding dBpm Records, and ''The Whole Love'' (2009–2011)===
Wilco released their seventh album, ''[[Wilco (The Album)]]'', on June 30, 2009.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Cohen|first=Jonathan|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/wilco-eyeing-spring-09-for-new-album-1044416/|title=Wilco Eyeing Spring 09 for New Album|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=August 18, 2008|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> In March 2009, it was announced that singer-songwriter [[Feist (singer)|Feist]] would make a guest appearance on the new album, on the track "You and I".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idiomag.com/peek/68646/wilco|title=Feist to guest on Wilco album|access-date=March 11, 2009|date=March 6, 2009|publisher=idiomag}}</ref> As with their previous three albums, Wilco streamed the entirety of the album on its website prior to release.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wilcoworld.net/discs/thealbum/ |title=Wilco (The Stream) |publisher=wilcoworld.net |date=May 13, 2009 |access-date=May 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517035431/http://wilcoworld.net/discs/thealbum/ |archive-date=May 17, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> The album hit the charts at a career-high number 4 with sales of 99,000 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart as well as the number 2 spot on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=Top%20Rock%20Albums|title=Billboard Top Rock Albums|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=July 18, 2009|access-date=July 18, 2009|archive-date=October 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026064109/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=Top%20Rock%20Albums|url-status=dead}}</ref> It marked Wilco's third top 10 album on the U.S. pop chart.  The album's first single "You Never Know" reached the number 1 spot on the AAA Chart, their first number 1 in twelve years.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/chart-beat-darius-rucker-mariah-carey-wilco/ |title=Chart Beat: Darius Rucker, Mariah Carey, Wilco|magazine=Billboard |date=August 5, 2009 |access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref>

Beginning in April 2009, the band freely distributed a cover of Woody Guthrie's "[[Library of Congress Recordings|The Jolly Banker]]", downloadable from their website. It was recorded at the Wilco loft in February of that year, at the suggestion of Guthrie's daughter, [[Nora Guthrie|Nora]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/04/30/pm_jolly_banker_q/|title=Jolly Banker lives on with Wilco|publisher=[[Marketplace (radio program)]]|date=April 30, 2009|access-date=April 30, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629055921/http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/04/30/pm_jolly_banker_q/|archive-date=June 29, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Those downloading the album  were encouraged to donate to the [[Woody Guthrie Foundation]]. Feist returned to accompany on the track, playing the [[Garden Weasel]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://beta.wilcoworld.net/guthrie/credits.php |title=Jolly Banker credits |publisher=wilcoworld.net |date=May 1, 2009 |access-date=May 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503222959/http://beta.wilcoworld.net/guthrie/credits.php |archive-date=May 3, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> The track eventually became unavailable for download. In October 2011, the website began streaming the track via a [[Plug-in (computing)|plugin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wilcoworld.net/#!/roadcase/the-jolly-banker|title=Wilco Stream Wilco's recording of Woody Guthrie's 'The Jolly Banker'|publisher=wilcoworld.net|date=October 21, 2011|access-date=January 12, 2012}}</ref>

On May 25, 2009, former band member [[Jay Bennett]] died in his home in [[Urbana, Illinois]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8066913.stm | work=BBC News | title=Ex-Wilco member Jay Bennett dies | date=May 25, 2009 | access-date=March 27, 2010}}</ref> In a prepared statement, Jeff Tweedy said that he was "deeply saddened" by Bennett's death.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-obit-bennett,0,2828497.story |title=Tweedy ''saddened'' by ex-Wilco member's death|publisher=Chicagotribune.com |access-date=October 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528074736/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-obit-bennett,0,2828497.story |archive-date=May 28, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Feist and Wilco performed "You and I" on ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' on July 14, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wilcoworld.net/news/appearances.php |title=Wilcoworld.net |publisher=Wilcoworld.net |access-date=October 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611220634/http://wilcoworld.net/news/appearances.php |archive-date=June 11, 2010 }}</ref> In June during their West Coast tour, Wilco joined [[Beck]], Feist, [[Jamie Lidell]] and [[James Gadson]] in the studio to take part in Beck's [[Record Club]] project, covering [[Skip Spence]]'s ''[[Oar (Skip Spence album)|Oar]]'' album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/35990-beck-and-wilco-cover-skip-spence/ |title=Beck and Wilco Cover Skip Spence |publisher=Pitchfork.com |date=July 21, 2009|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> The first song "Little Hands" was posted on Beck's website on November 12, 2009.
[[File:Wilco at End of the Road Festival 2010.jpg|thumb|left|Wilco performing at the [[End of the Road Festival]] in 2010]]
On April 6, 2010, Wilco announced during their [[Boston]] performance that they would be headlining and curating a festival in [[North Adams, MA|North Adams]], [[Massachusetts]], dubbed Solid Sound Festival. The event ran at the [[Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art]] from August 13–15, and featured various Wilco side projects, including The Autumn Defense, Pronto, [[The Nels Cline Singers]], and Jeff Tweedy solo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/entertainment/guestlisted/index.php/2010/04/07/wilco-fest-at-mass-moca/ |title=Bostonherald.com |publisher=Bostonherald.com |date=April 7, 2010 |access-date=October 14, 2010}}</ref> Other bands who appeared included [[Mavis Staples]], [[Avi Buffalo]], [[Outrageous Cherry]], [[Richard Bishop (guitarist)|Richard Bishop]], [[the Books]], and [[Vetiver (band)|Vetiver]]. It also featured non-musical media, such as the [[Bread and Puppet Theater]] and comedians [[Todd Barry]], [[Kristen Schaal]], [[John Mulaney]], and [[Hannibal Buress]] as well as interactive musical installations by Cline and Kotche. In November 2016, the band also curated their own program during the tenth Anniversary Edition of [[Le Guess Who?]] Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands. This curated program includes performances by amongst others [[Tortoise (band)|Tortoise]], [[Bassekou Kouyate|Bassekou Kouyaté]], [[Lee Ranaldo]], [[Fennesz]], [[Steve Gunn (musician)|Steve Gunn]], [[William Tyler (musician)|William Tyler]], and [[The Cairo Gang (band)|The Cairo Gang]].

