Tag Archives for Jeff Tweedy

100 Favorite Albums of 2025: 100-76

Another year, another onslaught of albums I listened to once and feebly attempted to put into an order in early December. If you’ve stumbled on this page, or are even a fan of this blog I suppose, I’ve tried to give a little extra weight to some lesser-known artists here. This list is not devoid of superstars – PinkPantheress, Rosalia and Bad Bunny are undeniable locks – but I listened to so, so many albums from smaller artists here that I decided to bump acts like Pulp and The Weeknd, whose great albums both hovered around the #100 cusp. I don’t write for people who want their opinions vindicated, I write for people who are always hungry for new ones. 

I’ve also made a decision this year to combine multiple releases from an artist into one entry, because it happened so many times. There was a litany of follow-up EP’s and surprise second LP’s and what not, I didn’t want to cram the list with repeated artists. That said, let’s dig into it! 

#100. Greentea Peng – TELL DEM IT’S SUNNY

Every list has to start somewhere. Truthfully, I knocked a few higher-ranking ones off to favor Peng, a new discovery for me this year. Peng is a British singer who does a version of neo-soul that doesn’t so much check every box as it does write new ones to check. Kind of R&B, kind of indie, kind of rap, she’s a difficult one to pin down. The only thing that’s really consistent on the album is the level of fun, as she weaves through traditional soul and more experimental tunes. It’s sunny indeed.

#99. Geese – Getting Killed

I’m still not fully onboard the Geese train but I think I get it. If you told me one indie band was going to break out in 2025 and had me guess 100 bands, I would not have guessed Geese. The band does an extremely loose, jangly kind of indie that, when coupled with Cameron Winter’s abrasive and Dylanesque vocals, results in something supremely unpredictable and off-kilter. These songs range from melodic to fully insane, in a similar vein to black midi but less dense. I still don’t like “Taxes,” but some of the other tracks here did surprise me in a positive way. One of the most unique bands – and even if I’m not their biggest supporter, I’m so glad they blew up. People demand original music, and that’s what this is. 

#98. Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On

The pushback against sanitized music has been in full force in 2025, with a rebound in hardcore and punk on the center stage. But we’re getting a lot more jangly, unconventional indie as well. Horsegirl’s sophomore album is actually more varied than their debut, roping in some traditional, well-produced indie songs as well as offbeat, noodly ones. “Switch Over” was the lead single and best cut, and it sounds ripped from a Pavement album. Although I think I slightly preferred their debut, this is a nice advancement of their songwriting, and it’s unpredictable in the best ways. If you got into Geese this year, save space for a fellow barnyard band. 

#97. Julien Baker/TORRES – Send A Prayer My Way

This is match made in my personal heaven. I’m not a big fan of Baker’s solo music, even though I recognize she’s an insanely talented musician, but collaborations often bring out the best in her. I am a huge fan of TORRES, so my base level interest was high. I expected gay country, I got gay country. This is a soft, fun, low-stakes y’allternative album. The pair deliver exactly what you expect, and thankfully, it seems to have served as an elevated platform for the perpetually-underrated TORRES. Yeehaw! (Shehaw?) 

#96. Amaarae – BLACK STAR

When it comes to genres I don’t listen to as much like R&B, I tend to latch on to individual artists that really stick out to me. Amaarae is one of those, I’ve been a fan for a few years now. She doesn’t really have a base-level genre; her previous, R&B-heavy album Fountain Baby is what drew me to her initially. But this album is much more dance and pop inspired, and it’s chock full of bangers. It’s a very fun album, Amaarae lets her identity shine in a collection of big, bouncing tunes. Sometimes, it’s good to just start grooving on the subway. 

#95. Mizmor/Hell – Alluvion

Rifffffffs. I first discovered Mizmor through the collaborative album he did with Thou, Myopia, in 2022. Now, subsequently, I’ve used him to discover Hell (the artist). The Mizmor albums I’ve listened to have been marked by abject dread; punishingly slow riffs and dark ambient music that signify a black world of anguish far scarier than any black metal could produce. Hell provides some screaming to, you know, really set the mood. It isn’t actually the darkest area that this can be, because there’s a focus on real writing too. But still – four songs, 40 minutes, and one of the songs is only 4 minutes long. You do the math. 

