-
10.0
78300
10.0 |
The Independent
Even by Wilco’s adventurous standards, Star Wars is possibly the most unusual, exploratory work of the band’s existence
Read Review
-
9.0
78383
9.0 |
Rolling Stone
The music's urgent, live-in-the-studio feel pairs well with Tweedy's lyrics, which seem more direct and compact than they have in a while
Read Review
-
9.0
78299
9.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Everything sounds fresh, new and different, but every song is still recognisably Wilco; it just sounds like Wilco at their best
Read Review
-
8.5
78277
8.5 |
Under The Radar
Star Wars is the glorious sound of an act still wired to create, programmed to experiment, and stacked with emotion to spare
Read Review
-
8.3
78288
8.3 |
A.V. Club
Sounds simultaneously cohesive and chaotic: If anything, the collection feels more akin to Wilco’s roughhewn concerts, which have always blasted the studio polish off the band’s songs
Read Review
-
8.3
78197
8.3 |
Consequence Of Sound
Simply put, this is the next great Wilco record, one worthy of keeping company alongside the mighty back catalog that precedes it
Read Review
-
8.3
78217
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
The record boasts snappy hooks, passive-aggressive bon mots, and plenty of noise, proving that Tweedy has no intention of calming down anytime soon
Read Review
-
8.0
78249
8.0 |
NOW
Wilco hasn’t put out a straight-up pop record this great since 1999’s Summerteeth, and Star Wars should allow them to rightfully sidestep the recent “dad-rock” accusations
Read Review
-
8.0
78194
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
The songs on Star Wars are different. They sound like the result of hours of in-studio jamming edited down to only the most crucial, melodic elements
Read Review
-
8.0
78195
8.0 |
The Music
As with the best Wilco, favourites will change day to day. Star Wars is loose, tight, a band having a long, buzzy, garage jam across a range of moods
Read Review
-
8.0
78196
8.0 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
This is the sound of a cohesive unit letting it rip in the studio for by far the shortest album of their careers – and not a note is misplaced or wasted, despite how (intentionally) messy it sounds
Read Review
-
8.0
78301
8.0 |
All Music
Star Wars feels a bit like a boombox rehearsal tape passed along to some friends, only with a great songwriter, a world-class band, and a seasoned recording engineer standing in for those beery college kids and a cheap cassette machine
Read Review
-
8.0
78324
8.0 |
The FT
The songs have a cavalier, dashing quality, with thick fuzzy guitars and infectious classic-rock riffs
Read Review
-
8.0
78371
8.0 |
The Observer
Looser, grungier, fuzzier and yet more abrupt, perhaps, than latter-day Wilco offerings, Star Wars is proof that you can get considerably more than you pay for
Read Review
-
8.0
78417
8.0 |
Mojo
Star Wars confirms that Wilco now fully own a unique American noise wherein nothing is wholly traditional or wholly experimental
Read Review
-
8.0
78447
8.0 |
Paste Magazine
They make “tossed-off” and “slight” sound like the utmost virtues, and most of these songs sound like they were recorded in real time
Read Review
-
8.0
78491
8.0 |
Gig Soup
Starting so spikely but ending through the hazy synth filter of Magnetized, this is Wilco creating music that doesn’t sound like Wilco. Which is maybe what we should be expecting from this band anyway. A triumphant return
Read Review
-
8.0
79086
8.0 |
Q
Star Wars feel like the work of a band remapping their space. Print edition only
-
8.0
79197
8.0 |
musicOMH
Star Wars has both a spontaneity and a tautness that announce it as the band’s most exciting album in some time
Read Review
-
7.7
78232
7.7 |
Pitchfork
Because Wilco sounds about 85% committed to a truly new idea, Star Wars is their strongest record in a decade
Read Review
-
7.5
78198
7.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
On first time listen, Star Wars feels neither utterly victorious nor rushed, vapid or misjudged. Whilst moments of majesty and bona fide alt-rock wizardry snake in and out of the occasionally throwaway, the overriding feeling here is one of huge relief and pleasant surprise
Read Review
-
7.0
78210
7.0 |
PopMatters
By stripping away their sound and for the most part, getting in and out of a song in about three minutes, Wilco has embraced their punkier roots
Read Review
-
7.0
78276
7.0 |
Spin
No one song sticks out so prominently this time around, but that’s just because Star Wars works so well as a cohesive whole
Read Review
-
6.0
78283
6.0 |
Exclaim
As the ninth addition to the Wilco canon, Star Wars is a vessel for a few impressive tunes, another respectable — if just a little uninspired — step for a band that continues to unapologetically evolve
Read Review
-
4.0
78281
4.0 |
Spectrum Culture
Its pleasures few and its songs slight, Star Wars is the Wilco album that can barely muster the strength to be anything at all. It’s a shame to see a band fall from grace; it’s even worse when they have no intention of picking themselves up again
Read Review
-