Wilco's contract with Nonesuch ended in 2010 and they formed their own label. Wilco announced via their web site and Twitter page on January 27, 2011 that the new label will be called [[Dbpm records|dBpm Records]] (Decibels per Minute) and will be run out of the offices of their manager, Tony Margherita, in [[Easthampton, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/41372-wilco-start-their-own-label/ |title=Wilco Start Their Own Label |publisher=Pitchfork.com |date=January 26, 2011 |access-date=February 17, 2011}}</ref>

Wilco's released their eighth studio album, ''[[The Whole Love]]'', on September 27, 2011.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Matthew Perpetua |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/wilco-to-self-release-the-whole-love-in-september-61433/ |title=Wilco to Self-Release 'The Whole Love' in September |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=2011-06-29 |access-date=2021-12-05}}</ref> The first single of the album is titled "Art of Almost". The B-Side to "I Might" is a cover of Nick Lowe's 1977 song "[[A Bunch of Stiff Records|I Love My Label]]". The single was shown at the Wilco's 2011 Solid Sound Festival at [[MassMoca]] and was met by positive reviews. The entire album was streamed live on Wilco's official website for 24 hours between September 3 and 4, 2011.<ref>{{cite news|last=Roberts |first=Randall |url=https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/09/wilco-releases-full-stream-of-new-album-the-whole-love.html |title=Wilco releases full stream of new album, 'The Whole Love' |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=2011-09-03 |access-date=2011-09-04}}</ref>
{{clear}}

===''Star Wars'', ''Schmilco'', and ''Ode to Joy'' (2015–2021)===
[[File:Wilco July 10, 2015.jpg|thumb|right|Wilco performing in [[Des Moines, Iowa]], in 2015]]
Wilco's released their ninth studio album, ''[[Star Wars (Wilco album)|Star Wars]]'', on July 16, 2015 as a [[Surprise album|surprise free download]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Wilco Drop Surprise New Album Star Wars For Free|url = https://pitchfork.com/news/60420-wilco-drop-surprise-new-album-star-wars-for-free/|website = Pitchfork|date=July 16, 2015|access-date = December 6, 2021}}</ref> In October 2015, Wilco announced that they would embark on a U.S. tour beginning in early 2016 in support of the album.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Wilco announces US tour for early 2016|url=https://consequence.net/2015/10/wilco-announces-us-tour-for-early-2016/|website = Consequence|date = October 13, 2015|access-date = December 6, 2021}}</ref> In December 2015, ''Star Wars'' was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees|url = http://www.grammy.com/nominees?genre=1|website = The GRAMMYs|access-date = 2016-02-08}}</ref>