#94. Viagra Boys – viagr aboys

Surprisingly, I’ve often struggled to click with Viagra Boys. Their post-punk aggression mixed with their spoken, humorous lyrics seem like something made for me. I mean, I’m a huge IDLES fan, and what are they besides a funnier IDLES? But this was the first album of theirs I really connected with; it’s loud, boisterous, funny as hell and still feels urgent. The theme here is the importance of comedy amidst rage. It helps that there’s more bangers here than previous albums, which is the band’s strong suit. There’s just a lot of crunchy guitar and genuinely funny lyrics here. 

#93. baan – neumann

Later on you’ll see some examples of bands who are taking the traditional shoegaze formula and messing around with it. This, by contrast, is just some really heavy shoegaze. They also don’t really stick to the formula, as their music approaches doom metal through its sludge and riffs, but it’s the inverse of bands warping shoegaze through indie. This is really gnarly stuff, and basically every song hits a higher high than I was expecting it to. Kill your ears. 

#92. Laveda – Love, Darla

This one took me by surprise! I was introduced to Laveda in the summer when I saw them open for Sunflower Bean, and I wasn’t super impressed by the live show. Each member had a different energy and the music felt ho-hum. In the studio though, they kick ass. This is one of the closest things to traditional ‘grunge’ that we have today (no, I don’t like using the G word). These are feedback-heavy songs of youthful angst. It maybe doesn’t have the manic energy of Hole, but I still think that’s the closest comparison. This was consistently better and gnarlier than I expected. The dream of the 90’s is still alive. 

#91. Orcutt Shelley Miller – Orcutt Shelley Miller

The band name and album title pull no punches. This is the debut record from the trio of Bill Orcutt (from Hairy Pussy), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and Ethan Miller (Comets On Fire). While I’m not familiar with Miller’s work, and not very familiar with Orcutt’s, I am a lifelong Sonic Youth fan. This is less noise-influenced and more free jazz, meaning that it is still difficult music but not as abrasive. It’s thrilling far more often than not, and each song hits a bigger climax than you may expect. These are three experimental veterans who are just completely locked in. 

#90. Poliça – Dreams Go

This is not a band that I’m super knowledgeable on, but I’ve been a fan for a few years after stumbling onto their set at Riot Fest when I had time to kill. They were an odd booking, as their general indie-pop sound doesn’t mesh perfectly with the festival’s more punk namesakes. Their seventh album doesn’t take any grand swings, opting for a collection of electronica-pop songs that are just fun and well-produced. These songs are catchy, but still have their feet planted firmly in art pop. There is a lot of depth to these songs and they’re much better to get absorbed in as opposed to them getting stuck in your head. It’s pretty music, and most songs work very well. 

#89. Orbit Culture – Death Above Life

I’ve written about Orbit Culture in past years and I’ll say the exact same thing here: I love offbeat, experimental metal, but I think that in order to appreciate music like that, you need to understand the more conventional music that those bands launch off of. Orbit Culture are about as conventional as they come, a radio standard death metal band. While I’m ultimately ambivalent about a lot of death metal, something about these guys just sticks out to me. Their fifth album brings riffs, screams, and some blast beats added in for a touch. It’s nothing a metal fan hasn’t heard before, but it’s about as good as it comes. This album is missing that one big song, but it’s still consistent enough to make the list. 

#88. Pacing – songs

It’s a great title for one of the most unassuming musicians out there. Pacing, aka Katie McTigue, bounces between true bedroom pop and short, louder pop songs in the vein of Guided By Voices. songs finds marriage between both, but is more the latter. It’s a short album of short songs, some quick ideas on everyday things. The tracks are like little gumdrops, all very sweet and small. The first two songs here are “expired yogurt song” and “parking ticket song.” These are slices of life, small inspirations into normal frustrations. 

