Wilco are planning to get back into the recording studio later this year to begin work on their new album.
Wilco are a deeply individual group. Frequently clashing with labels, the band’s rolling line up has been responsible for some of the most inventive music to emerge from the United States in recent times.
Expanding the definitions of country music until they break, Wilco are now beginning to plan work on their new album. ‘Wilco (The Album)’ was released in 2009, but since then the band have focussed on live work.
Organising their own festival, Wilco then decided to complete a full scale European tour. Joined by Radiohead drummer Philip Selway, the dates recently ended with the band set to take a short break.
After this, however, Wilco plan to get back into the studio. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Pat Sansone explained that writing sessions should begin soon.
“We’re taking a couple of weeks off,” he said. “When I get back toward the end of (the) month, we’re getting back together to start working, to start the first writing sessions for the record. We’ve done a little bit of brainstorming, but the real work is going to begin at the end of (the) month.”
The new material marks the first recording session since former member Jay Bennett passed away in 2009.
Meanwhile, singer Jeff Tweedy has suggested that the band could follow Radiohead’s pay-what-you-like scheme. “I know some of the guys in Radiohead and talk to them, but our manager pays more attention to the business models than I do,” he admitted.
“When Radiohead streamed their album and let people pay what they wanted, I thought that was similar to what we had been doing for years, but we didn’t take the money because we were on a major at the time; we ended up giving the money to charity.”
Wilco are to begin work on their new album shortly.