On July 14, 2016, the band released a new single, titled "Locator", as a free download.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Strauss|first1=Matthew|title=Listen to Wilco's New Song "Locator"|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/66802-listen-to-wilcos-new-song-locator/|website=Pitchfork|date=July 14, 2016|access-date=19 July 2016}}</ref> Four days later, the band released another new single, titled "If I Ever Was a Child", and announced that their tenth album, ''[[Schmilco]]'', would be released on September 9.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Minsker|first1=Evan|title=Wilco Announce New Album Schmilco, Share New Track: Listen|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/66908-wilco-announce-new-album-schmilco-share-new-track-listen/|website=Pitchfork|date=July 19, 2016|access-date=19 July 2016}}</ref> ''Schmilco'' earned generally favourable reviews, earning a positive score of 79 on Metacritic,<ref>{{Citation|title=Schmilco by Wilco|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/schmilco/wilco|access-date=2017-04-10}}</ref> while reviewer Josh Modell said that the album is "Wilco's most musically simple and emotionally resonant record in a decade."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Modell|first=Josh|date=2016-09-09|title=Wilco goes quiet|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|url=https://www.avclub.com/wilco-goes-quiet-1798188722|access-date=2021-12-06}}</ref> On Monday, August 14, 2017, Wilco released a single, "All Lives You Say" on their [[Bandcamp]] page to benefit the [[Southern Poverty Law Center|SPLC]] in memory of Tweedy's father Robert, who died on August 4. Sharing the news Tweedy said, "My dad was named after a Civil War general, and he voted for [[Barack Obama]]  twice. He used to say 'If you know better, you can do better.' America-we know better, we can do better."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/wilco-release-new-song-all-lives-you-say-to-benefit-splc-196851/|title=Wilco Release New Song 'All Lives, You Say?' to Benefit SPLC|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=August 15, 2017|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref>

Wilco took 2018 off from touring while Glenn Kotche lived in Finland after his wife Miiri received a Fulbright scholarship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://relix.com/articles/detail/wilco-delayed-gratification/|title=Wilco: Delayed Gratification|date=January 2, 2020|website=Relix.com|access-date=May 15, 2024}}</ref> The band announced an end to their performing hiatus and the release of the album ''[[Ode to Joy (Wilco album)|Ode to Joy]]'' on July 16, 2019.<ref name="Ode">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/wilco-announce-new-album-ode-to-joy-share-new-song-listen/|title=Wilco Announce New Album Ode to Joy, Share New Song: Listen|website=Pitchfork|last=Yoo|first=Noah|date=July 16, 2019|access-date=July 17, 2019}}</ref> The album was released on October 4, 2019<ref name="Ode"/> and received generally positive reviews with Will Hermes of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' calling it their "best in years" and delivers "something like love shines through, and it winds up sounding joyful indeed, in a hard-won way."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hermes |first=Will |date=2019-10-02 |title=Wilco's (Provisionally) Anti-Depressant 'Ode To Joy' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/wilcos-provisionally-anti-depressant-ode-to-joy-893843/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> The album won the Grammy Award for best Special Limited Edition Package.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-28 |title=Interview with Lawrence Azerrad about his Grammy Award-winning vinyl package for Wilco's Ode To Joy |url=https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/05/28/interview-with-lawrence-azerrad-about-his-grammy-award-winning-vinyl-package-for-wilcos-ode-to-joy/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Album Cover Hall of Fame.com |language=en}}</ref>

Wilco followed the release with an autumn tour, the tour later being extended into 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2019/07/wilco-ode-to-joy-new-single-stream/|title=Wilco announces new album Ode to Joy, shares new single "Love Is Everywhere (Beware)": Stream|date=2019-07-16|website=Consequence|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/wilco-2020-north-american-tour-dates-914697/|title=Wilco Plot 2020 Spring Tour|last=Blistein|first=Jon|date=2019-11-19|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-13}}</ref> In March 2020, Wilco and [[Sleater-Kinney]] announced that over the summer they would be embarking on the co-headlining It's Time Tour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/wilco-sleater-kinney-tour-2020/|title=Wilco and Sleater-Kinney Announce 'It's Time' Tour|last=Lifton|first=Dave|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=March 10, 2020 |language=en|access-date=2020-03-13}}</ref> After the cancellation of the tour in the wake of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Wilco and Sleater-Kinney eventually rescheduled the tour for the summer of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-16|title=Wilco and Sleater-Kinney Confirm 2021 Summer Tour|url=https://jambands.com/news/2021/05/16/wilco-and-sleater-kinney-confirm-2021-summer-tour/|access-date=2021-05-17|website=Jambands|language=en-US}}</ref> In October 2021, Wilco was inducted into the ''[[Austin City Limits]]'' Hall of Fame for their multiple contributions to the live music series that airs on [[PBS]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-28|title=Inductees - Austin City Limits Hall of Fame: Wilco|url=https://acltv.com/hall-of-fame/inductee-details/?name=wilco/|access-date=2022-05-20|website=ACL TV|language=en-US}}</ref>