#87. Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)

Former list-topper Japanese Breakfast are still on a global victory tour after a prolonged mainstream breakthrough. It follows in the footsteps of 2021’s Jubilee, a collection of indie-pop songs that are just absolutely pleasant. These songs aren’t necessarily joyous, but they all have an infectious energy that is never plastic or plastered. The vibes are natural. This is a bit of a step-down from Jubilee, but, again, that album topped this list. Jbrekkie can do no wrong, and this is just another omelette in one of the most digestible catalogs in all of indie. 

#86. Saba/No ID – From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID

Saba is low-key one of the best rappers in America right now, and even a more low-key collaborative album can prove it. Private Collection mimics the title, as this album never feels like a grandiose statement and more like two guys just locking in and grooving. It’s a jazzy album, and Saba’s flow remains impeccable throughout. Saba isn’t exactly unknown, but he should be much bigger than he is. 

#85. yeule – Evangelic Girl Is A Gun

Every year sees a lot of new discoveries for me, and even after two listens I still don’t really know much about yeule. I haven’t heard yeule’s previous three albums, but the internet tells me they are more glitch and dream-pop oriented, and that Gun represents a new direction. This is a collection of artsy pop songs, each one following a traditional pop songwriting structure while always threatening to diverge into something more chaotic. It’s fun, even if the songs are about personal struggles. It’s an abstract work, while maintaining graspable rhythms. It’s unsurprising to learn that they’re also a painter – listening to this feels like watching someone paint.

#84. Hannah Francis – Nestled in Tangles

Chalk this one up to word of mouth. I saw multiple writers and publications hype this one up, and I’m glad I saved space for it. This is a pretty brilliant little folk album, with a lot of creativity and patience in its songwriting. These are mostly longer, more drawn-out songs, with great vocals and a lot of brass accompaniment. A handful of these songs have horns, but not so many that it feels like a gimmick. Tangles is easy on the ears, a soft but not minimalist collection that is easy on the ears and sounds just like the twisting trees displayed on the cover. 

#83. Wooll – Thistle

I go back to day one with Wooll. I was lucky enough to premiere their debut album, as well as their sophomore record Thistle. Lovely people and lovely musicians, this is an indie dreamscape. Where Unwind was very dreamy in a fun way, this shows a few cracks into more of a nightmare. I would still count this as something close to dream-pop, but it’s denser and darker than Unwind, working as a nice complement. I can sum it up like this: it’s just really nice music to listen to. It’s pleasant on the ears, and the songs are catchy without being saccharine. They’re original while sounding familiar, and it’s something to go back to many times. 

#82. Kevin Abstract – Blush

There may not be a more fitting moniker for any artist out there than Kevin Abstract. The rapper, who made his name in the prolific and experimental group Brockhampton, has always been one to push the boundaries of hip-hop. While “experimental hip-hop” is usually mostly synonymous with “abrasive,” Abstract always weaves in artistic elements. It’s always some combination of graceful, profound, R&B, alternative, hard rock, etc. On Blush, he instead curates a selection of songs. Almost every track here contains a litany of guests – and the ones that don’t are mostly credited to other artists. Danny Brown, Dominic Fike and Quadeca get their own individual songs, among others. It’s not dissimilar to what Brockhampton did, except that that was a group with about 100 guys in it. For a solo album, it is conceptually, well, abstract. And it works, it’s a constant change of pace with a million different tones, all working together as one. 

#81. Sunset Rollercoaster – QUIT QUIETLY

Sometimes band names make sense. Like a lot of acts on this list, Taiwan’s Sunset Rollercoaster were an entirely new discovery to me this year, and it’s just delightful. I normally don’t necessarily like “happy” music, as I often find it either hollow or forced. I think pigeonholing this as “happy music” is also rudimentary, but this is really feel-good stuff. Jazzy, poppy indie that’s always interesting and just unique enough to be both familiar and new. It’s a breezy, clever work. If a lot of albums on this list are poison, this is antidote. 

#80. Miya Folick – Erotica Veronica

There were a handful of albums on this list that I really liked immediately, only for them to fade from memory (and a few fell off the list completely). Folk singer Miya Folick’s third album had the opposite effect. I listened to it on a morning commute, thought it was great but not on par with her previous effort, and then just…kept thinking about it. It’s a deceivingly great folk-rock album, with a lot of subtle beauty and outwardly great rhythms. It is humble music, yet grabs your attention for the whole runtime. Folick is still getting grounded and already has a lot of buzz – watch for her almost-inevitable elevation.

#79. Suzie True – How I Learned to Love What’s Gone

Chalk this one up to “it’s just me music.” I love Suzie True, and I loved their new album! The band’s squeaky clean but fiercely energetic power-pop scratches an itch that I get frequently. The band is in the same league as Beach Bunny, writing taut, power chord-driven ditties that maybe don’t qualify as “punk music” but sound real damn close. They definitely slow things down more on this go-around, opting for a broader spectrum, but it all works. A short, fun little pop-rock album.

#78. Disiniblud – Disiniblud

On a similar note to Sunset Rollercoaster, this is one of the more intriguing and lighter albums on the list. Disiniblud is a new group, a collaboration between Rachika Nayar and Nina Keith, two experimental artists that I was unfamiliar with individually. I don’t check out a lot of experimental music, but this was an absolute pleasure. It finds the border between melodic and ambient, with a lot of mid-song gear-switching. The songs are all unique, warm and cared-for. There are familiar melodies and sonic deviations, resulting in a wholly unpredictable album that never gets grating in the way that some experimental works do. This won’t have a wide audience necessarily, but it’s extremely satisfying.

#77. Panchiko – Ginkgo

Call it a comeback. One of the wilder stories in music history, Panchiko released one demo and crashed out in obscurity in 2001. 15 years later, some random person with clout got that demo trending, and now they’re global stars. Their second album is a beautiful collection of dream pop and slowcore, music I am not usually attracted to. Each song is unique, though, and each one is treated with explicit care. This is maybe the most tender album I listened to this year, like a warm hug. It never retreads ideas, yet is one complete whole. I really expected a collection of repetition, but I ended up wowed on every track.

#76. Jeff Tweedy – Twilight Override

There’s two kinds of people out there – people who recognize that Jeff Tweedy is one of the all-time great American songwriters, and people who haven’t awakened yet. Even in 2025 there isn’t nearly enough respect put on his name. Tweedy has been cruising since 1990, as the frontman for Uncle Tupelo (1990-1994) and Wilco (1994-present), but his solo career has been lowkey and quiet. This album is full of songs that are hushed folk-rock tunes, and I mean full of them – it’s 3 discs, 111 minutes and 30 songs long. In criticism, plenty of the songs on discs 2 and 3 feel inconsequential. But Tweedy’s whole concept is about the importance of creativity, so why not include everything? Besides, it’s always pleasant to hear him strum away. This one might only be for the Tweedy heads, but I urge everyone to cherry pick some tunes out of this. 

Part 1 is done! I hope you found some gems, there’s some real nuggets in this section. Join me tomorrow for part 2, where you’ll see a behemoth of a project from a Boston indie group, some industrial metal, one of the biggest pop albums of the year, multiple hardcore releases and possibly the best emo reunion album ever made.

Here’s five albums that just missed the cut but still want to shout out: Die Spitz – Something to Consume | Jane Remover – revengeseekerz | Anika – Abyss | Lorna Shore – I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me | Tunde Adebimpe – Thee Black Boltz

Fade In Playlist: Wilco

With the surprise release of their ninth album, the lawsuit-nudgingly titled “Star Wars,” Wilco have entered another new chapter in their career. Most bands won’t have as many phases as this over only nine albums, but most bands aren’t Wilco. From Texas blend alt-country, to Chicago migraine-imitating noise rock, to a restless feeling of “dad” music, Wilco have managed to separate and reflect on their influences individually, based on the times. And with no bad albums under their belt, there’s a lot of ground to cover if you’re just getting into them. So I’m here to help – below is a Spotify playlist of 10 Wilco songs to get you started. Because picking 10 good Wilco songs could basically be done by just throwing 10 darts at a list of their music, I’ve limited my personal picks and leaned heavily on what I feel are their objective best works.