During the COVID-19 lockdown, the band released the single "Tell Your Friends" on Bandcamp on May 20, 2020, with all proceeds benefiting [[World Central Kitchen]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-21 |title=Watch Wilco Perform New Song "Tell Your Friends" on Colbert |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-jeff-tweedy-play-wilcos-jesus-etc-on-colbert/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> In July 2020, as a voice to the larger cultural discussion and protests surrounding the [[murder of George Floyd]], Tweedy announced that 5% of all his writer royalties would be donated to a program that distributes the funds to organizations fighting for racial justice, saying that the modern music industry is "built almost entirely on black art" and that "the wealth that rightfully belonged to black artists was stolen outright and to this day continues to grow outside their communities."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Blistein |first=Jon |date=2020-06-18 |title=Jeff Tweedy Calls for Music Industry Program to Divert Revenue to Racial Justice Groups |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/wilco-jeff-tweedy-music-industry-donate-racial-justice-1017561/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Jay Bennett documentary, ''Cruel Country'', and ''Cousin'' (2021–present)===
In 2021, ''[[Where are you, Jay Bennett?]]'', a feature-length documentary about the life of Jay Bennett was released. The film focused heavily on Bennett's years with Wilco. Directed by [[Gorman Bechard]] and Fred Uhter, the music documentary held its world premiere in Chicago in November 2021;<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Sean |title=A documentary on Jay Bennett is coming to the Davis Theater in Chicago |url=https://www.smilepolitely.com/splog/a_documentary_on_jay_bennett_is_coming_to_the_davis_theater_in_chicago/ |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Smile Politely |date=November 10, 2021 }}</ref> it was released on Blu Ray and pay-per-view on April 19, 2022, and as part of a [[Record Store Day]] release with vinyl editions of Bennett's last two albums, ''Whatever Happened I Apologize'' and ''Kicking at the Perfumed Air'' on April 23, 2022.<ref>{{Citation |title=RSD '22 Special Release: Jay Bennett - "Kicking at the Perfumed Air" & "Whatever Happened I Apologize" with the film "Where are you, Jay Bennett?" |url=https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/14740 |language=en |access-date=2022-06-14}}</ref>

"The new film does a wonderful job of capturing the quirkiness, inventiveness and brilliance of someone who never met an instrument he couldn't play. Bennett once described hearing the open spaces of the songs and holes that became his sonic landscape. They were at the core of the remarkable string of Wilco's albums ''[[Being There (Wilco album)|Being There]]'', ''[[Summerteeth]],'' and ''[[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]]''."<ref>{{cite web |last=Wosahla |first=Steve |date=2022-04-21 |title=Jay Bennett, Gone Too Soon (Where are you, Jay Bennett?–Film Review) |url=https://americanahighways.org/2022/04/21/jay-bennett-gone-too-soon-where-are-you-jay-bennett-film-review/ |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Americana Highways}}</ref>

The film was originally started by Uhter, who asked the prolific Bechard to take over the project when it stalled. It takes a hard look at Bennett's treatment in the previous Wilco documentary, ''[[I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco|I Am Trying To Break Your Heart]]'', which many consider to be unfair. "Jay Bennett's reputation never quite recovered from the battering it took in Sam Jones' documentary ''I Am Trying To Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco'', about the complex, lengthy gestation of 2002's ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' in often painful detail, portrayed a band slowly pulling itself apart, with chief songwriters Bennett and Jeff Tweedy its twin opposing forces. The implication being that Bennett was a headstrong, intractable figure responsible for most of the discord. He was sacked as soon as the album was done. Filmmakers Gorman Bechard and Fred Uhter seek to redress the balance on ''Where Are You, Jay Bennett?"''.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hughes |first1=Rob |date=2022-05-27 |title=Where are you, Jay Bennett? |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/film-reviews/where-are-you-jay-bennett-138572/ |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=UNCUT |language=en-GB}}</ref> The film painted a much more balanced picture of the relationship between Bennett and Tweedy. "They just happened to be two egos at that point, fueled by a lot of demons. And it just wasn't working anymore," Bechard explained. "They're both incredibly talented. They both had egos. They both, I think, saw maybe different paths for the band. And ultimately it was Jeff's band, so he's going to win that, and rightfully so. There were other issues, whether it be alcohol or drugs. You know, it was a little bit of everything. Personally, I wish they had stayed together because I think they could have literally become the next Lennon and McCartney or the next Jagger/Richards."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gotcher |first=Steve |date=2022-05-06 |title={{-'}}Where are you, Jay Bennett?' documentary chronicles his impact on Wilco and beyond |url=https://www.wpr.org/where-are-you-jay-bennett-documentary-chronicles-his-impact-wilco-and-beyond |access-date=2022-06-14 |website=[[Wisconsin Public Radio]]}}</ref>

In April 2022, the band announced their twelfth studio album, ''[[Cruel Country]]'', which they released on May 27.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=April 28, 2022 |title=Wilco Announce New Album Cruel Country, Share New Song "Falling Apart (Right Now)": Listen |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/wilco-announce-new-album-cruel-country-share-new-song-falling-apart-right-now-listen/ }}</ref> The album was recorded entirely in person in live sessions at The Loft, the first album since 2007's ''Sky Blue Sky.'' Tweedy described the album as saying, "We've never been particularly comfortable with accepting [...] the idea that I was making country music. But now, having been around the block a few times, we're finding it exhilarating to free ourselves within the form, and embrace the simple limitation of calling the music we're making country."<ref name=":0" />