Since I jump around in their discography, here is a list of their albums chronologically:

“A.M.” – 1995
“Being There” – 1996
“Summerteeth” – 1999
“Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” – 2002
“A Ghost is Born” – 2004
“Sky Blue Sky” – 2007
“Wilco (the Album)” – 2009
“The Whole Love” – 2011
“Star Wars” – 2015

1) “Misunderstood”

One of the earliest great Wilco songs, “Misunderstood” shows the band already tempting their audience with an avant-garde sound. 1996’s “Being There” was the band’s second album, and one that established them as an alt-country group worth watching. But the leadoff track has a heavy, restless guitar line amidst its piano and country rhythms. It was a sign of what was to come, and is still a live staple to this day.

2) “Wilco (the Song)”

2008’s “Wilco (the Album)” saw the band poking fun at their diverse discography by embracing all of it at once. A weaker release in their discography, but still a fun insight into a band looking back at themselves. Another leadoff track, “Wilco (the Song)” is a quick, catchy guitar ditty reminiscent of their “Summerteeth” era transitional period. Though simplistic, it’s both indicitave of the band’s power on the indie front, and a song that never gets old.

3) “Impossible Germany”

Definitely one of Wilco’s best songs is a showcase for Nels Cline. In between “A Ghost is Born” and 2007’s “Sky Blue Sky,” Wilco drafted legendary jazz and noise rock guitarist Nels Cline and let him show off here. The song follows a “Marquee Moon” trajectory – a song they’ve covered live – by starting as a standard rock song, with cryptic lyrics, before devolving into a very lengthy guitar solo. And just like the Television song, the best part of the solo is when the rhythm guitar line develops on it’s own. And despite it all, “Impossible Germany” manages to have a relaxed, calming tone to it. A modern guitar odyssey.

4) “I’m the Man Who Loves You”

The legend of Wilco’s utter struggle and total redemption recording 2002’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” has been extremely well-documented, so here’s just a quick rundown – band members came to blows over the album’s significantly more noisy, abrasive and unpredictable sound, and from the time recording started to the album’s release, two members were replaced. Meanwhile, Reprise Records rejected the album, as even Wilco’s more radio-friendly work wasn’t selling. They asked for the rights to their music back, which Reprise gave for free. Wilco then sold the album to Nonesuch Records – another Warner Bros. subsidiary, who released it. The album, which was originally slated for release on 9/11, eventually came out on 4/23/2002, with the band touring with a different line-up than on the album. But it has gone on to become Wilco’s most successful album, and a certifiable indie classic. Picking just two songs from the album for this list is nearly impossible, but this song is both the album’s most abrasive and catchiest song, an example of how well they’ve become at blending the two.

5) “Where Do I Begin”

Over a decade after “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” we’ve got Wilco feeling restless again. Their new album “Star Wars” is their first fun album in a long, long time, and shows the band refusing to mature and settle into a “dad-rock” sound that they’ve been on the fringe of. While the album is filled with guitar-heavy ditties, the best songs are ones like “Where Do I Begin,” which start like previous midtempo Wilco songs that give the aura of “Okay, they got that out of their system,” before suddenly switching gears. “Where Do I Begin” stops suddenly and lets a jazzy drum line come in and wrap up the song, all in under three minutes.