In August 2023, the band announced their thirteenth studio album, ''[[Cousin (album)|Cousin]]'', which they released on September&nbsp;29. Welsh musician [[Cate Le Bon]] produced the album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/wilco-announce-cate-le-bon-produced-lp-share-evicted/|title=Wilco announce Cate Le Bon-produced LP, share "Evicted"|last=Pearis|first=Bill|date=August 1, 2023|website=[[BrooklynVegan]]|access-date=August 1, 2023}}</ref>

On May 29, 2024, the band announced a new [[Extended play|EP]], ''[[Hot Sun Cool Shroud]]''. It was released on June 28.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=2024-05-29 |title=Wilco Announce New Hot Sun Cool Shroud EP |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/wilco-announce-new-hot-sun-cool-shroud-ep/ |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>

On May 16, 2025, the band released a new live album, ''Wilco Live (Orange)''. It was followed on June 20, 2025, by ''Wilco Live (Blue)''.

In August 2025, the band embarked on a North American tour titled An August Evening with Wilco,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=2025-04-15 |title=Wilco Add Summer Tour Dates |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/wilco-add-summer-tour-dates/ |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> followed by South American and European legs. Many of the dates feature no supporting act and contained two full Wilco sets with a brief intermission.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WILCO ANNOUNCES 2025 TOUR DATES |url=https://www.gratefulweb.com/articles/wilco-announces-2025-tour-dates |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=Grateful Web |date=March 3, 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

==Musical style and influence==
[[File:WilcoFIB.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Wilco performing in support of ''Sky Blue Sky'' at [[Festival Internacional de Benicàssim]] on July 20, 2007]]

Mark Deming of [[AllMusic]] described Wilco's early releases as "rough-and-tumble [[alt-country]]" and their later releases as "mature and [[wikt:eclectic|eclectic]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wilco Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More {{!}} All... |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wilco-mn0000254215#biography |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref> Although they have a career-long association with a major record label, Wilco are generally associated with [[indie rock]].<ref name="AllMusic biography"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Hart |first=Peter Andrew |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wilco-releases-surprise-new-album-star-wars_n_55a84257e4b0896514d0ef38 |title=Wilco Releases Surprise New Album 'Star Wars{{'-}} |work=[[HuffPost]] |date=July 17, 2015 |access-date=September 15, 2024}}</ref> The band has additionally been described by journalists as [[alternative rock]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Wilco/Biography/ |title=Wilco Biography |website=Starpulse.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130437/http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Wilco/Biography/ |archive-date=September 24, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> alt-country,<ref>{{cite web |last=Crisp |first=Andrew |url=http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/wilco-is-not-a-country-band/Content?oid=2671798 |title=Wilco is Not A Country Band |publisher=[[Boise Weekly]] |date=June 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923223449/http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/wilco-is-not-a-country-band/Content?oid=2671798 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[art rock]],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11488781|title=Album review: Wilco, Star Wars|newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=August 24, 2015}}</ref> [[experimental rock]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pilgrimagefestival.com/news-updates/grammy-award-winning-band-wilco-will-make-the-pilgrimage-to-franklin-tn|title=Grammy Award Winning Band, Wilco, Will Make the Pilgrimage to Franklin, TN|publisher=Pilgrimage Festival|access-date=August 24, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915135322/http://pilgrimagefestival.com/news-updates/grammy-award-winning-band-wilco-will-make-the-pilgrimage-to-franklin-tn|archive-date=September 15, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and [[folk rock]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1897103/premature-evaluation-wilco-schmilco/reviews/premature-evaluation/|title=Premature Evaluation: Wilco Schmilco|last=Deville|first=Chris|date=September 7, 2016|website=[[Stereogum]]|access-date=August 21, 2024}}</ref> Wilco draws influence from bands from a variety of musical genres, but primarily from music created between 1966 and 1974.<ref>{{cite web|last=Crock |first=Jason |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/42415-interview-wilco |title=Interview:Wilco |publisher=Pitchfork Media |date=May 7, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608173247/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/42415-interview-wilco |archive-date=June 8, 2007 }} Last accessed July 23, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Kot|first=Greg|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/article/39168/back-to-basics-an-interview-with-wilco|title=Back to Basics: An Interview with Wilco|magazine=[[PopMatters]]|date=May 14, 2007}} Last accessed July 23, 2007.</ref> [[John Cale]]'s ''[[Paris 1919 (album)|Paris 1919]]'' was credited by the band as providing a musical parallel. According to Tweedy, "It was eye-opening that I wasn't the only person that felt like these worlds had a lot more in common than they'd been given credit for—that experimentation and avant-garde theory was not directly opposed to beauty, y'know?"<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Mulvey|first=John|title=Pet Sounds|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|date=May 2002}}</ref>

Other recording artists from the timespan cited  as most influential by the band include [[John Lennon]], [[Neil Young]], and [[Brian Wilson]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Cashmere|first=Paul|url=http://www.undercover.com.au/idol/wilco2004.html|title=Wilco (interview)|publisher=undercover.com.au|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070622041454/http://www.undercover.com.au/idol/wilco2004.html |archive-date = June 22, 2007|url-status=dead}} Last accessed July 23, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Green |first=Joshua |url=http://www.salon.com/ent/music/int/1999/03/17int.html |title=Been There |work=[[Salon (magazine)|Salon]] |date=March 17, 1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070814013215/http://www.salon.com/ent/music/int/1999/03/17int.html |archive-date=August 14, 2007 }} Last accessed July 23, 2007.</ref> As a gift for his thirty-fourth birthday, Tweedy received a private guitar lesson from [[Richard Lloyd (guitarist)|Richard Lloyd]] of [[Television (band)|Television]]; Tweedy was a fan of the group and was particularly fond of the guitar work, which he wanted to incorporate into his music.<ref name="Kot3"/> Uncle Tupelo was inspired by bands such as [[Jason & the Scorchers]] and the [[Minutemen (band)|Minutemen]], influencing the recording of Wilco's ''A.M.''.<ref>Kot 2004, p. 24–26</ref> Tweedy and O'Rourke enjoyed [[free jazz]] artists such as [[Ornette Coleman]], [[Albert Ayler]], and [[Derek Bailey (guitarist)|Derek Bailey]]; they also listen to mainstream jazz by artists such as [[Miles Davis]] and [[John Coltrane]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|title=Pillar of Alt|publisher=[[Guitar World]] Acoustic|date=September 2004}}</ref><ref name="Magnet">{{cite news|last=Valania|first=Jonathan|url=https://magnetmagazine.com/2002/06/01/wilco-heroes-and-villains/|title=Heroes and Villains|publisher=Magnet|date=June 2002}}</ref> The lyrical structure of Wilco's songs was dictated by classic literature and ''[[Exquisite corpse|cadavre exquis]]''—an exercise where band members take turns writing lines on a typewriter, but are only allowed to see the previously written line.<ref name="Magnet"/> Among the books that the band has cited as being stylistically influential include [[William H. Gass]]'s ''In the Heart of the Heart of the Country'', [[Henry Miller]]'s ''[[Tropic of Cancer (novel)|Tropic of Cancer]]'', and [[Harold Bloom]]'s ''[[The Anxiety of Influence: A Theory of Poetry]]''.<ref name="Magnet"/><ref>Kot 2004. p. 136</ref>

Some critics have dubbed Wilco the "American [[Radiohead]]", due to the band's stylistically diverse catalog.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hoard|first=Christian|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0217,hoard,34151,22.html|title=Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)|newspaper=The Village Voice|date=April 24, 2002|access-date=July 19, 2007|archive-date=October 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012213748/http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0217,hoard,34151,22.html|url-status=dead}} Last accessed July 18, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Metevier|first=Michael|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/33236/wilco-sky-blue-sky/|title=Sky Blue Sky (review)|magazine=PopMatters|date=May 14, 2007}} Last accessed July 18, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Keefe|first=Jonathan|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1123|title=Sky Blue Sky (review)|magazine=[[Slant Magazine|Slant]]|date=May 13, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184350/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1123|archive-date=September 30, 2007|df=mdy-all}} Last accessed July 18, 2007.</ref> A critic from the ''New York Times'' argues that Wilco has a "[[roots rock|roots-rock]]&nbsp;... [sound which] reached back to proven materials: the twang of country, the steady chug of 1960s rock, the undulating sheen of [[the Beach Boys]], the [[honky-tonk]] hymns of [[the Band]] and the melodic symmetries of pop."<ref>{{cite news |first=Jon |last=Pareles |author-link=Jon Pareles |title=ROCK REVIEW; Running the Roots-Rock Sound Through a Shape-Shifting Machine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/10/arts/rock-review-running-the-roots-rock-sound-through-a-shape-shifting-machine.html |work=[[The New York Times]]  |date=June 10, 2004|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref>