6) “Via Chicago” (Live Version)

Look, no band is perfect. No band knows this better than Wilco. Back before they had nine albums, Wilco once did a multi-show run in their now-hometown Chicago where they played every song in their discography over a few nights. There were some that Tweedy apologized for and complained about them being too boring. To me, “Via Chicago” is one of those – a centerpiece of “Summerteeth” that’s a dull ballad. But this live version from “Kicking Television” again highlights the way Wilco have an eye for warping and changing their music, by incorporating three sudden, sweaty noise build-ups amidst the original version. It’s a shock. Bonus: watch the video, where Tweedy calmly plays his acoustic guitar, totally ignoring the insanity around him.

7) “Walken”

“Walken” is a live staple for Wilco, even though audiences usually seem lukewarm to the band playing it. I don’t get it – it’s one of the most fun songs in the band’s discography. With semi-meta lyrics surrounding a country guitar line and jazzy drums, it’s an amalgum of Wilco’s interests. And, as a part of “Sky Blue Sky,” it’s Nels Cline-heavy. “Walken,” with no actual relation to the actor, is an upbeat track with a number of different things going on at once, and shows how well the band works together, especially with their current long-running line-up.

8) “Can’t Stand It”

The tribulations of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” really started back with 1999’s “Summerteeth.” Warner Bros. had joined with Time and were in debt – the labels were pressured to find hit acts. Howard Klein – the man who kept convincing Reprise to stick with Wilco – made it his swan song to convince Reprise to do it yet again (something he couldn’t do with “Yankee,” as he was soon fired). Reprise told Wilco they needed a radio hit single, so the band agreed “once and only once” to rework one song, “Can’t Stand It,” into a poppy single. The reworked version, done in one day, leads off the album, but unfortunately still wasn’t enough – it failed to make airwaves and the album sold less copies than it’s predecessor, “Being There.”

9) “Company In My Back”

I’ll be upfront on this one – I’m not really a fan of Wilco’s fifth album, “A Ghost is Born.” Tweedy adapted even more of a lead role on the album, playing lead guitar for the first time in the band’s run. The album, the follow-up to “Yankee,” follows the unpredictable tone but is significantly darker, with Tweedy taking inspirations from his lifelong migraine problem, which had been getting even worse. Wilco’s most infamous song, “Less Than You Think,” is a 15-minute electro-drone song that is supposed to mimic a migraine (an interesting piece that’s extremely out of place on a Wilco album). Still, the album has some great tracks, like this surprisingly catchy low-key one. It’s a rare Wilco song that would fit on any album.

10) “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”

One of Wilco’s most well-known songs, the opener to “Yankee” is an avant-garde opus, nearly seven minutes of nonsensical lyrics, drones, clock chimes and piano. Naturally, the meat of the song is still very catchy, but everything going on around it was nothing that Wilco fans had ever heard before. Any noise influence before “Yankee” – and most after – was crafted just with studio instruments. But this song pummels itself into outside noises. And tempo changes, and a reference to an upcoming song (“I’m the Man Who Loves You,” again). “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” must have been the underground version of Dylan going electric – an alt-country band going freak-out. The song may have been written from the depths of Tweedy’s opiate addiction, and while 75% of me is glad he kicked it years ago, 25% of me wants another “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.”

There’s really no saying where Wilco will go next, but given their track record, it’s likely to be something they haven’t done before – and it’s probably going to be great.

Previous playlists: Beck, Death Grips

By Andrew McNally, who has loved Wilco for many years but has sadly only seen them once.

Wilco – “Star Wars”

Grade: A-

Key Tracks: “You Satellite” “Where Do I Belong”

Wilco are at an important point in their career. Like many artists before them – namely David Bowie, who they channel heavily here on their ninth album – they’re at a point where they’re growing restless again. Wilco established their original sound, as an alt-country band. And then, out of nowhere came “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and “A Ghost is Born,” their creative reawakening albums (although in most band trajectories, this period comes from creative woes, not accidental painkiller addictions). After Jeff Tweedy recovered, the band’s sound settled into a more mature, introspective look with the still-excellent “Sky Blue Sky.” And the two albums since then have seen the band embrace their catalog as a whole, both poking fun and honoring their creativity of the past.