''Rolling Stone'' described Wilco as "one of America's most consistently interesting bands" and "America's foremost rock impressionists."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/ghost-is-born-202027/|title=Ghost Is Born|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=July 8, 2004|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070619094431/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/wilco/albums/album/6187605/review/6194215/a_ghost_is_born |archive-date = June 19, 2007|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hoard|first=Christian|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/kicking-television-live-in-chicago-249386/|title=Kicking Television: Live in Chicago (review)|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=November 21, 2005|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071001224206/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/wilco/albums/album/8683989/review/8855801/kicking_television_live_in_chicago |archive-date = October 1, 2007|url-status=dead}} Last accessed July 18, 2007.</ref> Bands that Wilco has influenced include [[Derek Webb]] (of [[Caedmon's Call]]),<ref>{{cite news|last=Snyder|first=Jillian|url=http://www.marshillonline.com/an-interview-with-derek-webb|title=An Interview with Derek Webb|publisher=[[Mars' Hill]]|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071012214033/http://www.marshillonline.com/an-interview-with-derek-webb |archive-date = October 12, 2007|url-status=dead}} Last accessed July 17, 2007.</ref> [[The National (band)|the National]],<ref name="BH">{{cite news|last=Gottlieb|first=Jed|url=http://theedge.bostonherald.com/musicNews/view.bg?articleid=1007464|title=National Anthems Eschew Catchy for Wilco-like Sound|newspaper=[[Boston Herald]]|date=June 21, 2007}}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Last accessed July 18, 2007.</ref> and [[Grace Potter and the Nocturnals]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Bruss|first=Andrew|url=https://glidemagazine.com/5105/grace-potter-and-the-nocturnals-bring-it-on-home/|title=Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Bring It on Home|work=[[Glide (magazine)|Glide]]|date=September 1, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012214049/http://www.glidemagazine.com/Articles/47840/Grace-Potter-and-the-Nocturnals:--Bring-It-On-Home.html|archive-date=October 12, 2007|df=mdy-all|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> [[Adam Granduciel|Adam Grunduciel]] of [[The War on Drugs (band)|The War on Drugs]] calls Wilco his "Favorite modern day band."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Grow |first=Kory |title=The War on Drugs on the Sonic Roots of 'A Deeper Understanding' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=September 13, 2017 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-war-on-drugs-on-the-sonic-roots-of-a-deeper-understanding-111114/warren-zevon-3-111408/}}</ref> [[Norah Jones]] performed a cover of "[[Jesus, Etc.]]" at the 2008 [[Bridge School Benefit]] where both Jones and Wilco performed;<ref>{{cite web |last=Stosuy |first=Brandon |url=https://www.stereogum.com/31701/wilco_debut_new_tunes_get_covered_by_norah_jones/news/ |title=Wilco Debut New Tunes, Get Covered By Norah Jones |website=[[Stereogum]] |date=October 30, 2008 |access-date=September 15, 2024 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212192841/http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/wilco-debut-new-tunes-get-covered-by-norah-jones_031701.html |archive-date=December 12, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> a version of the song was released as a bonus track on Jones' album ''[[The Fall (Norah Jones album)|The Fall]]'' in 2009. [[Counting Crows]] also covered the song "California Stars."<ref>{{cite web|author=Anonymous |url=https://fuelfriends.blogspot.com/2006/01/counting-crows-live-covers.html |title=Fuelfriends.blogspot.com |publisher=Fuelfriends.blogspot.com |date=January 10, 2006 |access-date=October 14, 2010}}</ref>

==Band members==

{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''Current members'''
*[[Jeff Tweedy]] – lead vocals, guitars, bass, harmonica (1994–present)
*[[John Stirratt]] – bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1994–present)
*[[Glenn Kotche]] – drums, percussion (2001–present)
*[[Mikael Jorgensen]] – samples and sound manipulation, keyboards, synthesizers, effects, piano, organ (2002–present)
*[[Nels Cline]] – guitars, lap steel (2004–present)
*[[Pat Sansone]] – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals, synthesizers, maracas, tambourine (2004–present)
{{col-2}}
[[File:Wilco Second Night of Winterlude, December 6, 2014.jpg|thumb|Wilco Second Night of Winterlude, December 6, 2014]]
'''Former members'''
*[[Ken Coomer]] – drums, percussion (1994–2001)
*[[Brian Henneman]] – guitar (1994–1995)
*[[Max Johnston (musician)|Max Johnston]] – dobro, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, backing vocals (1994–1996)
*[[Jay Bennett]] – keyboards, guitars, drums, percussion, bass, harmonica, lap steel, banjo, backing vocals (1995–2002; died 2009)
*Bob Egan – pedal steel, slide guitar (1995–1998)
*[[Leroy Bach]] – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1998–2004)
{{col-end}}

===Timeline===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize  = width:800 height:auto barincrement:25
PlotArea   = left:95 bottom:100 top:10 right:15
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:15/05/1994 till:{{#time:d/m/Y}}
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1995
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1996

Colors =
  id:lvox    value:red         legend:Lead_vocals,_harmonica
  id:bvox    value:pink        legend:Backing_vocals
  id:guitar  value:green       legend:Guitar
  id:bass    value:blue        legend:Bass
  id:keys    value:purple      legend:Keyboards
  id:drums   value:orange      legend:Drums
  id:perc    value:claret      legend:Percussion
  id:various value:skyblue     legend:Various_instruments
  id:album   value:black       legend:Studio_release