But, like Bowie did on “The Next Day,” they’re again growing restless with maturity. “Star Wars” is unlike any other Wilco album, in many ways. For on thing, it’s called “Star Wars.” Also, the cover has an adorable cat on it. It looks more like the cover for a Dusty Springfield record, not a Wilco one. And the songs are shortened, tightened and energized. There’s certainly other Wilco songs that would feel comfortable on this album – “Shot in the Arm,” “Wilco (the Song)” come to mind. But the band has created songs that don’t give themselves room to breathe. At 2:30, “Pickled Ginger” sounds just like a cut Deep Purple song with it’s fuzzed-out, grinding guitar line. Although “Star Wars” is distinctively Wilco, the songs here have traveled a long way from “Impossible Germany.” And it’s not a criticism – it’s a familiar sound, in an unfamiliar package. At 33:47, it’s the band’s shortest album by nearly ten minutes (ten minutes being two-thirds the length of their longest song). And as a band that’s stayed reliant to the album format, their decision to drop this release suddenly and for free online is growth as well.

Although the band has been playfully looking back at their earlier works in recent years, “Star Wars” marks the first time in years that they’ve actually incorporated any elements with an avant garde feel. They come mainly in the opener, “EKG,” a 1:15 chippy, dissonant intro that doesn’t serve as a standalong song, instead as a declaration of what’s to come.

Also, Jeff Tweedy as a frontman and songwriter seems to be less of a focus on this album. Something noticeable about one the album’s best songs, “You Satellite,” is that the volume of his vocals is closer to the rest of the instruments, instead of being at the forefront. And eventually, he gives way to the music entirely. Tweedy’s lyrics on this album aren’t his best (they’re a lot vaguer than past Wilco albums), but the focus is on the music and the vibe anyways. The longer they’ve been around, and especially since they’ve developed a more steady line-up, Wilco has seemed more like a full band and less like a collective.

Wilco haven’t released a mediocre album since 1999’s “Summerteeth,” but it’s been a long time since they’ve released a great one, too, and that’s just what “Star Wars” is. This is their best album since “Sky Blue Sky” in 2007 and, if you like just fun and lively Wilco, then before that. There are moments of beauty and grace on “Star Wars,” especially in affectionate closer “Magnetized.” But more often than not, those moments are often followed up by a sudden drum line, feedback or guitar melting. Just as you would expect from a band growing restless yet again.

If you like this, try: This one’s probably obvious since I mentioned it, but it’s stylistically and tonally resembling of Bowie’s “The Next Day,” if not actually all that similar.

Mavis Staples – “One True Vine”

(Photo Credit: Pitchfork)

Grade: B+

Key Tracks: “Jesus Wept,” “One True Vine”

Mavis Staples, 73 years old, proves on her thirteenth studio album that she can still make any song sound gorgeous.

Mavis Staples originated as a member of the Staple Singers, the legendary gospel-soul group. But after the family stopped recording music, Mavis came into her own through her solo work. “One True Vine” finds her reconnecting with the man who produced her previous record, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy. The songs on the album are primarily covers, ranging from Nick Lowe, to a surprising cover of a Funkadelic song, and a cover of a song from the alt-rock band Low (that’s only a few weeks old, and was also recorded by Tweedy). Tweedy composed two of the tracks, “Jesus Wept” and “One True Vine,” two of the best songs on the album. Staples’ voice sounds as strong as ever, as she takes sometimes painful and emotional lyrics and turns them into beautiful songs.

Tweedy’s work on the album, as with Staples’ previous work, is intentionally minimalistic. A majority of the tracks are just vocals and acoustic guitar, with an occasional inclusion of drums or other instruments. Tweedy played all of the instruments on the album except drums (which were played by his son), which adds to the low-key feel. The focus of the whole album is on the vocals. “One True Vine” is a short and quiet album, stripped away of any distractions. Staples still has a beautiful and strong voice, and the album is a strong and creative blend of gospel and soul because of it.

-By Andrew McNally