LineData=
  at:28/03/1995 layer:back
  at:29/10/1996
  at:09/03/1999
  at:18/09/2001
  at:22/06/2004
  at:15/05/2007
  at:30/07/2009
  at:27/09/2011
  at:17/07/2015
  at:09/09/2016
  at:04/10/2019
  at:27/05/2022
  at:29/09/2023

BarData =
 bar:Jeff     text:"Jeff Tweedy"
 bar:Brian    text:"Brian Henneman"
 bar:Bob      text:"Bob Egan"
 bar:Leroy    text:"Leroy Bach"
 bar:Nels     text:"Nels Cline"
 bar:Jay      text:"Jay Bennett"
  bar:John     text:"John Stirratt
 bar:Mikael   text:"Mikael Jorgensen"
 bar:Pat      text:"Pat Sansone"
 bar:Max      text:"Max Johnston"
 bar:Ken      text:"Ken Coomer"
 bar:Glenn    text:"Glenn Kotche"

PlotData=

  width:17 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
  
  bar:Jeff   from:start      till:end        color:lvox
  bar:Jeff   from:start      till:end        color:guitar width:11
  bar:Jeff   from:start      till:end        color:bass    width:3

  bar:John   from:start      till:end        color:bass
  bar:John   from:start      till:end        color:guitar width:11
  bar:John   from:start      till:end        color:keys    width:7
  bar:John   from:start      till:end        color:bvox    width:3

  bar:Max    from:start      till:01/10/1996 color:various
  bar:Max    from:start      till:01/10/1996 color:bvox    width:3

  bar:Brian  from:start      till:01/09/1995 color:guitar

  bar:Bob    from:01/09/1995 till:01/07/1998 color:guitar

  bar:Leroy  from:01/07/1998 till:01/08/2004 color:guitar
  bar:Leroy  from:01/07/1998 till:01/08/2004 color:keys    width:11
  bar:Leroy  from:01/07/1998 till:01/08/2004 color:bvox    width:3

  bar:Pat    from:01/08/2004 till:end        color:keys
  bar:Pat    from:01/08/2004 till:end        color:guitar width:11
  bar:Pat    from:01/08/2004 till:end        color:perc    width:7
  bar:Pat    from:01/08/2004 till:end        color:bvox    width:3

  bar:Nels   from:01/08/2004 till:end        color:guitar

  bar:Jay    from:01/05/1995 till:01/05/2002 color:keys
  bar:Jay    from:01/05/1995 till:01/05/2002 color:guitar width:11
  bar:Jay    from:01/05/1995 till:01/05/2002 color:various width:7
  bar:Jay    from:01/05/1995 till:01/05/2002 color:bvox    width:3

  bar:Mikael from:01/06/2002 till:end        color:keys

  bar:Ken    from:start      till:01/01/2001 color:drums
  bar:Ken    from:start      till:01/01/2001 color:perc    width:3

  bar:Glenn  from:01/01/2001 till:end        color:drums
  bar:Glenn  from:01/01/2001 till:end        color:perc    width:3

}}

==Discography==
{{Main|Wilco discography}}

* ''[[A.M. (Wilco album)|A.M.]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Being There (Wilco album)|Being There]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Summerteeth]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]]'' (2001)
* ''[[A Ghost Is Born]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Sky Blue Sky]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Wilco (The Album)]]'' (2009)
* ''[[The Whole Love]]'' (2011)
* ''[[Star Wars (Wilco album)|Star Wars]]'' (2015)
* ''[[Schmilco]]'' (2016)
* ''[[Ode to Joy (Wilco album)|Ode to Joy]]'' (2019)
* ''[[Cruel Country]]'' (2022)
* ''[[Cousin (album)|Cousin]]'' (2023)

== See also ==
{{Portal bar|Rock music|Chicago}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==References==
* {{Cite book |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot |year=2004 |title=[[Wilco: Learning How to Die]] |edition=1st |place=New York |publisher=Broadway Books |isbn=0-7679-1558-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Levy |first=Joe |year=2005 |title=[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] |edition=1st |place=New York |publisher=Wenner Books |isbn=1-932958-61-4}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Wilco}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{AllMusic}}
*{{Discogs artist}}
*{{MusicBrainz artist}}
* [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/wilco Wilco] at [[Rolling Stone]]

{{Wilco|state=uncollapsed}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album}}
{{Uncle Tupelo}}
{{The Minus 5}}
{{Authority control}}
{{featured article}}

[[Category:Wilco| ]]
[[Category:Alternative rock groups from Chicago]]
[[Category:American alternative country groups]]
[[Category:American experimental rock groups]]
[[Category:American art rock groups]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Indie rock musical groups from Illinois]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1993]]
[[Category:Nonesuch Records artists]]
[[Category:Reprise Records artists]]
[[Category:DBpm Records artists]]
[[Category:Anti- (record label) artists]]
[[Category:Elektra Records artists]]
[[Category:1994 establishments in Illinois]]